Finding out stuff

MightMouse · 15 May 2019 at 4:48PM

Do you know any one local who uses a wheel chair? They may be willing to come round your house and point out issues that you may not be able to see and that may be hard for people to anticipate over the net.

bouicca21 · 17 May 2019 at 8:39PM

Thanks all. I must admit that I nearly went up to a couple of complete strangers to ask how they managed with their wheelchairs but when I measured my doorways I realised that no way will a chair go through them. So she will have to be able to manage on crutches.

Although she has had limited mobility for a long time, the need for a wheelchair is recent - she is on a learning curve too - but I’ll ask her what aids she uses at home and try to duplicate them here. I’ll suss out a Red Cross shop. Sounds like the staff at Red Cross and the local station need to be my new best friends.

I wasn’t expecting that she’d get NHS treatment, her situation is way too complicated and chronic for that, but I need to make sure she has checked her insurance and extended it if necessary. Not sure whether my GP surgery takes private patients but even if it does, parking must be very limited (assuming there is any, I’ve not spotted it).

I’ll also pass on your comments - I don’t think it has occurred to her that she will need a fit to fly note, and she was uncertain as to whether she could bring her own wheelchair or whether I’d have to organise one for when I meet her at the airport.

GlasweJen · 18 May 2019 at 12:33PM

bouicca21 wrote: »

Thanks all. I must admit that I nearly went up to a couple of complete strangers to ask how they managed with their wheelchairs but when I measured my doorways I realised that no way will a chair go through them. So she will have to be able to manage on crutches.

Although she has had limited mobility for a long time, the need for a wheelchair is recent - she is on a learning curve too - but I’ll ask her what aids she uses at home and try to duplicate them here. I’ll suss out a Red Cross shop. Sounds like the staff at Red Cross and the local station need to be my new best friends.

I wasn’t expecting that she’d get NHS treatment, her situation is way too complicated and chronic for that, but I need to make sure she has checked her insurance and extended it if necessary. Not sure whether my GP surgery takes private patients but even if it does, parking must be very limited (assuming there is any, I’ve not spotted it).

I’ll also pass on your comments - I don’t think it has occurred to her that she will need a fit to fly note, and she was uncertain as to whether she could bring her own wheelchair or whether I’d have to organise one for when I meet her at the airport.

She needs to inform the airline that she's a passenger flying with her own wheelchair, there will be a special assistance phone number with her airline for this. One you make the booking you phone the number and talk through what help you need.

As a wheelchair user you'll be boarded first onto the plane and usually seated in the bulkhead. They'll take her wheelchair and put it in the hold. During the flight they'll take the crutches away during take off and landing and return them when the plane is cruising.

When the plane lands they'll bring your friends wheelchair to the plane door and she'll be last off the aircraft to give them time to get the chair to her.

The fit to fly note is pure ignorance but everyone assumes the chair means other underlying health problems. Make sure she insures her wheelchair too.

Misslayed · 18 May 2019 at 12:54PM

You can get extra narrow wheelchairs - the arms come off - I believe they use them on some aeroplanes to get disabled passengers down the aisle to their seat.

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