Tips for a new wheelchair user

[Nystagmite]

Are you sure you have to pay VAT? You don't have to pay VAT on goods and services if the sole use is for a disabled person. Can't quite remember the wording off the top of my head.

[reallymadwoman]

Are you sure you have to pay VAT? You don't have to pay VAT on goods and services if the sole use is for a disabled person. Can't quite remember the wording off the top of my head.

 

That had occurred to me, but I'm not going to bother asking or they might think there's a chance I'm going to pay them.

[stu007]

Just to update the query on a Disabled Person and paying VAT on Goods & Services please see these links:

 

https://www.gov.uk/financial-help-disabled/vat-relief

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-7017-vat-reliefs-for-disabled-people

[postmn]

also you are now invisible , noone will see you . i have noticed this pushing my aunt and brother in law around . some people are alright but the majority do not see you

[reallymadwoman]

also you are now invisible , noone will see you . i have noticed this pushing my aunt and brother in law around . some people are alright but the majority do not see you

 

Very true - more than once someone has stepped backwards, generally in supermarkets, and nearly ended up sitting on my lap. Also people expect a wheelchair to be able to stop instantly when they step in front of you.

[reallymadwoman]

Unfortunately my upper body strength has declined even further and I'm no longer able to push the chair for long on even the smoothest surface. Hubby and I spent much of the last couple of days looking at alternatives but we're struggling to identify something suitable.

 

I don't qualify for an electric chair from the NHS as I really only need it outside, I can still use the manual chair inside and probably will be able to do so for at least a few more years. Electric chairs also don't seem to work that well outdoors other than in shopping centres etc, which isn't where I want to go most of the time.

 

We've looked at various mobility scooters and been and tried a range at our local mobility shop but couldn't find a single one which I could get comfortable on. I'm quite tall and I can't sit with my knees less than 3" below the level of my hips so I need quite a high seat and I also need room to fully extend my legs regularly to ease the pressure on a few nerves. If you add to that needing one that can be operated single handed, the choice was very restricted.

 

I've been using a borrowed scooter (kymco midi xls) for the last 3 months which just about does the job (apart from the one-handed thing, it's possible, but it makes steering very difficult) but it's much too big to go in the car. It's also quite old and becoming a bit temperamental and it's taking up a lot of space in the garage. It's also pretty useless for shopping etc as it's too big to go inside, especially our two tiny supermarkets.

 

So I think I need something powered, which can be operated by one hand only, suitable for use outside in a rural area where footpaths can be few and far between and smooth surfaces are rarer than honest politicians, and ideally will easily fit in the car whilst leaving some room for shopping/luggage.

 

If I don't win the lottery this week, are there any options I can afford?

[Bazooka Boo]

I'll have a think RMW, I do know you can get mobility scooters that are operated one handed, kind of like a large joystick either left or right handed...Have you tried the Red Cross? Or is that just for self propelled wheel chairs???

[reallymadwoman]

We've looked at electric chairs and to get anything which could cope with the sort of uneven surfaces I need it to cover means it's huge, heavy and expensive and would really need a van with ramps to transport it anywhere.

 

With the mobility scooters, the salesman did say they could get one adapted to use one hand, but anything small enough to go in the car isn't comfortable for me and again may not cope with a rural area, so we've hit a bit of a brick wall.

 

I'm beginning to think we might need to remortgage to get something suitable.

[robthebuilder]

Where in the UK are you?

[reallymadwoman]

the rural south west

[robthebuilder]

If you were up north, I could have possibly helped.

[robthebuilder]

And, the salesman that said he could adapt a scooter to use one handed was trying to rip you off. They ALL can be operated with one hand. Every single one made can be used with either the left or the right hand or both. So shop somewhere else. Trust me, in this department I am an expert.

[reallymadwoman]

I can't easily use the one I have with one hand as I can't operate the lever to go forward or reverse and steer at the same time.

[ploddertom]

I've just noticed this thread. My OH has both manual wheelchair & a mobility scooter and she takes the abroad on the plane with her. Best airline for being looked after = Easyjet & the worst to date was one of the large holiday companies. In my view what you need to look at is a Powerchair and they do range from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds - depends on budget obviously. The likes of the Shoprider Vienna has detachable batteries - this is where all the weight is and can also be charged off the chair or on it. I have used http://www.betterlifehealthcare.com/browse/electric-wheelchairs/ to purchase from previously and found their service pretty good although you have to remember they are basically just a box shifter. If you do your homework first then you can save a fair bit as the majority are advertised without the VAT. You can also get an assortment of ramps if necessary.

[robthebuilder]

The Shoprider Vienna is totally unsuitable for this lady. She lives in the countryside and needs a chair suitable for roads and/or rough terrain such as bridleways etc as well as suitable for indoor use.

 

I would suggest a Sunrise Medical Quickie Salsa M with Jay seating for support and comfort. VERY good chair all round and will eat up rough terrain quite happily. VERY easy to turn in its own length and they are modular so you can have leg hangers or footplate, electric seat riser, electric seat tilt, electric recline - bear in mind you can only have 2 actuators, so you could have electric riser and recline, but not tilt or electric tildt and recline but not riser etc. Seating, actuators etc can be added later as required.

 

They do two speeds. Either 4mph or 6mph. The 6mph version (178rpm motors) can be fitted with lights making it road legal.

 

New they are silly expensive. Used anything for £200 up depending on luck and how far you will travel.

 

Before you decide be aware that no matter what anyone says, you will NOT be able to pick one of those up with a couple of stong blokes and pop in the boot of a car. You will need a good size car (people carrier type) and the ONLY safe option for loading would be a 4 way hoist, many made but get a 4 way and not 2 way and get 150kg version and nothing less. You can load using portable ramps, but I strongly advise against this because it is extremel;y easy to power the chair over the edge and you do not want one landing on a leg!

 

Forget all about scooters. If you struggle to squeeze and steer you need a joystick and none can be fitted to a scooter without huge mechanical changes for actualtors to steer.

 

Trust me on this. Don't go by my user name. I really know what I am talking about when it comes to these things.

 

Feel free to PM me. If I can help in any way I will - NO I will not take a penny from you either, if I can help just shout.

[ploddertom]

Think you have what I said wrong as I only used the Shoprider as an example because it comes apart for transportation. Similarly ramps have different uses and not always for loading/unloading.

[reallymadwoman]

Thanks for the help. We're thinking about the information provided, it's a difficult decision because it affects the whole family. I'm wondering how badly I need to get out on my own!

[ploddertom]

My wife calls her Mobility Scooter her "electric legs" as we are at the stage where I can no longer push her in her manual wheelchair. We do like to go away when we can and a lot of the Spanish resorts are flat with dropped kerbs so she can plod on without having to wait for me, public transport is accessible to her also as she can just drive straight on to trains & buses whilst away.

 

Trying to decide if you need something and then what is a difficult decision as there is a lot to take into consideration. If it is mainly shopping centres or town centres you wish to go to then maybe the Shopmobility schemes are worth a think about, and for the low joining fee you probably can't be robbed + our local ones allow you guaranteed free parking. Do you have a Blue Badge?

[reallymadwoman]

Yes I have a blue badge and we have a car that was new and adapted for me only 18 months ago.

 

An electric wheelchair would go in the boot, but it wouldn't allow any room for anything else.

 

In town centres etc I always have someone with me (I don't drive and public transport in the area is non-existant even if I could use it) who can push the manual wheelchair so that's not a problem, it's getting out locally on my own and ideally being able to negotiate slightly rougher terrain.

 

I only have reasonable grip in one hand and the scooter I've been using has a lever which you push forward to go forward, which I can do, but to pull back to reverse I have to let go of the handlebars so I can't steer at the same time.

[reallymadwoman]

Enquired with Motability about the cost of a suitable powered chair and nearly fell of the one I'm sitting on.

 

Over 3 years they get more than 3 times the cost of buying it outright myself, what are they, a pay day loan company?

[Bazooka Boo]

I know, I've just received the motability pack, and they take your motability payment off your PIP mobility payment, so £255 a month to hire a mobility scooter!!

[reallymadwoman]

Has anyone have any experience of the newish folding electric wheelchairs, like the Pride i-go? I'd have to give up any hope of using bridlepaths etc, but I could at least get to the local shops on my own, it would leave plenty of room in the car boot for other things and we wouldn't have to change cars again.

[stu007]

Something to remember with Local Authorities/Council is they come under the Public Sector Equality Duty: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/public-sector-equality-duty

 

So if it is the Local Authorities/Councils responsibility make a complaint to them quoting the above and ask them to make a reasonable adjustment and see what they say.(ensure in the complaint to ask for a copy of their Public Sector Equality Duty Policy)

 

As for parking on pavements and the hazard to numerous disabled users I hope this does come into force on pavement parking see this link:

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/784500/pavement-parking-UK-laws-rules-ban-fine

[reallymadwoman]

So after a trial we've bought a FoldandGo (can't link to the supplier obviously, but a search will find them) imported from the USA, and so far it's coped with everything, even off road up a stony, rutted slope and up the garden across what could very loosely be called grass, though I'd still be very wary of wet or muddy ground.

 

It's barely more than 30cm wide when folded, which it does in seconds, and only weighs 25kg so is relatively easy to get in the car, either in the boot or behind the driver's seat if the boot is needed for other stuff.

 

And the best thing isn't that I have my freedom back, it's that I have my confidence back. The difference in other people's attitudes is really quite astounding - on a mobility scooter I was a nuisance, in a powered wheelchair everyone is very quick to offer help so I have no fears at all about getting stuck somewhere etc. I am already so confident that I booked a flight yesterday and plan to get myself to the airport this end, though I am being met at the other end.

 

Having only previously travelled with a manual wheelchair and with a companion, I'm a bit nervous, but I'm still going to do it.

[ploddertom]

Really pleased for you as.it will no doubt boost your confidence. As for travelling then just make sure you have booked Special Assistance with whoever you are flying with and am sure all will go well.