peacock312 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Hi, my partner lady (75yrs old)dont tell anyone!! has finally accepted that she has chronic arthritis,ostoporrosis,plus a damaged ligament in her knee,she has had an mri scan,its official! we intend to carry on vanning for as long as we are able and safe.i am only 70. at last she has agreed to buy and use an electric mobility buggy,max 4mph. i hope this will give her more mobility again and allow us to go together to shops,restaurants,poi,etc. something i have been doing on my own of late,our van has a big garage with the space plus weight capacity, so no prob there. any tips from experienced forum members who are already down this road, of things to watch out for,where to or not to go etc.would be much appreciated. its going to be a new experience for us both, hope to go down to Spain again early Feb. via Portsmouth/Bilbao. Thanks . Happy new year to all from Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Hi Dave There are quite a few on the forum who use/have partners who use mobility scooters, so I'm sure they will be able to offer you lots of help/advice. Now that she has accepted the condition(s) you can help her find ways of dealing with them as you have realised. Acceptance of 'limitations' is difficult but now she has the chance to play with new 'toys' such as mobility scooters! Make sure you put some 'go faster' stripes on whatever she gets and 'personalise' it for her to make it her 'baby' so she will want to use it ... not sure if you can get them in Barbie pink though! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Festivity time Dave, try to pm flicka I think he maybe able to help. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Hi Dave Sorry to hear of your wife's problems. On the positive side, (IMO) a Motorhome is the best possible form of transport & there are many adaptions that can help to make life a little easier. Regarding a Mobility Scooter - please seek independant professional advice before purchasing, (an Occupational Therapist or local Hospital Wheelchair Services) they can assess your wife's requirements & advise which are most suitable for her condition & proposed use.We spent money on a Mobility Scooter, only to find that it no longer suitable approx 12 months later. Don't rely on Disability Outlets & certainly not those advertised in the Sunday tabloids, etc., - (worse than Motorhome Salepersons, but with even less product knowledge) We spent money on a Mobility Scooter, only to find that it no longer suitable approx 12 months later. Much depends on your wife's mobility, but the professionals can help identify what is required now & will still be suitable in the future. Have a look at the Autochair website for some ideas. http://www.autochair.co.uk/ We have the Milford Person Lift for my wife, it lifts her out of her Wheelchair on to the Passenger Seat. They also do a Turny Swivel & lower seat, which can be mated up to a power wheelchair base, if required. They also do lifts for Mobility Scooters / Wheelchair, but I prefer to use ramps for loading into garage. Fiamma or similar http://www.fiammastore.com/Fiamma-Carry-Moto/Fiamma-Carry-Moto-S-For-Motorhome-Garage If you have any questions, (please drop me a PM or) continue the thread so other forum users may also pick up the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock312 Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Thanks for the heipfull advice,hey Mel i dont think she needs go faster stripes,more like a rope on the back so i can keep up!!! Thanks Flicka for your input,already ordered & paid for,coming tomorrow so if we have made mistake like you, we will contact before making second mistake Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypre65 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Hi,sorry about the wife,we are getting there,but if you want to be sure of mobilty sites in spain,a good place to look is UKCampsites and tenting on the computer,it is free to join and gives a full descripsion of sites including mobilty toilets,etc hope you enjoy your trip.H (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyreman Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 If your in the market for a motability scooter check out ebay,gumtree and the likes before you go paying loads of money for a new one,I recently sold the father in laws for him and was amazed how little they go for......we sold his 4 wheeler for £100 and struggled to get that.....Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Hi peacock312 If you would like to travel together then in Spain you can buy a tandem style scooter, they are not cheap but very practicable. I suspect you would be able to buy one secondhand out there. Word of warning though, because we are so closely integrated into all the other european countries, they are NOT legal in the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock312 Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 thanks,pre65, wish i was! also tyreman,&syd, just to update you all,we bought a small mobility scooter last friday,delivered yesterday,its a 4wheeler,10mls range,38kilos weight,max speed 4mph.class2 model, ,fits perfectly into our clio car boot without even folding down seats,fits into our Adria motorhome garage,i can just lift it in without ramps,all i need to do is fold down tiller & remove seat,i will look into campsites suggested, we had trial run this morning,around our local town, worked extremely well, good for my wife to be mobile again & good exercise for me,i hope! next job to get ins.got to find out tommorow if its covered by our home ins.for 3rd party as well as theft etc. regards Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Insurance is recomended but NOT compulsory, at 4mph what can go wrong :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawcara Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Fortunately I am not at that stage yet, but a friend at work had to dispose of one (bereavement). He said that there were loads on ebay, maybe a thought for purchase. Some of the bus companies require individuals to undergo some form of test if they take them on the bus, think it only applies to ones with lights though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petra Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I have both a 4mph scooter and a wheelchair and tend to use my scooter in the UK but find it difficult using it abroad because of the high kerbs and cobbles in many places. We have not been to Spain but have travelled extensively in France, Italy and Greece and motorhomimg is definitely the way to go if you are disabled or can't walk far as you can park close to towns and villages and explore quite easily. My husband prefers to use the wheelchair when abroad as it is easier to maneouvre around towns abroad and go into shops, museums and places of interest. A lot of museums give discounts for wheelchair users or their carers where you would not be able to use a scooter. Also restaurants have to accept wheelchairs but not buggies. Of course it does depend on your strength regards pushing but hubby says it keeps him fit and also allows him to push me quickly past nice shops and claim he hadn't heard that I said I wanted to visit! I hope your partner enjoys her travels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Have a look at MMM's latest mobility supplement for some ideas:- http://www.browse-and-read.co.uk/mmm-mobility-2012/mmm-mobility-2012.swf Also for Cab access an alternative is :- http://www.abilitylifting.co.uk/Home-Lifts/Powersteps/Stand-On Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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