Wheelchair - hire or buy?

Invasion

Hey,

I've been using my wheelchair for the past year when I leave the house, my arms aren't strong enough to use crutches, so I'm pretty much dependent on my wheelchair when out of the house. We bought ours straight off, as our local red cross had nothing, and we couldn't wait for the wheelchair service etc, and we needed something lightweight.

I have a lightweight, self propelled wheelchair from Betterlifehealthcare, it cost around £150 and provided I use a cushion- wheelchair crescent infill is invaluable if you have a seat that folds, as you do get a numb bum! I wish I'd gone for one with heel-loops though, as my feet do tend to fall off and get run over... ha!

Because it's so lightweight I can self propel around supermarkets, DIY stores and other wide-aisled, smooth floored environments- my favourite places, because of the independance!

I'm actually considering buying an electric wheelchair, as I want MORE independance- I'm 17, and would love to be able to get round a store, or for a short trip parent-less! And self-propelled are pretty much impossible with uneven pavements- ones that slope- ouch!

Ramble ramble, basically, it's probably worth buying your own, it's not giving in, not at all, just enabling you to live life as much as you possibly can, I've said all along that I could sell mine when it was no longer needed- saying that, I bent the frame in the summer in lots of mud... oops!

Ebay are worth looking at, as often, even the SAME retailer will have the model on there for less.

Good luck!

Rachel

Invasion

Should probably say, my wheelchair has needed minimum maintenance, they're pretty hardwearing to be honest, even lightweight, though dad did have to hammer the side of mine to stop the wheel squeaking against the side once I'd bent it...
What kind of things do you envisage happening to the chair?
Even with my crazy lunatic mother "driving" mine no harm has come to it that way. Do be careful of people's ankles though!

pipkin71

Thankyou Rachel for your posts and welcome to mse

We're going to hire from shopmobility this week so I can see how I get on with it. I feel apprehensive and not too sure how I will feel in the chair but we shall see.

Interesting comments about the heel loops. As my foot has dropped it would probably be a good idea to have those. I already have a numb bum [ ] thanks to nerve damage but will definitely make sure I have a cushion.

Welcome again and hope you enjoy many happy hours on the site. A word of warning, the further down the board you venture, the more you're likely to get hooked

pipkin71

I'm revisiting this thread as today was the day I went out with wheels, and what an eye opener!

We hired a wheelchair from shopmobility for the day and I can't say I was looking forward to going out in it but things were alot easier and we managed to spend most of the day outside, which was a bonus :j

Uneven pavements, crowds of people walking side by side, not enough drops to the kerb all made for an interesting day. I experienced people talking to my friends rather than me, people tutting if they couldn't get past quick enough and people happy to wait while we went by.

One thing that surprised me was that as a group of adults, we weren't able to keep up a conversation between all of us so it was snatches here and there whilst walking but normal conversation when we stopped.

It really did help and meant we could spend longer outdoors with friends, plus I'm not as physically exhausted as I normally would be after going out for a while, but certainly a different experience - both good and bad!

somebody_else

pipkin71 wrote: »

Uneven pavements, crowds of people walking side by side, not enough drops to the kerb all made for an interesting day. I experienced people talking to my friends rather than me, people tutting if they couldn't get past quick enough and people happy to wait while we went by.

One thing I would advise is to be prepared to become invisible to some people. I've lost count of the number of people who've come very close to tripping over me because they never pay any attention to anything that happens below their waist height. The same used to happen when my son was small and either walking with me or in his pushchair.

Apart from that - I hope you find the increase in mobility a great help to you.

lilwatchergirl

pipkin71 wrote: »

I do feel a bit down about it because it makes me feel old and useless but I've missed being able to get out for the day and if the chair makes it possible then I need to look at it positively.

It won't make you feel old or useless once you're used to it. I am far more disabled when trying to walk than when in my wheelchair. I'm a buzzy, mobile, raring-to-go type in the chair. :T I have a self-propelling chair with power-assisted wheels, meaning I can go (almost) anywhere, indoors or out, and do anything. It's exciting!

Best of luck with getting a good chair and getting used to it. You really will be amazed at how much freedom it gives you.

pipkin71

Thanks for the advice everyone :beer:

I've spoken to occupational therapy services and they will be supplying a wheelchair There is a waiting list but it shouldn't be too bad.

We're going out today, and I will be hiring one again from shopmobility. Hopefully, the more I use one the easier it will get and it also means not being stuck indoors which is a relief as I've hated not being able to go out.

pipkin xxxx