Electric Wheelchair Options

WHEN it comes to buying power wheelchairs (also known as electric wheelchairs) there are several options to choose from. Consumers always consider between travel, center wheel drive, folding and heavy duty power chairs. Several factors must be considered to determine the type of motorized wheelchair that will meet individual consumer needs.

When buying a wheelchair consumers must consider the following:

1. How much do you weigh and what is the weight capacity of the wheelchair you will be buying?
When buying a power chair it is not advisable to buy one with a 300lb capacity if you weigh 300lbs or your weight is very close to 300lbs. For example, if you weigh 200lbs, a 250lb or 300lb weight capacity wheelchair could be appropriate for you. Based on your weight you can choose between a standard or a heavy duty power chair.

2. Where do you plan on using the electric wheelchair?
Consider whether you will be using it indoors, outdoors or both. There are several power wheelchairs available for indoor and outdoor use. Typically, most are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

3. How often do you plan on transporting the wheelchair?
If transporting your new chair is important to you, it will be in your best interest to consider between a foldable or travel motorized wheelchair. For instance, Merits EZ Go and Pride's Go Chair weighs the least and is appropriate for those concerned about transportation.

4. What seat size will be more comfortable for you?
Seat width goes a long way in determining how comfortable you will be in your new wheelchair. It is of utmost importance that you use a measuring guide when buying a power wheelchair or scooter.

The following are tips consumers should consider when buying a power wheelchair. Buying a power wheelchair is a big investment and given the cost of these equipment, it is important for consumers to ensure they purchase the right equipment to avoid hassles and unwarranted restocking fees.

http://www.mobilitywheelsonline.com is a website providing you detailed information and the lowest prices on power wheelchairs also known as Electric wheelchair, Electric Mobility Scooters and Traditional wheelchairs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_I

Pointers For Wheel Chair Lifts



FOR anyone facing physical challenges outside and inside the home, inventions in recent years have made life easier and more fulfilling.

Wheel chairs for example, started out as manual mobility devices and have since been upgraded to battery charged or electrically powered devices. Lifts were then designed to glide through staircases so that users don’t need helpers to carry them. Today these devices have been made so much easier to use. The vertical wheel chair lift is now being used in virtually every kind of building application. Whether you are in the home, office or simply visiting a place, everyone deserves to have easy access and comfort while traveling.

What is a vertical wheel chair lift?

This is simply a platform with the ability to vertically lift a wheel chair or an individual from a ground position to a more elevated level. It resembles an elevator and is in fact considered a home elevator to most users.

What are the kinds of vertical wheel chair lifts?

The electric vertical wheel chair lifts and hydraulic vertical lifts are the two major types. An electric vertical wheel chair lift requires electric power while a hydraulic one does not-prices may therefore differ; so choose wisely according to your specific needs.

Vertical wheel chair lift comes in different models. There is the usual elevator-style lift that is fitted within four walls (minor renovation may therefore be needed in your home).

Then there is the enclosed model, which has a platform that automatically encloses with four walls when the wheelchair is on it and ready to be lifted. Other models are smaller in size, have no ceiling, or have only platforms to raise the wheelchair to shorter levels such as when elevating to get into a vehicle or single floor step. Again, costs may differ because of the varying structures, but remember, there are some features you may or may not need.

Where can I use vertical wheel chair lifts?

Residential Homes – Homes with more than 2 stories can definitely benefit from a vertical wheel chair lift for easy access to the top floor.

Universities and Schools – Auditoriums, which are usually found in schools and universities, are known to have many steps and so can be very difficult for students who are physically challenged. A smaller sized vertical wheel chair lift would be appropriate for these types of setting.

Establishments – Older buildings often do not have elevators that are as spacious as the modern ones. Therefore electric powered or motorized wheelchairs usually cannot fit into their elevators. Older establishments can easily install a vertical wheel chair lift.

What features should I look for?

Safety – A good vertical wheel chair lift should have an anti-slip platform for maximum safety, especially if the area is busy or outdoors. And it should be low enough for electric powered wheelchairs to easily roll on and off of it and have safety railings.

Replacing Mobility

Scooter Batteries

YOU rely on your mobility scooter! So much so that there is nothing worse than when it develops a problem that makes you virtually immobile.

And the most common problem is the battery. No batteries last forever, and the electric powered wheelchair and mobility scooter batteries are no exception. So here are some tips to keep you motoring.

Make sure you always have a backup battery otherwise you will be stuck until you can get a replacement. Check before hand with your dealer, and source the internet for mobility scooter and motorized wheel chair battery suppliers.

If you are still to awaiting your mobility scooter or are thinking of upgrading, pay special attention to the battery and how it is installed. Make sure it is easy to get replacements and simple to install.

Ensure too that the new battery is compatible with your model. - those for motorized scooters are not quite the same as car batteries which tend to have fairly standard types and sizes. Mobility scooters will have different batteries depending on the manufacture.

To replace your battery, have a look at some online shops rather as well as going down to your local store - it can be a lot more convenient to have it delivered.

Motorized Hired

Scooters

In Shopping

Boom



Shoppers on motorised scooters are helping to regenerate the English coastal own of Bognor Regis.

The thousands of hirings of the mobility transport from the town's Shopmobility scheme are pumping tens of thousands of pounds in the town's tills.

One week in July had seen 21 scooters and wheelchairs hired from Bognor Shopmobility's office in the Belmont Street car park.

Each of the individuals using those would have spent at least £10 in the shops. One man was known to have done £100 ($170 USD) worth of shopping.

Helping with the Cost

WHILE mobility scooters can be life-changing, the cost for many seniors and pensioners is not at all pocket-friendly. As a result many buyers have to seek some form of financial assistance to acquire one.

In the USA mobility scooters for seniors is often sanctioned by Medicaid, a federal healthcare program for the senior citizens, disabled or underprivileged - but it is mandatory to be qualified for eligibility

And often the real associated headache is the form filling requiring the provision of details such as monthly salary, the type of disability and its extent, the manner and scope of repayment and many related issues. The person will also have to furnish tangible proofs, and all in all this makes the process quite long.

But the good news is, there are a few companies that are now doing the paper work themselves, particularly for those people who are in urgent need to get the scooter. This is a great help because it saves a lot of time and hassles for the applicant who is already burdened with disability and related problems.

A number of companies step into the process and help a person in filling out the Medicaid forms. Certain companies even go to the extent of giving away the scooter absolutely free, while the Medicaid application is in process. This facility is offered to the person to ease out the tension and anxiety over the time taking procedures and the anguish in getting the scooter.

Even when an application for Medicaid is turned down there are ways in which the senior person can still get the mobility scooter and so enjoy its many benefits. Options like deferred payment plans or easy monthly installments can be taken up, and if the candidate is qualified, then special discount schemes are available as well.

Live Life Independently

with a

Mobility Scooter

MOBILITY scooters can be considered as the best mode of movement for the disabled or the mobility impaired. They are single seated vehicles and may have either three or four wheels. They are very popular and are also very cost effective. There are many different models available for a mobility scooter.

These scooters can be either battery operated or even petrol operated. However, mobility scooters that are run on batteries are generally preferred. The batteries of these vehicles are rechargeable.

Most models can also be folded or dismantled and can be easily transported in the boot of a car. They can be operated easily and are very convenient to use. Any person can use these vehicles who has difficulty walking, regardless of whether it is a temporary or permanent condition.

The most important benefit of using a mobility scooter is that the user can live life independently without too much support. They can carry out their daily tasks without help and can go outdoors to visit friends or go to the shops.

A mobility scooter may be a little more expensive than any other means of movement for the mobility impaired. However, these scooters are worth the price, especially when it comes to living life independently.

Oz Mobility

Scooter

Deaths

"Alarming"

By ABC News Online's Nic MacBean

Aug 10, 2009

MOBILITY scooter drivers have been warned to be extremely careful when using their vehicles, with the consumer watchdog alarmed at 71 scooter-related deaths in the past nine years.

Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Emerson has taken the step of issuing an official warning about the scooters, with concerns their increasing popularity is putting vulnerable lives at risk.

He says not enough attention has been given to the safe use of the vehicles, which have a top legal speed of 10 kilometres per hour.

"Tragically there have been 26 deaths in Victoria alone and more than 150 people have received hospital treatment," he said.

"While mobility scooters allow people with limited ability to maintain active, independent lifestyles, these injury statistics are alarming."

He says the deaths include on-road and off-road accidents and they highlight the potential dangers of the scooters.

"Obviously some of the people who use them aren't the fittest people on Earth, that's the whole reason for their existence," he said.

"I don't want to see anything severe happen in this space, but I do think we have an obligation to warn people of the dangers of using these scooters, particularly at dusk when they're not so easily seen."

Former scooter driver John, from Maleny on Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland, says he found it difficult to use his scooter because there was not enough road-space.

"I had a mobility scooter for two years when I had leg problems. I had it registered and insured but I stopped using it because the width of the bicycleways and footpaths at the side of the road wasn't wide enough," he told ABC Local Radio.

"When you've got big b-double trailers going past you and when you're going at 10 kilometres an hour on the main road out of Maleny, they blew me away so I had to give the scooter away instead of risking the heavier traffic."

The warning notice has a number of recommendations for scooter drivers, including ensuring the scooter is highly visible, avoiding very steep hills, taking footpaths or quiet roads when possible and wearing a helmet.

Mr Emerson says it is also very important for people to be aware of any effects that medication may have on their driving ability and to avoid drinking too much alcohol before driving.

In a statement, the managing director of Mobility Aids Australia, Andrew Gannan, says the statistics used in the warning need to be put into context.

"Scooters users are generally part of an elderly demographic, who already have the highest mortality rate, so we need to establish in what sense the scooters are deemed responsible for the level of deaths or injury," he said.

"The medical condition of the user when they purchase the scooter may be vastly different from their condition in six months' time.

"We need to establish whether there is a suggestion that the scooters themselves are 'unsafe', whether it is the people using them or even if motorists are failing to follow safe driving practices around scooter users, similar to the current debate about cyclists and motorists sharing roads."

Mr Gannan says Mobility Aids Australia only sells scooters that meet Australian standards and are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The ACCC will form a working group to come up with possible recommendations on the safe use of scooters.

What Type

of Scooter

for You?




ON a more positive and characteristic note, a mobility scooter can be a life opener, the key to self-reliance, giving you the capability to up sticks and visit friends, family, shops and numerous facilities whenever you choose.

Easy to use, economical and simple to maintain, they are available across a broad range of types, so it's essential to undertake due diligence before buying to ensure you buy the scooter best-fitted to your requirements.

To begin with functionality will help identify which type of electric mobility scooter you require.

Micro Mobility Scooters.

These are portable and ideal for transporting, are light weight and maneuverable and are ideal for use around the family home, in shops or for short trips. They can be either 3 or 4 wheels and typically go up to 4mph.

Mini Mobility Scooters

Normally 4mph and ideal for use on pavements, and further range trips. These scooters are again ideal for trips to shops, visiting family and so on. More balanced than the lighter portable scooters , they are capable of greater distances. They are restricted to pavement use.

Midi and Maxi Scooters

These are capable of up to 8 mph and ideal for use on pavement and road for further trips. 8mph scooters are able to go on the road, and so must be equipped with lights and indicators.

All-Terrain Mobility Scooters

These are off-road mobility scooters, often capable of up to 8mph. These can be used on pavement, road and off-road use, and ideal for traveling the countryside and maintaining pursuits once believed to be beyond your capabilities!