Mobility scooters and related equipment
by editor on Aug.30, 2009, under News
Due to a quite surprising range of neurological ailments, not to mention the devastating effects of advancing age, I have become sort of less mobile than I was in my younger days. Where I used to be able to effortlessly walk for hours and hours, I now move slowly at a snails pace, for no more than one hour, leaning on either a cane or a crutch - depending on how I happen to function that day. Yet I won’t complain: there’s nothing I truly lack in this life, and reduced mobility doesn’t unduly bother me.
However, for the longer journeys I presently use a mobility scooter, which definitely makes me feel like a prince or even a sultan! Relaxedly sitting in a comfortable seat, nicely but never arrogantly saluting the admiring passers-by, I zip along at either walking pace or double speed. When I feel social I “walk”, when I actually need to be somewhere in time I crank up the little machine.
There are many people much worse off than me, when it comes to physical capabilities. I can, though with difficulty, still walk - many others can’t. Especially for those the electric scooter is a great help, enabling them to be free again. There are 3-wheel mobility scooters and 4-wheel mobility scooters, and if you’re seriously considering buying such a machine, I would recommend the 3-wheeled variety. These are somewhat more manoeuvrable on account of their smaller turning radius, which is a great advantage in crowded or cramped places. I also would advice you to go for batteries with a lot of capacity: it’s not only unpleasant but also quite embarassing to find yourself without of juice when far away from home!
Apart from electrical scooters, there are many more things and inventions that make the life of the disabled much more pleasant. Stairlifts, bed lifts, electric wheelchairs, walkers… they all help to make life much more normal for the disabled.
