Mobility scooter advice

[Thomk]

[QUOTE 3768283, member: 45"]OP asks for advice on what's good and bad on the scooter market.

Posters start giving their view about whether or not the person could or should be walking or cycling, verging on the judgemental.

Apart from Cunobelin responding to the question that was asked, am I missing something?[/QUOTE]
Amazing isn't it.

 

[summerdays]

[QUOTE 3768283, member: 45"]OP asks for advice on what's good and bad on the scooter market.

Posters start giving their view about whether or not the person could or should be walking or cycling, verging on the judgemental.

Apart from Cunobelin responding to the question that was asked, am I missing something?[/QUOTE]
I think they are trying to be helpful in pointing out the pitfalls of them but for my 79 year old mum I think she likes getting out and meeting people and hates to ask others for help.

 

[annedonnelly]

I know nothing about scooters. I'd suggest making a list of what your mum wants from it - distance, size, ease of charging etc. and then go to a shop with a varied selection to view. Same advice I'd give to someone buying a bike

I did chat to a chap with one outside the supermarket. It gave him the independence to do his own shopping - and that of a neighbour. He did comment that he'd had a problem getting it into the house and he'd had to pay someone to make a ramp. I definitely think it'd be worth considering how easy it is to store and to move about manually. As your mum is small I imagine she might struggle to move it about when she's not riding it.

 

[ufkacbln]

Storing can be an issue

But no more so than a bike!

Most batteries are detachable so can be brought in for charging. If you bave a parking space near a plug, even better

We found a corner of the kitchen for ours


... And more expense!

These will only navigate dropped kerbs, so you need to consider your front door. A normal sill can be negotiated with a thick rubber door mat to protect the sill , but if there is a step then you may need a ramp. Not expensive, but needs to be considered

A fibre glass ramp is about £ 40 and can be all that is needed


... And a way to cheat is to use a local shop mobility to try out the concept. Again treat it like hire bike, it is probably cheap and cheerful, but it will allow you to see if the idea is worth investigating further

 

[ufkacbln]

Forgive me for saying this, but if someone's eyesight has deteriorated beyond 'a safe standard' how are they going to be safe driving a mobility scooter around?

...or walking?

.......the assumptions made are without evidence or proof

Being unable to see well enough to operate a vehicle at 60 mph and recognising this is one thing, assuming that therefore the eyesight cannot cope at 4 mph is at best ill informed

 

[ufkacbln]

If you really feel that my taking the test will

So will you undertake the test referred to up thread? It recreates the effects of AMD...

Making assumptions and posting from ignorance is a failure in itself

AMD is progressive and there is a period when it is safe to operate a scooter when's driving is inappropriate

There are also cases where one eye is affected with vision remaining in the other eye

Are we really going to deny someone this period of independence because we have made assumptions about their abilities,without evidence?


As for the test....

I have already carried out a
number of these

I am the main carer for a 96 year old with AMD and this was something that we did as part of understanding her problems and issues

However once again your assumptions were wrong, she was perfectly able to operate a scooter safely for a number of years



PS

have you ever thought of adding dark lenses to your " test" to recognise the inability of patients with AMD to cope with the change of light?

There is no point in carrying out half a test






How's about we drop the assumptions, bias and ignorance

Then let the OP make the informed decisions with knowledge of the eyesight and capabilities of their relative?

 

[summerdays]

So will you undertake the test referred to up thread? It recreates the effects of AMD...

But you would like to think that she's not at that point when she gave up her licence.

Put it this way before I left she was getting me to pin up her trousers as she is loosing precious inches, and she was going to sew it after she de-stoned the 15-20 lbs of cherries I picked for her. So she is able to see enough to sew at this stage.

 

[gbb]

I cant offer specific advice but mums had 4, shes 85 and uses them if shes not so energetic, or if shes going a bit further than she feels comfortable with and TBH, shes never had problems with any of them..stability, reliability or anything else, maybe because she goes to a reputable supplier...plus she weighs about 7 stone soaking wet, so tbf, she doesnt stress them.

 

[gbb]

Summerdays, your mums never been in the armed services has she ?..mum gets hers free thrpugh an organisation that helps ex servicemen/women.

 

[ufkacbln]

Summerdays, your mums never been in the armed services has she ?..mum gets hers free thrpugh an organisation that helps ex servicemen/women.

Sorry, I am fully aware of the Service charities, and as an ex-Medic, have respect for them......but his is something that I found when researching previously... there are "militarised" versions:

I actually find the "Tank Chair" inspirational

 

[ufkacbln]

... and on the subject of the limitations of AMD

Dame Judi Dench has AMD should have been written off some years ago