Motorised wheelchairs

Can anybody offer information/recommendation for motorised wheelchairs? My husband carer is finding pushing the manual one much too hard. Thank you.

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I would suggest you visit a mobility specialist where you can try out a few. You will have to consider whether you need to get it in and out of the house and how you will charge it. Are you planning to take it out in a car? It will be much more useful if you are not restricted to the area around your house.

My chair weighs 66Kg so needs mechanical assistance to get it in/out of the car. It also needs a large boot to take my chair so you you might need to consider changing you car.

I have an Otto-Bock a-200 with a hoist to lift it in and out of my car. I cannot get it into my house to charge so I run a cable from the boot through a window into the house. Luckily since I worked for an engineering company one of my colleagues made me an extension cable for the charger so it reaches from boot to charger in front room.

Alternatively you could look at borrowing a chair/scooter when you are out. Supermarkets; shopping centres and National Trust properties often have chairs to borrow.

You can also consider a scooter. I have no information, but I understand they can be lighter; foldable and easier to stash in a car boot.

Good luck with your search

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@Dexster , do you have a local shop that sells mobility equipment near where you live? If not, try etechmobility.co.uk. Maybe they can help. I’ve heard though that some motorized wheel chairs cost from £850 to more than a £1000+ depending on model and where you go to buy them.

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They are not cheap. Mine was ÂŁ4200 plus another ÂŁ1000 for the hoist. I would not be without it though. Do you work? I got my first powerchair through Access to Work.

You may be able to find a cheaper chair second hand. Against that is that my chair was made to measure so is more comfortable if I am spending all day in the chair.

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@Janetb , holy moly! That much? I know there dear but… :open_mouth: If yours was bespoke, it will cost. As a rule, best to shop around. A shop in Wythenshawe Town Centre that sells disability equipment also sold powered wheelchairs. The ones I’ve seen start from £1200+

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When my chair broke last year I went for a straight replacement of the old chair so that my hoist would fit and not need replacing. I have a manual chair but it causes problems in my good arm when I wheel myself

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@Janetb , sorry to hear your chair broke. How much did your replacement cost?

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ÂŁ4200. My first (original) chair was supplied through Access to Work as propelling a manual chair one handed was affecting my arm and my ability to work.

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@Janetb , :open_mouth: wow… You could buy a decent used car for that price. These companies that sell disability aids of various kinds must be making a **** load of money.

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@Dexster Motability do scooters and powered wheelchairs?

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Yes they do, but you can only have a car or scooter/wheelchair. If you already have a car you can’t get a powerchair as well.

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@Janetb

I don’t know @Dexster full story and you are correct in your reply

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I have no allowances and will have to fund my own wheelchair. Price range in the ones I’ve been looking at is around a grand. So I have to get it right first time, as that is a huge sum of money to me.Husband/carer is elderly like me and finding the manual chair heavy and cumbersome.

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Have you looked at charity contributions. If you or husband are ex-forces RBL will help. Some unions or associations may help with a chair or a grant.

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Please check that you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to. If you are of an elderly persuasion you may get Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit. CAB; Age UK and the Stroke Association can help .

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Hi, try Facebook. A good secondhand wheelchair is worth its weight in gold. I bought a carbon fibre Q50 for £1100 last March. I haven’t looked back. New it was £2800! It weighs only 14.5kg, so my daughter can lift it in and out of the car boot easily.

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@PhilipS , “cheap as chips” as David Dickinson would say. :slightly_smiling_face:

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@PhilipS , I guess the Daleks need something to do. No Doctor Who on TV right now.

That’s the one I bought. the light weight and small size great to go into car boots, and I use it locally for shopping.