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What mobility devices help you to get around?
Most of us need mobility devices to get around during the day. What is your mode of transportation ?
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20 Replies
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Hi Debi, I use a four leg cane around the house. Walls, chairs and sofa to hold onto when walking. I don’t go anywhere except the doctor’s. Only one time they had to wheel me out in a wheel chair because my eyes decided they were going to go cross on me. I got really disoriented. I had to teach my husband how to do the shopping. I used one of those motor carts. I was so stressed out by the time we reached the car I started crying. I don’t cry easy. Those things go way to slow.. lol and so does my husband. Im hoping to hear from others. If you are in a wheel chair, what caused you to take that step. Can you still walk?
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Hi Jeanine,
I use a rollator walker around the house and for very short trips out. My wheelchair is for longer trips. What made me decide to add the wheelchair was that my legs became weaker. It is a lot easier using the chair. When using it, I can concentrate more on what I am doing. Plus, I don’t worry about falling.
Thanks for asking, Debi
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I can walk a little bit with two canes or a rollator, and I do. But if I want to get through a store all in one day, I use an ultra lightweight wheelchair with a small, detachable assist motor (12.5 lbs). I love this combination because I can get the chair in my little Fiat 500 by myself, and it gets me up steep hills (I live in Pittsburgh, PA), which I would never be able to climb with arm power alone.
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What is the brand of the light weight wheelchair? I have motorized one I use in house , but a little heavy to lift. Thanks.
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Hi John – It’s a Quickie Q7. Don’t know if we’re allowed to post links here, but I found one site that gives the specs up front, so here goes: https://www.1800wheelchair.com/product/quickie-q7-adjustable-ultralight-wheelchair/
If the link didn’t go through, just Google “Q7 wheelchair” and look for the 1800wheelchair site. You probably want to know what the weight is, so the next generation aluminum is about 14lbs. I think my older one is a little heavier, but not by much.
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Hi Joan, sounds like your good at getting out of your house, power to you.
I tried using a walking stick but it didn’t work for me at all. So I have a walker, thats all. Those light weight wheelchairs sound great. But I know we would all like to simply walk again. Maybe I would go out alot more if I had a light weight wheelchair. Generally I just go out when I need to see my doctor, every 3 months I leave the house.
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Joan:
Thanks for your information about the wheelchair. I’ve been against ever getting one, but this one sounds like it would really work well. Do you know if Medicare pays for a wheelchair like this, or the Medicare Advantage plans? I will look up the web site and try to get that information from them if you don’t know. I have trouble walking and it is depressing because I really like to get outside and walk my dog. This wheelchair might broaden my world quite a bit.
Thanks again,
Janelle Louge
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Hi Jilleen. Maybe you should give it more thought if you’re feeling housebound, I mean, if you’re unhappy about it. There’s nothing wrong with being a homebody. But I was really unhappy and tired of not going to the farmers’ market, museums, concerts, protests, and all the other stuff I used to enjoy.
So one day I decided to get over the wheelchair aversion that most of us have, and said “Let’s roll!” It doesn’t mean I’m not going to walk a little, especially in my house, which is not really accessible anyway. But now I can go almost anywhere I want. That chair doesn’t make me more disabled, it puts me back in the game!
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Awesome Joan, I like the “Lets Roll”, I’d want a V8 one with a loud horn!
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I think the truth is we just dont want to see the day we are in a mobility scooter or wheelchair and will try avoiding it till we have very little choice not to go in one..I know we must get over this stigma, as this is us now whether we like it or not….Or is it us? maybe we will feel that we are now second best compared to other able bodied people, that others will pity us with our now infliction…We all know that if someone looks or behaves differently to the norm, we are viewed upon our appearance, our behaviour…Or is this just me, being self conscious of the person I am now to the person I once was?
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Jackie, nope, you are very much correct. Most people are superfical, and can’t see past themselves. So it’s not all in your head, it’s in my head too. I don’t want to even be around people anymore. Life looks better from space.
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I’m soooo glad that I gave in, over ten years ago, and got a scooter. It allows me to go places it would be impossible to go without one. At first, I only used only when I knew I’d have to walk a lot but, as my ability to walk decreased, I used it a lot. Now, I use it everyday. I even use it to walk the dog.
I have two scooters. One is a portable, but heavy, Pride Go-Go. I use that around the neighborhood. For travel I use a TravelScoot. It’s only 35 pounds and can fold up like a baby stroller. Its lithium-ion battery seems to go forever. My TravelScoot has been on trains and boats and planes and I’ve ridden it through about 15 countries.
Ed
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Ed, your just adorable. You are so lucky to be who you are, you have an amazing outlook on life. You must have money. I am poor. Tip: Don’t get ill if your poor, it sucks more lol.
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Also where you live plays a part as to whether one ca venture out or not…I can still legally drive but gave up an oldish car when we moved to our new home almost three years ago so haven’t the courage to get behind the wheel anymore, also I can only legally drive an automatic, the person I live with could only get a manual car this time from his old working Vauxhall company so I cant legally drive it even if I wanted to, maybe he will have better luck and choice next time…Also where we now live is on a steep slope so there is no way I could get myself out and about on my mobility scooter which is now gathering dust…The only way I can get out and about from my home is to rely on the person I live with to load my scooter into the back of his car and take me out somewhere which is a rarity, unless it is the GP surgery, Dentist, or one of my MS social groups as it stands at the moment…Oh I do go to a weekly seniors bingo session for 2 to 3 hours, which breaks up my boring week of looking at 4 walls existence. I am fully aware that life is what we make it but there are always brick walls standing in our way, we have now lost a whole lot of the independence we once had, I sure have..
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I understand Jackie, for me MS is all about making adaptions. We just have to find new ways to keep on moving! ?
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Hi Janelle, so sorry that I somehow missed your post before. I don’t know for sure because I’m not on Medicare yet, but I believe that most insurers get a lot of their rules for stuff like this from CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid) because it’s easier to copy and paste (and then make up their own ideas about what it means). So what I’m trying to say is that if my insurer paid for it, then there’s a good chance that Medicare would pay for it as well. Hope you can get this, or whatever is best for you to get out and about!
Maybe someone who is better informed will come along to give you a better answer…
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Have anyone seen, own, test ridden, The Alinker Walking Bike? looking for both positive and negative feedback…I am inquisitive as to its pluses and minuses, such as says parking break, so does that mean no breaks if it starts running out of control?…I can see it would exercise the legs but on the downside my right leg and foot is very heavy, even have to lift it to get it into the car as I am sure many of you do…Also like most mobility aids, they can roll over – tip over on there sides as I fear the Alinker could also do, and we would go down with it…
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Joan,
Does the Q7 fold? Trying to otherwise figure out how you get it in your Fiat? Where and how does the detachable motor assist work? I currently have and travel with a Free Rider Luggie scooter which I generally love…but sitting in a chair type wheelchair would occasionally be nice if compact and lite. I looked at the Quickie several years ago but just went with regular push wheelchair for initial experience — never saw a motorized lightweight option. Garage is getting pretty full with my various aides but I’m still exploring options. Thanks!
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Hands down my mobility scooter. I was stuck with a manual wheelchair and walker for a while but the pain was getting to be too much to handle. I’ve already had several knee surgeries and a shoulder surgery so manual devices were not cutting it.
I was lucky enough to win a Go Go Scooter in a give-away raffle. This company my wife found on Facebook gives away a scooter every few month’s, the owner is a very nice person. https://www.mobilityscootersdirect.com or you can see the raffle on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mobilityscootersdirect/
I am very blessed to have been lucky enough to win a free mobility scooter. It has helped me get more time out doors with my family and my dog marley. I hope that someone else finds the same luck I found!
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Congratulations and thanks for sharing Fernando!
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