Lightweight powerchair

Sorry_Susan

Hi all,
I need to get a lightweight power-chair as I am struggling to lift my daughter's scooter in and out of my car boot. The heaviest part of her scooter is 19.5kg. It is also bulky and awkward to lift and my boot is not that large.
We have no access to benefits yet as we are still waiting for PIP (next week). Getting a car with a hoist feels like an overkill as we don't go out that often.
Suggestions of what to get welcome please.

newborn

As you know, there  is no perfect answer, only compromise.  It does seem that batteries,  and chairs,  are at last being made more lightweight .    Ideally,  some spin off would come from the combined expertise of those making the racing cycles and the fold up cycles and the power assisted cycles.   

One day, those designers might realise to their astonishment that disabled people  exist.   

They could then transform lives, if they chose. They could also make good profit from the neglected market.

laura222

Hi Susan! Nice to meet you.

I was having a similar problem and was going back and forth between getting a scooter or chair. It took me ages to decide; like you I had to think about weight and size etc. for transportation. I ended up getting a Trekinetic GTE which is supposed to be one of the lightest power chairs you can get. Once the wheels are popped off and the battery is out (which is easy to do) the heaviest part is 15kg and it also folds up pretty easily so that it fits in most car boots. However, they are massively expensive and I had to buy one second-hand from eBay as well as use credit to fund it. But it has absolutely changed my life. It may not be the right thing for your daughter and yourself, but I thought I'd let you know since they're relatively unheard of.

April2018mom

Hello and welcome! 

You might find this helpful to read. https://www.karmamobility.co.uk/which-powerchair/

Han_

Hi @Sorry_Susan and thank you for your post. 

Are you able to purchase a lightweight manual wheelchair and power assist separately? That way you'll have the benefit of it being lightweight and operating like a power chair. Here's a blog post about some power assist options: https://www.whentaniatalks.com/power-assist-wheels-a-comparison/

There is also the Pride i-Go power chair which is lightweight and portable: https://www.pride-mobility.co.uk/i-go.html

I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Han

Rose1rose2

Hello Susan, I have a “Fold-a-lite pro” it has changed my life, it has lithium batteries which are so easy to remove from the frame making the folding frame no heavier than a child’s pushchair to lift in and out of the car boot. I bought the chair from Care-co but I’ve since seen them on line cheaper.

Sorry_Susan

Thank you so much for this.
The whole disability-lark is one heck of a learning curve for us. Took us a while to admit that 'disabled' was the correct term. 

laura222

It's definitely a huge learning curve - but the Scope Community are a fantastic resource so it's great that you're here.

Took ages for me too! I found that representation was a big helper for me. Seeing other people 'like me' who were owning life, being happy, successful and all kinds of amazing really showed me that 'disabled' doesn't have to be a dirty word. As much stick as social media gets, I found loads of great people on Instagram showing how fantastic/normal/fun/fashionable/beautiful/funny... disability is.

Good luck to you and your daughter with finding the right thing! Keep us updated.

emmarenshaw

Welcome to the community @Sorry_Susan  please let us know how you get on with your search.

soconfused

Hi @Sorry_Susan welcome.

I've been looking at Wheelchair assessable vehicles and the range is good if you can get Mobility - However a hoist system is dam expensive and not part of the package so it might be best to just get a class 2 scooter then you can take apart? Again if you get PIP And you get enhanced mobility there are loads to choose from and all in the allowance - otherwise you can one for about £200 if you look around, 

Just my thoughts. 

Han_

You're welcome @Sorry_Susan. How have you been getting on with the search?