If you’re talking to a person without disabilities they might automatically think that you need only a walking frame, or only a wheelchair or mobility scooter as without knowing enough about the disability that you have it can be difficult for them to imagine what you experience as you progress through each day.

Apart from experiencing pain there can be issues with balance, numbness and a whole range of difficulties that can change hours later which of course then leads to you having to swap what you may have been using earlier in the day for something else to help you get by until its time for bed which for some people brings even more problems.

Unlike an individual who doesn’t need to use any mobility aids at all, you literally have to adapt to how your body is reacting as the day goes on, that itself can be exhausting as you deal with it all, or the change might be spread out throughout the week but all the same it can make for a challenging time for sure.

What people can see is the fact that you need to use a mobility aid, but what they dont see is how you might have to constantly adapt and be ready to switch to a different aid depending on how you are feeling and what your plans are for the day.

Hi, i am using a sterling mobility scooter to make a kids toy. Sometimes when i switch it on everything is ok, other times it is dead. Nothing i do will persuade it to turn on after this. My question is whether there is a reset procedure and if the handles on the tiller are not central will it still turn on. I have checked all wires and connections, left it unplugged from the batteries, ensured the batteries are charged and reconnected everything as it should be. No joy . Also can i read trouble codes from the diagnostic plug and how would i go about it. Please help excited kids and no prospect of getting it to go. Sorry don’t know what model but it’s the big 4 wheel one with a digital dash from a while ago.

Jon

Although they are registered with the DVLA, and display a ‘nil duty’ tax disc they are not classed as a motor vehicle.

They should still be operated in a safe manner taking into account other road users for your own safety and the safety of others, but fortunately as a class 3 mobility scooter user you are exempt from certain rules in place for other vehicles using the road.

Take note that the exemption is with regards to the tax disc cost and no registration plate needed, other road rules and laws apply and should be adhered to when taking a class 3 mobility scooter onto the road.

Although a lot of floor surfaces make things easier for a wheelchair user, one type of surface that can pose a few problems is carpeted floors as they can make the job of moving a wheelchair across the carpet more difficult, it can require more effort for the person moving the wheelchair, this will be dependant of the type of carpet and to an observer it may not look too different but whoever is actually needing to move a wheelchair across a carpeted surface will often feel the extra effort required.

Although many public and private buildings do quite a lot to make their buildings as accessible as they can, there are still lots of places that may not understand that small differences like the actual flooring type can make quite a difference to a wheelchair user.

This is understandable as many people might immediately think or ramps, lifts, wide enough spaces to maneuver, automatic doors etc when thinking about accessibility, but it can be the less obvious things like carpeting and whether there is any in place or not and the type in place that can make a difference to how easy or difficult a situation may become for a wheelchair user while moving across a floor.

Although these difficulties can arise when needing to move through buildings other than your own home, you at least have the choice of being able to choose the right type of flooring within your own home, funds permitting of course, but this is at least one place where you can improve a situation relatively easy with wood, laminate, tile or lino flooring.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t choose to carpet your floors if you prefer carpets, and some carpets wont cause the same problems as others, it can also make a difference how professionally a carpet is laid, if it is stretched out properly and a professional job is done so that you dont get ripples appearing then this will make a difference to how well the wheelchair passes over it.

If you dont like the thought of wood, laminated or other flooring that may seem less homely and a bit cold, especially during our cooler months here in britain, dont force yourself to choose and live with this type of flooring, carpets are cosier and what a lot of people are already used to, but just make sure that you are selective of the type of carpet when choosing, that way you can still have comfortable and cosy flooring that lends itself to when you need to pass over it using your wheelchair.

Understandably its not always possible to estimate how long you might need one in place for, you might at first plan for a temporary situation and it ends up being in place for years, or think that you might need one in place long term and just a few months later you have no need for it.

If you consider getting a new stair lift fitted, the cost can be a good investment but if after a few months there is no longer a need for it then when it comes to having it removed and sold on you could be losing out on a substantial amount of your investment.

This will depend on who will buy it from you, basically some companies will offer to buy back the stair lift but at a much smaller amount than what you paid for it and if you or a relative only used it for a few months and it was new or nearly new at the time of installation then naturally you wont be happy to be offered a fraction of what you paid for the stair lift for it to be bought back from you.

Because of depreciation, its expected on most products that we buy that they lose value, some purchases lose value quicker than others, vehicles would be a good example of this, basically once purchased and driven off the forecourt a car or other vehicle is losing its original value through depreciation right after purchase.

So its important that you take this into consideration when thinking about getting a stair lift installed.

Best Regards

John

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John

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As you will see, he has put a little petrol engine in this and its very fast, although im not sure that riding at that speed without a helmet is wise i wouldn’t like to come off at that speed.

His name is Colin and he looks like he is having a lot of fun though.

There can be added challenges when an individual with Alzheimer’s might be reluctant to use a stair lift and understandably it may lead to frustration for the person with the disease, there is also the added difficulty that once a person with Alzheimer begins to use it (if you can get them to) will they continue to do so as time passes.?

Clearly an individual with Alzheimer’s will not be expected to learn to use it on their own so there still needs to be assistance in that aspect and if the user can be convinced to use it regularly then it will increase safety and make things slightly easier for both the Alzheimer’s sufferer and those living with and/or caring for the person.

I think that there could be a risk of a stair lift being  installed prematurely though and it is probably a good idea to see how a person gets on with things first as each person is different, some people can deteriorate more quickly than others and if one person is still managing the stairs well enough for the time being then it would probably be best to carry on this way until difficulties begin to arise.

I dont think that there would be any benefit from having a stair lift installed earlier, unless there was an indirect benefit by getting one installed sooner like taking advantage of a deal or the installation falling in line with other changes to a persons home that might make sense to those involved.

While there is no way of knowing if an Alzheimer’s sufferer will use one once it is installed, you can at least avoid creating unnecessary obstacles for the person by hesitating a little before making the decision to have one installed.

The exercise that an Alzheimer’s sufferer can get is still important and as long as they and those assisting are not taking unnecessary risks by still walking up and down the stairs then this approach should be maintained until the situation becomes more challenging.

I have an Invacare Electra scooter when I try to charge it the green light flashes and when I try to use it,it doesn’t go very fast and doesn’t go for very long is it batteries or something else as I had a similar problem with a Sterling Star and bought new batteries but still it only went a few hundred yards

regards

Laurie