Most of you will have heard of or read about the elderly couple in Rugby, Warwickshire where an arson attack involving a mobility scooter outside their home was set alight, spreading to their home and sadly resulting in the loss of their lives.

No one ever expects a mobility scooter to be used as a tool within any type of selfishness and cruel act like this but i imagine that had something else been situated there, that it would of been set ablaze, no matter what it was.

There is a suggestion that the couple had dealt with a problem in the area involving teenagers, and if this is the outcome because of that happening then its not only alarming that an individual or a group might go to this extent to retaliate but that they dont even look far enough ahead of their action to take on board that it leads to the actual loss of these two lives, which the police are now treating as a murder.

A mobility scooter outside a persons home should be safe, unfortunately it can be seen as a risk to leave one unattended for very long, but for one to be used as a tool within an arson attack is something that cannot be foreseen.

Its very sad indeed to know that this couple have died this way.

You can read more about the story here murder probe after elderly couple die in fire

When it comes to stair lifts, they are not the type of mobility aid that you find yourself changing very often.

Unlike some mobility aids that a user might change a few times over the years, as a stair lift is fitted and requires the rails being permanently in place, until a household no longer needs to have one in place it means that many people might have the same one installed for a number of years.

Saying that, some people are long term users of a stair lift and so might have tried a few different ones over the years and have been able to experience the different makes and models available.

If you have tried out a few over the years, you may have grown to like a particular make and might even prefer to stick to that specific name, even though you might upgrade over the years.

Do you find yourself preferring a particular one?

Everyone gets nervous about doing something for the first time, even when we dont want to admit to others that we feel a little nervous about something  thats completely new to us, inwardly we still feel that bit of anxiety.

The fact that you feel that way though is actually a good thing, it just means that you are concerned enough about doing things properly and that you care for your own safety and that of others too.

Before long, any nervousness soon fades as you get used to using your mobility scooter and become comfortable with it.

Until you get used to it though, it can help to follow a bit of advice which i will provide here in order to help build your confidence so that you become fully comfortable with using your mobility scooter.

Also remember that how long it takes will differ for each person, it might just take all of 5 minutes for you to lose your nerves, a day or maybe a few weeks, thats fine, because eventually you will no longer feel nervous about using your mobility scooter and can get on with enjoying the mobility and independance that a mobility scooter provides.

Follow these tips and advice to lose your nervousness and build your confidence using your mobility scooter.

1. Familiarise yourself with the controls and how to stop the mobility scooter before using it.

2. Have an experienced person with you to help get you used to using your mobility scooter, if at all possible.

3. If you can, have a relative or friend take you and your mobility scooter to a quiet, flat grounded area that will allow you to practice using the mobility scooter, possibly a disused area of tarmac that is without debris.

4. If its your very first time, try to choose a dry day so that you dont have the worry of wet ground to concern yourself with.

5. Make sure that you feel comfortable, make any necessary adjustments, being positioned properly and being comfortably seated can make a huge difference to how in control you feel.

Once you have got used to the basics and get used to the feel of the steering, the speed and starting and stopping safely, then its a good idea to practice things like going from pavements onto the road to cross over a road and back onto a pavement on the other side.

Do this when you feel more confident and more at ease, dont force yourself to do anything too soon and before you’re really ready to.

You might suprise yourself though and be comfortable and confident using your mobility scooter sooner than you expect to.