Should I get a scooter?

[sfwarbonnet]

The following comments were motivated by the essay in LivngMS by Sarah, aka gilless10 entitled Should I Get a Scooter?

Yes, Sarah, I highly recommend a scooter. I’ve had both 3- and 4-wheelers and used them indoors at work and outdoors there and in the neighborhood (the dog knew that it was time for a walk when the scooter moved.) I had a lift in our station wagon so the scooter went to work and back every day. I liked the ability to confidently go off the pavement with it (both could, but the 4-wheeler was harder to tip over. My wife often reminded me it was a scooter, not an ATV!) The most important spec is the turning radius - the good news is that it was sufficiently small on both scooters that they could be used indoors at work; the bad news was that they couldn’t be used in the house – too many 90o corners and 30“ doors.

I got a power chair that could maneuver in small spaces and negotiate a 90o turn in the hall. The downside is that the power chair is not stable off a smooth surface as it is vulnerable to tipping. Although the power chair and scooter are functionally different and transferring is not difficult, most insurance will only pay for one power mobility device every five years. Therefore, I suggest getting one that can be used both in the house and off a smooth surface.

Back to my scooter experience: I traveled with them on both business trips and vacations. They were gate checked at the airport and I tried to avoid changing planes. The farthest I went was ~12 miles on a bike trail to the UCI campus in Irvine, CA. From a previous vacation we knew that Las Vegas was an ideal environment for a scooter - there are enough attractions within scooter and taxi range that one really doesn’t need a car. Fair warning though, things in Las Vegas are not as close as they look, but facilities were scooter-friendly and staff (& other visitors too) were very accommodating. We took my manual wheelchair and rented a scooter at the hotel (all the major ones have them) - good decision. My wife (who doesn't have MS) rented a scooter too on our "strip" day and we rode the Monorail the length of the Strip (we knew it was very scooter-friendly and saw most of the free sights and a few shows and pay sites too. Everything we tried was scooter-accessible, including restaurants and restrooms (one handicapped stall was so spacious that you could turn a scooter around in it!).

[gomer]

I have Both........

A few months ago my famdoc said i was time I had a powerchair. I was releuctant, concerned it was like giving up or admitting defeat, he said NO. I was evaluated by a PT and the chair was rdered per my docs specs.

So I have a Jazzi select-6 powerchair, great around the house. Ought to be with a list price over $6,000! On my own via flEbay I found a new open box (for lack of better description) GoGo (same mfg) 3 wheel scooter. I keep the scooter in my car trunk, so its always ready to GoGo!

They both use the same charger and I just bring in the scooter battery-pack in one a week (depending on useage) for charging. I do not have a lift, but it breakes down for travel so it works for me. I also picked up a car charger so even on a road trip I can re-charge the scooter battery anytime, anywhere.

BOTh have been a big help to me, give me FREEdom to do more than before. My ins paid every dime for my powerchair. I paid for the scooter, less than $700 (ebay) and ahd some proceeds from thinning my camera collection to help pay for it.

MY way of thinking was let the ins pay for the MOST expensive and I can get the cheaper items at my expense. Even at that it was a streach of my limited budget, but well worth it!

GOMER On the Go, anywhere, with his GoGo.

[sfwarbonnet]

Gomer, My indoor chair is a Z-chair, also a Pride product. It works great on smooth surfaces, but is prone to tipping, especially on uneven terrain. If I were to take it around the block, it would be OK unless a car was parked across the sidewalk, or the sidewalk was in a constriction zone. That would be a showstopper for the Z-chair. Does a Jazzy have enough off-pavement capability to cross the street or just go around obstacles as a scooter would? Also, can the Jazzy break down for transport as the Z-chair does? These comments are motivated by the fact that out new car doesn't (can't) have a lift, and the 5-year no-replacement period for the Z-chair is up year and my scooter has gone belly up. I have heard mention of a Hoveround, anyone have any relevant experience?

[poohb3ar]

if your insurance pays for it, GET IT QUICK! only use it when u feel u really have to. but soon, nobody will be paying for these and you'll either shell out the whole amount yourself or not getting one at all.
i cdnt afford the low cost of $700 for a power chair promised by medicare. so was given a used one by friend. very sweet of them, but was going on a downtown sidewalk when the arm came off (the one w/ the joystick of course).
thankfully, chivalry is not dead in louisville, KY.
wish i'd got a 'low cost' power chair that has a warranty now. can't afford it at this point.
so that's my 2 cents worth. just bcs u have it doesn't mean you give up walking. only use it when nec. if u can still ambulate w/out it.
take care, God bless ya!

[cloudedmoon]

I got one though my neuro didn't think I should get one. I can walk, but I can't walk far enough to do the things I want to do. I got one I can take apart and put in my van. So far I have enough upper body strength I can do it. I love it. I don't know what I would do without it.

[gomer]

I AGREE with Pooh.........

Get it NOW while you can. With health care costs and issues, who knows what we will be able to get tomorrow, or next week/month/year?


I was reluctant out of FEAR, fear I was going to be confined to a w/c if I caved in. When my famdoc told me it was time for me to have one, I expresed my feeling that doing so would be admitting defeat, giving up, he said NO. Now I am GLAD I have it.

I had wanted a scooter for years, would have made my life easier, but I would have to justify it to my wife. In other words buy her something so I could get one. I had to scrape just to get one bargan scooter, some of it paid for with funds from selling off a few cameras in my collection. On the flip side, as far as my doc's Rx for a P/C I saw it as an opertunity to get the scooter w/o ww3 at home.

The Jazzy, NO way coud I take it anywhere, not even outdoors right now since I do NOT have a ramp. I doubt it would be much good on surfaces that were not somewhat even. I think the 6 wheels would be OK on GOOD sidewalks etc., but NOT so great in places I take my scooter sometimes. Another obstacle is even if I had a ramp and could get the Jazzy outside, I would need some kind of lift, far too heavy & bulky for any one person to manhandle.

3 wheel -v- 4 wheel
3 wheel, shorter turnning radius, but tips easier.
4 wheel, larger turning radious but more stable.

3 wheel is BETTER for uneven ground out of doors by far. I haave used my GoGo indoors, sidewalks, dirt paths, grass fields, almost anywhere except on the water.......lol When I have used my 3 wheel GoGo on rough terrain and hit a bad spot I put my foot out on the tip prone/low side just in case, works great for me.

I fits easily in my car trunk, takes less than half my available trunk space and I have storing it and getting it out and about down to an art form now. I drive a 2002 Buick LeSabre (my Marshmellow), so the trunk is bigger than most cars these days. Locally the GoGo sells for about $1,400 to $1,700 or so at the DME places.


Let the ins cover the most expensive stuff, then you can buy the cheaper things if/as needed. IMO its just simple economics on my part. I am on SSDI (since '87) and have medicare and BCBS medigap (not any of the DIS-advantage plans).

GOMER ya gotta do whatever works best for YOUR needs (& budget)

[sfwarbonnet]

3 wheel -v- 4 wheel
3 wheel, shorter turnning radius, but tips easier.
4 wheel, larger turning radious but more stable.

3 wheel is BETTER for uneven ground out of doors by far. I haave used my GoGo indoors, sidewalks, dirt paths, grass fields, almost anywhere except on the water.......lol When I have used my 3 wheel GoGo on rough terrain and hit a bad spot I put my foot out on the tip prone/low side just in case, works great for me.

3- vs. 4-wheelers: Gomer, I disagree. Having had both, I prefer 4. It’s just more stable. An instance that comes to mind is a park road that my dog and I traveled frequently. It had numerous pot holes; since I knew where they were, I just went around them even if they were not visible, but they would certainly tip a 3-wheeler, but if a wheel goes down on a 4-wheeler the scooter may lean but probably won’t tip over.

Re turning radius: My Solo IV has a small one for a 4-wheeler. In fact it is about the same as the 3-wheel Amigo RWD that preceded it. Both were used indoors at work and outdoors everywhere, but neither could be used in the house. They extended my independence; like if I needed to go somewhere, I would just go, whereas without a scooter I might not go.