Thinking of getting a mobility scooter. Anyone have one?

Marie5656

Marie5656

SF VIP
Location
Batavia, NY
I have been thinking of investing in one of those mobility scooters. Just to get around a bit. Does anyone have one? Are they easy to disassemble to pit into the car? I have just started looking, but hope to get one this summer. Now that I am in this apartment, there are several nearby places I can go to without having to use the car (like the farmers market a couple blocks away. I can see me using it in my immediate area (unless I am traveling on vacation) rather than carrying it in my car. Any thoughts?

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Pepper said:
You can't walk to the Farmer's Market? I didn't realize you had this disability. If you can, would you use a rollator instead, with a seat. If you can still walk, you'd be doing yourself a favor to keep it up.
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Good point. My mobility is good..but I have a tendency to get out of breath easily when walking. I will consider a walker as well.
 
Marie5656 said:
I have been thinking of investing in one of those mobility scooters. Just to get around a bit. Does anyone have one? Are they easy to disassemble to pit into the car? I have just started looking, but hope to get one this summer. Now that I am in this apartment, there are several nearby places I can go to without having to use the car (like the farmers market a couple blocks away. I can see me using it in my immediate area (unless I am traveling on vacation) rather than carrying it in my car. Any thoughts?

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Are they long blocks, Marie? Does stopping and just standing still on and off help at all?
 
Good feedback, so far. Again, it is just a thought right now. And I would have no plans or desire to use it ALL the time, IF I got one. Just to have, maybe more for when we can travel again. Just a thought stewing around in my head. I do walk a lot more within my building, and do want to walk more outside.
The walker with the seat is a good idea. Thing is, I am far from petite...would need to find one that I could sit in comfortably.
That being said, some who have not seen me in a while have remarked I am losing weight..that it is noticable. That may help with my mobility.
 
Would it help you to get to someplace, (and back home)
that you wouldn't go to, otherwise?
Perhaps someplace a little too far, for walking alone without any hesitations?

If so, then that might be a factor in deciding.

And also, you'd want to be able to carry things you got at Farm Market, so that might mean you wouldn't walk there, if you wanted items you couldn't carry the distance....

Just thoughts to possibly consider.
 
I don't know anything about them so take my words with a grain of salt...but the picture you posted in the opening post looks too heavy for you to get in and out of your car alone.

I saw a walker advertised on TV one time that looked like a great idea where you are standing up straight instead of bending over the handlebars. It also looked lightweight.
 
Marie5656 said:
Good feedback, so far. Again, it is just a thought right now. And I would have no plans or desire to use it ALL the time, IF I got one. Just to have, maybe more for when we can travel again. Just a thought stewing around in my head. I do walk a lot more within my building, and do want to walk more outside.
The walker with the seat is a good idea. Thing is, I am far from petite...would need to find one that I could sit in comfortably.
That being said, some who have not seen me in a while have remarked I am losing weight..that it is noticable. That may help with my mobility.
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Marie do you have a rental company nearby?..it might be a good idea to rent one for a week or 2..the rentals people will show you how to use it, and also that way you can find one that's the right size for you...
 
I've seen some people taking one of these to the casino's, and they look handy. However, getting one in/out of the vehicle seems to be a bit of a chore. They easily weigh 100lbs, and require 2 or 3 people to get them in/out of the SUV.....you would almost need a small SUV, as a car trunk would almost be impossible to carry one in. The only time I've seen an individual able to carry one in their car/SUV, without help, is if they have a "Lift" on the back of their vehicle, where they can easily drive the scooter on/off their vehicle. Also, would you have a secure place to store it, out of the weather....or would you be able to get it into your house/apartment easily? Would you have a place to plug it in and keep the battery recharged? There's a lot of things to consider before buying one of these.
 
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Don M makes a good point, those scooters are too heavy for us to load on a vehicle, or get them off (not counting the payment to
put the rigging on a vehicle).

Will medicare pay for these scooters?
 
Pepper said:
You can't walk to the Farmer's Market? I didn't realize you had this disability. If you can, would you use a rollator instead, with a seat? If you can still walk, you'd be doing yourself a favor to keep it up.
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I volunteer at a hospice repairing these rollators. You can get a nice one on Amazon for a little over $50. I have bought a number of them and donated them to the hospice.
The are a lot easier to handle then those aluminum things with tennis balls. The also have a seat so you can rest. There is also some storage space under the seat.
Scooters are very expensive
 
I would look at one of the trailer hitch attachments to carry the chair and also try to work with the dealer to buy a compatible package that will work with your vehicle.

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Good luck!
 
This is one of the upright "rollator" styles so you're not having to bend over which would be good for your posture. This is one of many available ranging from $100-$600. This one is $150 free shipping. Does your insurance pay for it?

You have to check out the reviews to pick the best one for you. This one is aluminum so that would be lightweight I would assume. And if you get tired of walking you can turn around and sit down on the seat it has.

https://www.aosom.com/item/homcom-a...PpzWBdVww5ZcuEmte2ibLNt2_YJC49eBoC5N4QAvD_BwE


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Well, Ive read the reviews on the rollator above and the recent reviews were great but the older reviews complained of "questionable stability", not knowing how to adjust seat, one of the brake handles didn't work for one person, and one older review mentioned plastic wheels. It is priced on the lower end so I guess you get what you pay for.

But maybe the company has improved them. They seem to have good customer service. Just do your research before purchasing one.
 
Marie5656 said:
OK, after reading your feedback and kind suggestions, I think I will put the scooter thoughts on hold for now. Maybe down the road if my back issues and mobility gets worse.
As for the walkers...many people here use them. I would assume they fold down to put into the car? Thanks.
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Scooters are a good idea - as long as you only rely on them when you really need to. You want to maintain circulation as long as possible.
A couple in my diabetes support group (64 & 78) have them but only use them at Disneyland or Fairs where they couldn't stand & walk that long.
 
Think bigger.

The one you show is an indoor one, OK for malls and very smooth sidewalks but not very practical

For the record I've been using one for twenty odd years. I do have some limited mobility and cab stand and get stuff off the shelf in a store.

Look at powered wheelchairs, not scooters. A chair will turn on its own axis, useful in a supermarket aisle, a scooter has to do a three (or more) point turn (don't know what they're called in the US), and those around you will quickly become frustrated!

Get a road legal one. I would think your laws are similar to ours. They normally have a longer range and higher speed.

Stretch your budget as far as you possibly can on price. Whatever you get you will quickly outgrow it! My current on, bought last year, cost $9000 US. I had to save for a long time! Could've got a half decent used car for less!

Move away from dismantling for transport, It quickly becomes frustrating. Think instead of simple folding, and plan your next vehicle accordingly. Before I stopped driving I was using a big MPV (a Citroen) and with the seats folded flat to give a full flat floor it was a simple matter to fold the seat backrest down and fun the chair, under power though not in it of course, up or down a pair of ramps.

Had it down to about three minutes, trunk lid open to trunk lid closed!

Have fun.
 
I use a rollator around my apartment, in stores, taking my garbage to the dumpster, etc. I use it when I go shopping and my bf pushes the grocery cart. I can pile stuff up my seat till I find him in the store again. I love it and could not live without it.

But.............I have a mobility chair also (my bf has the scooter that he bought so he could bring it here and we could ride around together for fun) and I equally love it. Mine is not one that is portable unless I go on the little bus that has a ramp that I can drive on it with. I can go to the stores downtown and the park across the street with it.

Since I do not have a car, the mobility chair has become my transportation, in good weather (though I have been caught in rain storms with it) I can go for a ride which lifts my mood. My friend downstairs has a car but uses her mobility scooter to go places around town when it is nice out. She can put her scooter in her car because it comes apart to do so, but most of the time she takes her rollator instead.

I never use the chair inside my apartment because my apartment is very small.
 
I checked them a few years ago and will eventually buy some sort of one. I may just get a motorized wheelchair. Right now I am not getting out due to the virus and if I do I will only go to Kroger or Heb so I can use the electric carts.
 
Hi Marie

After using a manual wheelchair for 52 years which is almost all my life I now have problems with my neck, shoulders and back so I’m looking into getting new electric wheelchairs for indoors and outdoors.

The normal type of electric chairs and mobility scooters are far too bulky and heavy to lift into the back of an vehicle. You’d probably need an SUV with a rear lift or side door with a ramp for that which means a big investment in a chair and an SUV. I wouldn’t consider that unless you’re going to be using an electric chair permanently like me.

There are foldable electric wheelchairs that can be lifted into the back of an SUV. There’s one make here in Sweden called Eloflex and there are alternatives in the USA and some can be airline approved if you like to travel, but they come in expensive, around 2,000 US Dollars. This is one I found:

https://www.electricwheelchairsusa.com/products/ewheels-ew-m43-folding-power-wheelchair

If you’re still able to get around without too much difficulty I’d wait on the mobility scooter/electric wheelchair and go for a rollator instead as most can be folded and easily lifted into a car.

Before you spend a lot of money maybe you can check first to see if you can get some help through your health insurance.
 
Marie, I would also consider, and think about the space that each option would, or wouldn't, take up in your apartment, when not in use.
Worth it, when needed, and/or, when it adds positive activities to your life.
But would be a part of any decision, now that you're in the small apartment.

I very much, personally,
appreciate all the details and input, that many of these posters gave! :)
including @Laurie and @Glowworm and @katlupe and others, too!!!

Thank you all, for this time and effort. The subject helps others of us, too,
in addition to Marie's future thoughts about the possibilities and practicalities.
 

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