Is a loved elder in your home facing difficulty in walking due to health concerns? To make their life easier, you can get them portable scooters that will make you feel more reassured and make them feel independent. They will not need someone hovering over them all the time making them feel in control of their life, and you will not worry about them falling over and causing themselves any harm. This article contains all that you need to know about portable scooters for seniors.
What are Portable Scooters?
A mobility scooter is a personal transport vehicle with either three or four wheels that runs on a rechargeable battery and is thus also called a power-operated vehicle. They come in many sizes and many of them are portable as well so they can be assembled and disassembled easily. They are more user-friendly than powered wheelchairs because they don’t require any control panel to move around and can thus be used easily by elderly people.
How are portable scooters for seniors beneficial?
Portable scooters for seniors are usually used by people who have trouble walking due to weak legs or knees or who find it difficult to remain steady on their feet due to some nervous disorder. It is helpful for people with arthritis, muscular disease, or elderly people whose legs cannot endure their body weight.
Some classes of mobility scooters you need to know
There are three classes of mobility scooters that can be used by adults.
- Class 1: This includes manual wheelchairs restricted to pavements only.
- Class 2: They can be used on footpaths under a speed limit of 6 km/h.
- Class 3: They can be used on footpaths, footways, and roads under a speed limit of 12 km/h. For these to be allowed to be used, you must ensure they have a working braking system, indicators, and a rear-view mirror, and they don’t have an unladen mass of more than 150kg. You must be older than 14 years to use it.
What are the different types of portable scooters for seniors?
- Travel Scooters: Travel scooters are usually smaller than other scooters. They are lightweight and can be easily disassembled and stored in a car trunk making them easy to transport. These can be helpful for elderly people as they won’t have to exert much.
- Foldable Scooters: A lot of small and medium-sized scooters can be disassembled and folded to transport easily. This comes in handy when you are relocating or going on a trip. The foldable chairs for seniors can relieve many of your worries as they help provide a chance for elderly people to go anywhere and not be restricted to one place only.
- Heavy-Duty Scooters: Heavy-duty scooters can carry the most weight and go the longest distance on a single battery charge. These scooters can also travel easily on rough terrain.
- Large Scooters: For people with wide hips or long legs, large scooters are the best. They usually have four wheels and are designed for all terrains. They have batteries that can travel up to 40 miles before they need to be recharged.
- 3-Wheel and 4-Wheel Scooters: A four-wheel scooter provides a better sense of stability than a three-wheel scooter, but it may feel restrictive for a person with long legs. A 4-wheel portable scooter will be the better choice for seniors with shorter legs while people with long legs should opt for 3-wheel scooters as they will be more comfortable in them.
What features to look for in a portable scooter?
To make the experience of users, especially seniors more pleasant, you must check some features of mobility scooters.
- Comfort: You must ensure that the scooter you have gotten for the elderly person is comfortable. This can be easily done as these scooters usually have adjustable parts to accommodate your needs. These adjustable parts include back support, armrests, seat, and tiller.
- Portability: You must check the product weight and especially the weight of the heaviest part of the scooter to make sure you can easily carry that product.
- Usability: While buying a scooter, you should keep in mind its usability and durability features. These features include speed, battery range, battery life, turning radius, weight capacity, and storage space.
- Safety: A mobility scooter for seniors must include seatbelts, lights, indicators, a horn, and a rear-view mirror to ensure the safety of the person using it and everyone around by preventing a collision.
Safety Precautions to Consider
Make sure the elderly person driving the portable scooter is trained properly to do so to avoid unnecessary accidents. Here are some tips to keep in mind for the safe driving of mobility scooters.
- Visibility: Ensure that the person driving the scooter has no problem seeing it. When driving at night, the scooter might not be visible so make sure the scooter has light(s) and whoever is driving is wearing reflective clothes.
- Eye Contact: Try making eye contact with other drivers before moving around so that you both are aware of each other’s presence on the road.
- Travel at low speed: You should drive at low speed so that you can easily stop the vehicle in case someone or something comes in front of you suddenly.
- Avoid the use of mobile phones and headphones: You should only focus on the road so the use of mobile phones or headphones is strictly prohibited.
- Cross the road with caution.
- Keep the scooter in good shape: Check the scooter’s batter, brakes, and tires regularly and get it serviced every year to always keep it in shape and avoid any inconvenience.
Can You Get Free Mobility Scooters for Seniors?
Yes, you can get a free mobility scooter for seniors if you have a doctor’s prescription claiming you need it or insurance. You can also get it for free if you can prove that it is medically required by a person without which they cannot walk, and you cannot afford it.
