I don't thing any of you guys are old enough to be concerned about this subject, and I certainly hope none are dis-abled enough. Unfortunately, my wife is so here goes.
I need any advice, comments, etc from anyone who has had any kind of experience with what is commonly called a power chair, nice comfy chair with wheels, electric power and joystick control. These things are kinda pricey, so the more info I have, the better. Regular wheelchairs or variations are out. She has one functional arm/hand and one functional leg. Concerns--reliability, battery life between charges, rugged enough for outdoor use, parts availability, price. Weight is not that much of a concern, I have a lift on theback of the van.
She currently has one of those 3 wheel scooters, but it's seven years old, time for an upgrade.
My son is wheelchair bound, his chair is an Invacare Storm. The chair is amazing, center wheel drive with fourwheeled out riggers. variable speed with multiple range,speed up to 10 mph. Options:Custom seat with Tilt & space and recline, joy stick drive control can be positioned right, left or center. price tag $ 18,000.00
The chair can go up to three days without a recharge.
Have dealt w/ wheelchairs for 18 years, might have a little experience...
Thanks for the reply Bull. You already pointed out one thing I needed to know, I ain't got enough money. The wife has made it ok for 7 years with a cane and a scooter, but the time has come for something a little easier. Any words of wisdom will be appreciated.
Wayne
Wayne, I can sympathyze with ya. That's not what most of us think about when we go "toy" shopping, but when ya lose your motivatin' abilities a good set of wheels is the ultimate. I went through a little bit of this with my 88 y/o Dad a while back. He didn't qualify for assistance, since he could still make it to the bathroom and kitchen, so we were on our own. We found him a nice second hand 3 wheel scooter at a store for $500. A new one of that type and quality would have been several times that amount. I know, you've already been the scooter route, but the point is, there are many used chairs out there, and a lot of them have very few "miles" on them. My suggestion would be to go to all the dealers and shop their new models, then ask them about used chairs that fit your needs, based on what you find in the new models. Scan the ads and put out feelers among your friends and aquaintances. When our need arose, I remembered seeing one of the type you're talking about at a friend's house. His Mother had recently passed, and had only had the chair a few months. I asked about it, but they had just given it away. :-\
M.I.L. needed something so we bought her a high-end used scooter. Was $1,000 and it was the same as new. She did not like it because she had trouble getting it out her door so we re-sold it.
Next, we bought maybe a low-end power chair. It has a joystick and will go across grass and gravel...no mud. Cost was something like $3,000. Medicare will foot half the bill if you get a prescription from your doctor. I can find out the brand and maybe a few more facts if your interested...may take couple of days.
Reading the morning paper classifieds and saw two...scooter for $500 and a rough terrain power chair with joystick for $6,000...ad said it was like new.
Thanks folks for the replies. I found a used power chair about 20 miles away at a good price. Owner says it's broke so he made a good price. He was quite surprised when I went to my truck and got 2 12 volt batteries and jumper cables. Pulled off the cover, hooked up the jumper cables and everything worked just fine. The batteries had been allowed to discharge completely and then froze. He stuck to his original quote. Right now it's running with the covers off and a lawnmower battery and my jumpstart pack in it. Get new batteries next week. Wife took to it like a duck to water. It's candy apple red ;D
Good for you, Piney! I'm glad you found one to fill the bill without breaking the bank.
8) 8) 8)
Good to hear Piney! I can see her jetting down the road at break neck speed in her candy apple red chair! 8)