Mobility scooter advice

[summerdays]

My Mum sensibly gave up her car last year and is managing with a combination of walking, lifts, buses and taxi's. However she is contemplating a mobility scooter to be able to get herself to the doctor's that is not on a bus route and for other local trips. I'm interested to know what to look for in a good one? And what to avoid.

She's 5 ft but overweight, she wouldn't need it inside the buildings just to cover distances of a mile or two. My Dad is anti them for some reason but he's not always around to take her to the places she wants or needs to go!

 

[screenman]

I think a scooter can be a great idea for some people, unfortunately I see them around here as an excuse not to lose weight. Just think for some people carrying 4 stone extra, which is not a lot nowadays, is the same as picking up 25 litres of water and carrying it around all day. That is sure to make walking a problem for a lot of fit people.

The UK currently has 300,000 of them more than any other country in Europe by a long way, now that could be a good or bad thing. Also many people are using them illegally so I have read, seems you have to be registered disabled to use them in the UK.

Be aware of the sharks in the mobility trade, if you think the motor trade is bad you may have a shock coming.

 

[summerdays]

She has tried dieting throughout my childhood without success and to be honest I don't see her eat tons, her plate is normally smaller than everyone else. And yet she could beat many a person at badminton who would look at her and think she hadn't a hope till she gave it up 10 years ago. She can't walk anywhere very fast, and carrying back the shopping at the same time is part of the problem.

She gave up her licence due to macular degeneration as she felt she wasn't able to see to a safe standard. She was diagnosed as a diabetic at one point but they have decided she isn't now, so her diet can't be absolutely awful.

I don't want to go near salespeople until I'm more knowledgeable.

 

[buggi]

Some are unsteady! I saw an old guy tip over on an uneven pavement, straight into the road.
I think its entirely up to your mum but if her health is ok, other than her weight, I think the scooter could be the worse decision she ever makes. There is massive potential for her to gain more weight if she started using it for all the trips she does as her walking, I would guess, is the only exercise she's getting at the moment. It would be really bad for her health and mobility to give that up.
And, as above, the salesmen are sharks. Say goodbye to her purse.
I'm with your dad on this one

 

[buggi]

Ps get her a shopping trolley to carry her shopping in so she doesn't have to carry bags. She may feel a lot better about walking then. Get her a really funky designer one.

 

[summerdays]

I would say that whilst she is overweight all these years it has also been steady rather than yo yoing or gradually increasing even after she gave up the badminton. I think it would be to replace the taxi journeys home from the shops, and to the doctors, and occasional WI trip though I think those are mostly lifts.

 

[sight-pin]

Some are unsteady! I saw an old guy tip over on an uneven pavement,

My father-in-law had a few he used for various occasions, but the small fold up one was quite fast and would tip over very easy.

 

[buggi]

I would say that whilst she is overweight all these years it has also been steady rather than yo yoing or gradually increasing even after she gave up the badminton. I think it would be to replace the taxi journeys home from the shops, and to the doctors, and occasional WI trip though I think those are mostly lifts.

I can see why you think this but in all honesty, i think it would replace all the walking the does when she realises how little effort it takes to pull a lever. The temptation to give up walking would be massive. There is only one reason to get a scooter and that's if you're disabled. If your health is good, but you're overweight, it's the worse thing you can do. I've not been able to cycle much over the last six months and, although I do at least 50 miles per week still, I've still lost a lot of muscle mass and I've put on nearly a stone. I'm feeling really crap about my body at the moment and I'm not prone to putting on weight. It's nothing a month of cycling won't fix but it's already becoming an effort to even think about getting on the bike. I'm starting to get mentally lazy... even though physically I'm still capable and I thoroughly enjoy it when I get out there, the thought of even a small hill puts me off going.
I think if your mum gets the scooter, she'll use it more and more, and her weight will increase, she'll lose the muscle mass she has left, and she'll find it more effort to walk... So she'll get on the scooter. It'll be a vicious circle and her weight and muscle degeneration will get worse.

 

[raleighnut]

Would she consider one of these

I got mine for physiotherapy after breaking my femur and TBH I cannot fault the quality although I did change the handlebars and left off the mudguards/basket but I am a bloke (and fitted an electric front wheel kit cos I struggled to get up the hill I live on top of but the 20 inch version is lower geared than the 24 inch wheel one I've got)
EDIT linky
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...aoXSU-qqnkcxQvy-gXNUiEQ&bvm=bv.96783405,d.d24

 

[shouldbeinbed]

@summerdays I have nothing to advise really but to those appearing to know her mum better than she does. How often do we on here take the bike when we could take the car for a wet commute or to run an errand?

We're not all slaves to the easy option.

 

[Levo-Lon]

We have a mobility aid shop in pboro.
do you have anything like that local?
Father in law has a good one and so does my mums freind who needs constant assistace..
my advice would be get a good sized one if its for house to shop runs and avoid a portable if poss
it wont be cheap but a shop may have used models too.
both versions i know off are great for 1 or 2 mile shop runs etc or further
Dont get a rep to visit your home unless you have house set up with Matt Allbright and his tv crew..

 

[Thomk]

As well as trying to convince the OP that she is making a mistake could any knowledgeable people out there give any advice on the choices available and pitfalls to avoid. I am also interested.

 

[Dave 123]

My mum has "Jonny walker", one of those walking frame on wheels mullarkeys.

In fact she has 2, one with a bag and one with a seat. I walked along an RSPB reserve path with her yesterday and it was rough in places, loose gravel etc and she coped well with it.

My mum is 82 and never drove. She would walk for miles and miles. She can now manage about a quarter of a mile then she needs a sit down. Her list of ailments annoys her but she likes the alternative even less!

 

[buggi]

@summerdays I have nothing to advise really but to those appearing to know her mum better than she does. How often do we on here take the bike when we could take the car for a wet commute or to run an errand?

We're not all slaves to the easy option.

But this is kind of the point I was making above. Part of the problem with me not cycling so much is my increased distance to work (50 mile round trip), the fact i now have more stuff to carry and the new car (which is a whole lot more pleasant to drive than my clapped out old banger ever was) . More and more I'm opting for the car as I'm becoming unfitter, which is the worse thing I can do obviously. It's just easy when my nice comfy car is there.
Having a mobility scooter reduces your fitness in quite a short period of time for the same reason. It's an easy option.
And its probably not even a cheaper option than bus and taxi fares over a the same period as the life of the scooter, as the better and more stable models are not cheap!

The post above has given me an idea. Has your mum thought of an electric bike? It's easier than riding a bike or walking but you get there a bit quicker and still get the benefit of some exercise.

 

[buggi]

You seem to be missing point TMN made. If Summerdays' mum's eyesight has deteriorated to the extent she has had to give up diving, is it miraculously going to improve if she's on a bike?

I didn't quote TMN, I quoted shouldbeinbed, and plenty of people still ride a bike even though their eyesight is not good enough to drive. They have more time to judge situations.