mobility scooters

lin473

DH has problems with arthritis on both feet.
He is not able to walk more than a gentle potter doing everyday things without a serious amount of pain and is never pain free even when he hardly walks at all.
He is waiting for toe fusion surgery which will involve doing one foot at a time , being in plaster and not able to weight bear during the recovery time.

The thing is that as a migraine sufferer one of the things that really helps is to get out in the open air and going for a walk - it is one of the things we really enjoy as a family too.
So we are considering buying a mobility scooter.

It would have to be one that folds down or comes apart .
We have seen one called 'auto-go 550' which fits in our car okay and I wondered if anyone has any experience of this model or could recommend a foldable one that is quite inexpensive as I don't think we would qualify for any mobility benefit.

Thanks x

welshman1982

Hi Lin473. With a mobility scooter their are so many different ones to choose from. What I did was to find some online that you think maybe suitable, (i used http://1800wheelchair.co.uk/asp/view-category-subcats.asp?Category_Id=291 ) then once you have the makes and models ring round your local mobility shops to see who has them in stock and go along for a kind of test drive. I didn't try any of the companys who come to you with the scooters as most opnions are that they can be pretty pushy. Treat the whole experience as if you were buying a new car. At the end of the day its your choice and you want to make sure you get whats right/comfortable/suitable.

I ended up buying an Electric Mobility Liteway 8 (8mph).



Its a slightly larger than the basic transportable scooter which is easy to take apart for putting into the car or theirs a 4mph or 6mph version too.

In the current climate don't be afraid to have a go at trying to get the price down. Good luck and happy motoring.

daska

You've not provided a lot of information about how long this process might take, what kind of family you have, what kind of walks you like etc so it's not possible to tell whether this model might suit you. The mobility shops don't always delve into the potential demands on the vehicle's deeply enough. DLA depends on age, how long he has already been disabled and how long he is expected to be disabled for...

So here are a few of the questions that come to mind:

How long are your walks? As a family, do you walk slowly or briskly? You'll need to make sure the battery can cope with the distance and speed - no joke, I could never walk slowly until I became disabled, it was just too uncomfortable. My 4mph will do a maximum of 4mph, my toddler can move faster than mummy's pram when he wants to!

Do your walks only go via pavements or do you want to off-road or even 'on-road'? If the former then a lightweight would probably be fine but if you will have to drive on roads with no pavements then you need to be road legal and if you want to take in the countryside you'll need a sturdier battery to cope with uneven/difficult terrain such as grass/gravel. Will he need to carry crutches with him? Then make sure the scooter can accomodate them or you'll have to carry the crutches for him. Will he want to go out and shop? Make sure it has a decent basket.

If it's not going to be for long you could consider buying second hand or borrowing one? If you decide to buy new it's worth haggling, I got £300 off the £1500 price of my 'new' scooter last year and times are tougher now.

lin473

Thanks for your replies.
We have a profoundly disabled son so our walks do have to be on made up paths as I am pushing his wheelchair.
I used to be a fast walker but not so much now as it's hard work pushing DS around and as DH can only walk slowly we tend to go at his speed at the moment.
We do need something that would cope with the kind of paths in country parks not just smooth pavements though.
We have a wheelchair adapted Sedona which gives a fair bit of space behind DS's wheelchair but not big enough for the larger scooters hence the need for one that folds.
We need to take a hoist for DS when we go on holiday too (molift smart) so I don't know if we are being a bit unrealistic!
I think the 10 mile range of the smaller scooters should be okay but I am wondering if that range is reduced by much if it is hilly terrain?
Our walks do not normally exceed 5-6 miles.
After the ops he will have crutches but as for going to the shops - he wouldn't even do that when he was fully fit - he hates shopping!
I think we would have to go for a second hand one as we only have a small budget.
As we have found to our cost with the WAV's theory is often different from practise (we are on our third now ,getting bigger every time to get everything in)
I think we should go to a shop and see what they have to offer as welshman suggested.
I am tending to think that if we can get a 4 wheeler transportable scooter it would be better than the autogo 550.

daska

It sounds as if you need some comprehensive advice, you've got a lot of equipment to lug around for your husband, son and daughter! Have you tried Assist UK

holistic_witch

also remember that you get VAT free so will bring down the cost as well

lin473

What do you think to this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-Wheel-Car-Transportable-Mobility-Scooter-New_W0QQitemZ220375701311QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Health_Beauty_Mobility_Disability_Medical_ET?hash=item220375701311&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A7%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Hope the link works okay.

I would be grateful for any thoughts especially if someone already has one or who have dealt with the company.

I like the sound of it as it has quite big tyres (so I thought it would cope with roughish ground though it obviously isn't an all-terrain buggy)
It can do up to 6mph and has a decent range but it seems too cheap !
It also has a crutch holder as an option !

H W - I'm not sure about the VAT relief as OH isn't 'officially' disabled if there is such a thing.
We always sign a form for any equipment we buy for DS but he is on DLA.

Daska- thanks for the info - I had never heard of Assist UK and I may test them out and ring them in the morning.

allydowd

I'd recommend puncture resistant solid tyres.

daska

allydowd wrote: »

I'd recommend puncture resistant solid tyres.

ditto! you don't want to be getting a puncture on a 5 mile walk and be pushing two of them home!

Rebel

This may not be possible for you, however I have access to a local cash and carry that stocks mobility scooters, both 3 wheel and 4 wheel types if you know anyone with access to a similar outlet you might be surprised just how CHEAP you can purchase these for.

I have seen small 3 wheel scooters for around £350 NEW and bigger stronger 4 wheeled versions for between £650 and £850 these prices are plus VAT but you may be able to reclaim that as a disabled person.

As I say IF you know anyone who has access to cash and carry operations its worth checking after all you have nothing to lose by asking them.

Elsewhere

This is worth reading, from the Disabled Living Foundation
http://www.dlf.org.uk/factsheets/pdf/Choosing_a_scooter_or_buggy.pdf
We bought my MIL's scooter from here
http://www.pathwayscooters.info/4436.html
as they were offering the cheapest price at the time. They were very prompt delivering and offered to demonstrate the scooter (and the assembly and dismantling) when they dropped it off.
However before we bought we took her to several shops to actually try them for ease of use, comfort, etc. and then hired one for a week for her to try out before going to the expense of buying in case she didn't get on with it.

It's only a 4mph one with small wheels but copes well with slightly rough terrain (gravelly untarmaced paths) though it did need a bit of a push when she tried to drive it over the sand on Bournemouth beach!
http://www.the-wilderness.eclipse.co.uk/pics/beach_buggy_smaller.jpg