Mar 06 2010
The Difference in Mobility Scooters and Wheelchairs
Posted by Cheryle,
One thing that I have been learning as I take care of my grandmother is that there is a whole new world of equipment that helps the elderly get around. Back when I was a kid you had a wheelchair, crutches, and walkers. That was just about it. But now there are all kinds of different scooters and chairs out there. I have recently been doing a lot of research about choosing mobility scooters and wheelchairs. I have found that if you do the right research you can get a great product for a great price. Otherwise you can get ripped off.
8 Responses to “The Difference in Mobility Scooters and Wheelchairs”
The mobility scooter market has really taken off in the last few years. With more people living longer due to our new healthy lifestyles the rise in our senior population has grown considerably. Unfortunately, although many are living longer it also means many are losing their strength in their lower body making it difficult for them to get around without help. The motorized scooter is helping to provide a solution to that problem.
There are many different styles of mobility scooter on the market today. Essentially, the scooter is designed to have a driver seat positioned over the two back wheels. The front end has handlebars arranged to turn either one or two wheels. The electric scooters are the best as they are powered from a rechargeable battery set up to drive a very quite electric motor. It’s a very compact but comfortable way of getting about.
Searching on the internet is the best place to quickly find out lots of information about mobility scooters. All the major manufacturers and their dealers have websites and it is easy by doing a simple search in Google to find loads of pages providing excellent information on the specific item you’re interested in.
I think the electric scooters are best. You can buy gas scooters but they tend to be very heavy and old fashioned. The battery is easily charged at home using either the onboard battery charger or through a separate charging unit connected to your standard electricity supply. On many models a full charge will carry you up to 35 miles.
You can get portable mobility scooters online. They are very useful if you need to travel in a car before using your scooter. If the mall is a long way from home, or you want to go to the beach for the day, these portable scooters fit snugly into the trunk of your car and can be quickly assembled when you get where you’re going. They can also be used daily around your home.
When you’re doing your research you will notice there are two basic types of mobility scooter – front wheel drive and rear wheel drive. If you’re concerned about the size of your scooter this could be useful as usually the front wheel drive model is the smaller and is easier to use indoors.
It’s useful to consider the weight capacity of the mobility scooter. Most of the smaller scooters have a rider capacity around 250 pounds. There is a good choice of scooters for people up to 350 pounds and there are also a few scooters available for people up to 500 pounds.
It’s useful to know that the mobility scooters can go forward and also go in reverse. Usually on the handlebars the forward and reverse direction can be controlled by paddles you can move with your thumb, some models use a switch and on others these actions are performed using finger controls.