Millions of people have mobility issues, whether you need a walking stick or stroller, or are confined to a wheelchair. The NHS supplies free wheelchairs, but you may wish instead to use an NHS Personal Wheelchair Budget to buy a more comfortable wheelchair of your choice. One of the best-rated is Patterson Medical Days Escape Lite. It’s easy to transport, has footrests that detach, durable padded armrests, and adjustable seat belt. Also see the post on how to care for our carers.
- StairSteady was invented by a 16-year old for her GSCE project! A simpler affordable alternative to stairlights, it’s fitted by engineers, with a handle to lever yourself up the staircase. Folds away, when not in use.
- Blue Badges give free parking in some disabled bays. The government ‘grace period’ of 10 minutes means that for late returns, you can challenge a fine. Get your Radar key to access public bathrooms).
- Simply Emma is a travel blog by a young woman with tips galore for accommodation and more. Also visit Wheels Galore by a man who lives a full life, and writes uplifting books.
- If you have a disabled child, your local council has duty to provide home care, adaptations, hospital visits, holiday play schemes and short breaks. Grants from Family Fund can pay for washing machines, bedding, furniture, outdoor play equipment, clothing, sensory toys and family breaks. Hero Arm and Ambionics are both amazing inventions for children with amputated or missing limbs.
- REVOLVE AIR saves up to 60% when folded, and is certified for carry-on luggage and fits into a compact car or train luggage hold. It’s also easy to store at home, in a backpack or trunk and uses a unique hexagon structure and airless tire, to literally reinvent the wheel.
- Wheels to Heal recycles donated wheelchairs and mobility aids to countries where people gain independence by reusing them. People with unused storage space like a garage can volunteer to be drop-off points for donations, a good way to do good for others, in the midst of grief.
What’s the Deal with Mobility Scooters?
Mobility scooters can help disabled people get around, but there is a huge scam market where elderly people (who often live alone) are visited to shell out thousands of pounds for models that even if they are any good, often people can’t afford. Report any scams to your local trading standards office (a typical example is not being told that anyone is entitled to a 7-day cooling off period, even if they sign on the dotted line). So if someone is pressured to buy a scooter they don’t want or need, it’s perfectly legal and possible to get the money refunded, to spend it on a more reputable company. All mobility scooters are very expensive, so see if you can get a grant from the NHS or local council, before spending money upfront yourself.
There are three types of mobility scooters, and most can only be driven on pavements (at 4mph – class 3 can also be used on roads and driven up to 8mph, at time of writing). They all cost over £1000, so if buying secondhand, ensure you buy from a reputable company. You can usually return it within 30 days, and should not pay VAT, if you are registered disabled.
Mobility Deck has tips on safer driving, as many people are concerned at often people driving scooters with bad co-ordination or sometimes dementia. Ask your doctor if you are suitable to drive a scooter, before purchase. You should have good hand-eye coordination, good eyesight, strength and balance and be of good mind. Take a test drive beforehand and ensure you have hi-vis lights for both yourself and the scooter. Follow all the road rules and ensure the scooter is maintained on a regular basis, for safety of you and others. It’s also best to wear a helmet.
- eFOLDI (above) is a light folding scooter that travels up to 14 miles, on a single charge. It can easily be stored away and has a low centre of gravity for stability, and a unique 4-point suspension system, to take care of comfort. One user said that since purchase, he has been whizzing around National Trust gardens, gone off in the caraven for 4 days, and is on the way to Spain next week! They were created by the daughter of a dad who fell off the stage which left him disabled, and instead of complaining, he just sketched up his own transport, and she launched it! You have to register it with DVLA, if you intend to use it on the road.
- Shopmobility is the national network of centres that hire out mobility scooters, powerchairs and manual wheelchairs to the public either free or low-cost, so they can visit shops and leisure facilities. Anyone can use the service, even if you have a temporary issue like a broken leg or simply can’t walk far. Motability offers grants for cars or adaptive devices.
Inventions to Help Mobility Issues
Most of these are expensive, no lie. But they have been invented, so it’s worth asking the NHS (they can help prevent falls and injuries) or find someone to give you a grant. It’s inspiring nonetheless, to find out what has been invented across the world, often by disabled people themselves.
- Access Trax Mat is a portable pathway that you can instead of a cumbersome wheelchair ramp, to use when needing to access areas with steps, or at the beach. It folds up easily for travel and can offer access over sand, gravel, dirt, grass and snow.
- Rowheels eliminates the need to push wheelchairs with the shoulders, which can cause injury and pain. This wheel uses more capable musices in your upper back and shoulders, to actually strengthen too. The inventor fractured his leg and partnered with a paralyzed NASA mechanical engineer to help eliminate injuries that are common in 70% of wheelchair users. The action also is good for heart and lung health, due to more upright posture.
- Bed Phrame Lift is for wheelchair users to use in hotels, when the beds are too high. The inventor says that a 30-inch bed in a wheelchair-accessible hotel room ‘might as well be 100 feet off the ground’. Ultra-high mattresses may feel luxurious, but can be difficult, impossible or even dangerous for people with mobility issues to get into bed. They are in talks to try to get hotels to buy them.
- Retyre is a device that lets you adapt wheelchair tyres to terrains of any kind. Carry it in your backpack and then if conditions are slippery, just adapt your tyre in seconds for the least amount of rolling resistance indoors, or on dry hard terraine. Works for superb traction on snow, ice, mud and gravel.
- Action Trackchair helps you go from seated to standing with the push of a button, to go ‘off-terrain’ (it looks a bit like a tank with toothed metalled wheels on the bottom. There are 5 models in 18 colours, with over 30 options to customise it to your lifestyle.
- AdvenChair is an off-road wheelchair for the adventurous. Invented by a man whose near-fatal brain stem left him in a wheelchair, he and his helicopter mechanic friend modified a regular wheelchair to enable it to hit the trails and parks.
- Up n Ride is a wheeled robotic device, that enables upright and seated mobility for wheelchair users, or anyone who has difficulty walking or standing. It offers many benefits to ensure safety and shifting between positions, in practically any urban environment.
- AxioBionics offers life-changing medical devices that peope with medical conditions can use, if affected by musculskeletal and nervous systems. These encourage joint movement, muscle activation and encourages ways to use dormant muscles. This wearable therapy is changing lives.
- No White Flags (US) is a charity that offers full body dryers to American veterans, and is an inspiring idea to use elsewhere. This eliminates injury from people with disabilities falling over and slipping, when trying to dry themselves, after a shower.
- Trexo is a new invention to help children with celebral palsy to walk, but it’s very expensive so you would likely need a grant (or they can be used in clinics). Designed to support the moving of legs, some children have been able to walk by themselves, for the first time ever. The device comes in 4 sizes from 18 months up to 5ft 9in. It works by moving the legs in a preset custom gait pattern, set up by a team member or physical therapist, and operated by a tablet by the accompanying adult. It may not be suitable for children with knee/hip contractures or other serious deformities of the lower limbs (or who do not meet height/weight requirements – contact them for details).
