Dorothy-Thompson Has anyone any knowledge of the Rascal WeGo mobility scooter or any other kind of wheelchair that is

[dorothy-thompson]

power assisted that a carer can use. My husband has a standard self-propelling wheelchair but he is unable to use it because he has no strength in his hands and I cannot push it because it is too heavy, so we are exploring other possibilities.

[peterjones]

hi dorothy i have a mobility SCOOTER its called a shoprider which comes apart to fit in the car boot

but the parts would be to heavy for you or your husband as i have just read that hes hands are getting weak i have only just purchased mine a few months ago but my strength is starting to go

unfortunately and my wife cannot handle it so i shall be looking around myself at something lighter and to dismantle so that it fits in the boot \\ i found it great to get around in the top speed was 10 klms an hour which is plenty fast enough \\\\ but getting to heavy for us to get in the car but if you look in the web site at ''mobility scooters ''im sure you would find something there \\\\ they do have lighter ones but it depends on your husbands weight as to what he can get \\ and also they will come to your home to try it first and lastly the price i paid $2000 for mine which he wanted 2500

now i did not want to bargain with him because i thought being for an invalid the price would be about right but WRONG my daughter had a go at him and knocked it down to the 2000 from 2500 dollars that is\\\\\ so do not be afraid to bargain with them if you go ahead and get one

so have a look on the web site first to have a general look at them

then get them to come to your house

tell them your husbands weight and what he wants the scooter for ie == shopping\\\or generaly getting around and let him try one they are very easy to drive

and lastly don't forget to bargain with them i hope this is info is ok for you nothing ventured nothing gained so they say anyway good luck with that peter jones queensland australia psp sufferer

[peterjones in reply to peterjones]

by the way i believe you have to register them with local authorities which costs you nothing but the people you get one \\\if you get one \\\\should have the neccesary forms for you anyway you can ask them see you take care peter jones queensland australia psp sufferer

[springbank]

Do you need wheelchair/scooter to go into a vehicle? Either one is heavy to lift in, due to the weight of the batteries. I have an electric wheelchair I bought for my late husband which is virtually unused, it can either be attendant or user operated by moving the controls from armrest to back of seat. I had the control re-programmed so it did not go so quickly, making it eadier to maneouvre. It also has a kerb climber to make pavement climbing easier. I will be selling it but stay in N.E.Scotland. Any further info, please ask.

[shasha in reply to springbank]

hello s[ringbank i am interested in getting an elctric wheelchair do you have a price and any pictures ?

[springbank in reply to shasha]

It is a Pride LX11 In excellent condition, has always been kept in lounge and charged regularily. They cost around £1,000.00 new, I paid £600.00 just over two years ago, and would like £350.00. I don't have a picture and have difficulty getting them on-line. Because I live rurally, I can only get satellite broadband and it is only a little better than dial-up. Any more info - please ask

[shasha in reply to springbank]

thank you springbank - i will have a think about it - as we live in france it may prove too expensive to ship hre

[springbank in reply to shasha]

didn't realise you were so far away, best of luck with your final choice.

[shasha in reply to springbank]

thanks

[Hidden]

You can purchase a battery pack for a wheelchair but I would only do that if you do not intend loading it into a car as it can be heavy. Having said that in some places there are mobility places that hire out power assisted chairs near shopping centres-I know for example there is one in Chatham Kent.

If you go to one of the mobility outlet stores they will certainly help you and let you try things out before you buy and I believe they let you have a trial period. They sometimes have secondhand chairs too, all with warranties on them.

Dianne

[teena2]

Hi Dorothy, I initially bought my husband a scooter which very quickly became redundant because he was unable to think about where he was going and keep control of it at the same time. i then, after much research and frustration got a wheelchair which was adapted to take a power pack to make it easy for the carer to push.This is not able to be controlled by the person sitting in it. The power pack is a TGA power pack and a good disabilities /wheelchair shop should know what you mean and will show you which wheelchairs can be used. I had to pay for this myself but if I had been willing to have a heavy duty NHS one without any power, which of course was difficult for me to control, it would have been free. The total cost was about £1000.00. I used to take it all apart and put it in the car boot on my own. Chris died 6th June 2012 and I still have wheelchair and power pack sitting doing nothing. They are very hard to sell on.

best wishes

Teena2

[dorothy-thompson]

Dorothy-Thompson

Thank you all for your input as always. I am going to a mobility shop today to do some investigating. I mentioned the Rascal WeGo specifically after watching a demonstration of one on YouTube, it was probably from the States who are light years ahead of us on mobility.

I will you you posted as to how we get on, thanks again.

dorothy-Thompson

[jimandsharynp]

Dorothy, I tried electric cart in market but wife couldn't coordinate looking at things and operating cart. Mentally ok but mind works slow so reaction time wasn't good. After almost crashing into displays we changed to a wheelchair non-motorized cart. Just be aware if there is mental impairment even slight motorized might not be your answer. I would rent one for a bit to make sure he can work it without crashing walls in your home. ;). lol

Jimbo

[jillannf6]

hi dorfothy

good to c u posting again - i was warned/advised by people on the old PSP forum tha t if my co -ordinationh wa spoor i woould be a danger ot others myself and the fabric of wherever i was using the vehicle/chair

have not looke d at them in detail a the moment

lol jiLL

[Kathy]

Hi Dorothy,

We have a motor that can be fitted to a standard "push" wheelchair. It's made a huge difference to Dad who was struggling to push the standard chair. The pack is easily detachable so the chair still folds to go in a car, and although the batteries are a little weighty I would say they're still no heavier than the chair itself.

We asked the wheelchair clinic who issued Mum's chair for details. They wouldn't fund the power pack but were happy to give us details. They cost around £600, I believe, but we were lucky enough to be given one by a relative who no longer needed it.

Hope you get something to help

Kathy

[Kathy in reply to Kathy]

tgamobility.co.uk/product/w...

We have the slightly older version of this one! It works well for us

[cabbagecottage]

I have been thinking about getting something like this for my husband . I am finding the wheelchair very hard to push and turn in tight situations . The chair we have has only got the small wheels . Do you think I might find it w easier if it was one with the leak the larger wheels .

About how heavy are the battery packs and are they suitable for any chair

[Kathy in reply to cabbagecottage]

Hi Cabbagecottage,

Mum's chair has the smaller back wheels and generally they are more manoeuverable than the ones with larger wheels. Wheelchair clinics usually only issue chairs with big back wheels if the chair user is going to self-propel.

The battery packs are smaller than a standard car battery and weigh approx. 4-5lbs each. There are 2 of them but they are not attached to each other so you can lift each one on it's own, My understanding is that they fit all "standard" chairs, so unless your husband's chair is a special order it should be fine.

It has made such a difference to Dad (who is in his late 70s)! He can now push Mum without any effort at all, even up hill! The packs are easy to attach and detach and it only takes a couple of minutes to do, We take them off when using the chair at home.

You might find that you can hire or borrow a pack from the supplier to give it a trial before investing what is quite a large sum of money. It's well worth asking as I can't emphasise enough what a difference it has made to Mum and Dad. At one point they were almost housebound because Dad found it such hard work to push the chair but now a sunny afternoon will often find them out in the local park, eating ice cream and watching the Bowls [just hoping that we actually get a few sunny afternoons!! ;-)]

Hope this helps

Kathy x

[dorothy-thompson]

dorothy-thompson

I did my investigating and was told that the Rascal WeGo attendant scooter - check it out on YouTube - was not really suitable as it is very heavy to put in the car even when dismantled and was advised to go go for a battery fitted wheelchair. I'm not very convinced however because while I was in one mobility centre another customer was being sold a motorised scooter which could be dismantled and the customer was told that it would easily go in the boot! Neither of the Mobility shops had a Rascal on show incidentally.

Cabbagecottage, my husband has a self-propelling wheelchair with large wheels, he cannot use it due to weakness in his hands, and I was told by another mobility shop that it is the weight of the person which determines whether or not the chair is heavy to push and not the size of the wheels!

[cabbagecottage]

Thank you for your replies they are a great help . The house is carpeted which makes using the chair harder, If I thought it would help I would take it up and have a wooden floor., Dont want to go to tat expense if it didn't work .

[LeighaAnne]

I agee with Jimbo. My dad had a electric scooter but didn't even hardly use it because of his coordination.

[kryste]

I do but I will have to get back to you when we get home on the name, the whole scooter is fitted to my Aunt the joy stick it made for the palm of her hand since he fingers do not work like they used to, it has arms that come around her so she no longer leans, the legs lift and the back goes down so she can also lay down in it the seat is jell so she does not get sores, but best of all it also has a joy stick in the back so I can control it. It is amazing I will send you the name When we get home.