Any Help Appreciated

[southjerseymom]

Hi! I have convinced my 78yo Mom to join us on a Wonder cruise then 3 nights at the BWI. I am not worried on the ship because she gets around pretty well but WDW is another story. I think she will let me get her a wheel chair for a couple days in the parks. I have a few questions that maybe someone can help me with.
1. How hard is it to push a wheelchair? I am a pretty good sized gal and I am pretty strong but I would love to know what to expect.
2. How difficult is it to collapse a wheelchair? She really just needs the chair for the longer walks and is more than able to get on and off a boat.
Anybody who has done WDW with an elderly parent and can help me with any tips....I would really appreciate it. I'm thrilled that my mom will enjoy this trip with DH and our 2 small children and I want everyone to have a good time.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just wanted to say I'm thrilled for you - I've been trying to get my mother to join us for a long time and she won't because she refuses to ride in a wheelchair or ECV and her arthritis will prevent her from walking so far. I'm going to keep working on it but I'm glad your mom agreed to go, she'll have a great time (as I know mine will once I get her there).

Folding a wheelchair is fairly easy, though a bit akward. Shouldn't be too bad. Neither should pushing her around unless you are going uphill and she is heavy. I can't comment on pushing around WDW - is there anyone you can take turns pushing with and/or can she use an ECV? The cruise has a lot of walking around the ship as well but I have seen people in wheelchairs onboard. I'm sure you'll get plenty of helpful advice here.

Have a great trip!

 

[CindyVK]

Hi!
Just came home 3 weeks ago from a trip with my mom, who is in a wheelchair, my Dad and 9 yr. old DD. We had a GREAT time! I'll admit my Dad did a majority of the pushing, but when I did push her, it really wasn't bad at all. Once you give the intitial push, it's pretty easy going. AK does have a couple of bumpy areas but every where else, it was fine. The ramp at the TTC by the Monorail needed some strength and momentum so maybe your hubby could push then. My mom stayed in a wheelchair for all the attractions, except for "Soarin'", which was awesome! It was amazing how accomodating Disney was for wheelchair users. We found all of the CM's to be very helpful and good with Mom. As always, this board was a tremendous amount of help and gave us a good idea of what to expect since Mom really can't transfer out very easily. My advice is to have a plan when you enter the parks. This will save you a lot of unncessary walking. Also, we weren't impressed with the wheelchair seating area for Illuminations (near the entry of the countries, in front of the store) but it was GREAT for Fantasmic! Oh, and if you choose to go to the front for the Beauty and the Beast Show at MGM, be prepared to do a TON of ramps to get down there (but it offers a great view) . I pushed her back up on wet pavement and was a little nervous about that.
My Mom brought her own wheelchair so I can't speak for how easy the rental collapse but my Mom's collapses quite easily. I'm thinking you could just park the wheelchair outside the attraction without having to collapse it? Or, if you need to conserve her strength, a lot of the attractions let you wheel right up to the ride entrance and then she was asked if she wanted to stay in her chair or transfer out. Some of those lines have a lot of walking/standing and maybe that would tire her out?
I hope your and family and your mom have a Magical time. I'll never forget watching my daughter having a blast with her grandparents and will treasure that memory! It's neat to see the way Disney transcends all generations. Feel free to ask more questions and have a great time!

- Cindy VK

 

[SueM in MN]

if you haven't yet, check into the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top[ if this boards.
Once you get going, wheelchairs push fairly easily (until you get to going up a hill). A couple of things to be careful of:
- you can going pretty fast going down a hill. Momentum takes you. Have a good hold of the wheelchair; the heavier your load, the harder it is to keep from going too fast.
- when going up hills, you will be pushing pretty hard. Be careful when you get to the top, you have to let up a bit after getting up there or you might go too fast when you are on the level.
- at MK, stay away from the streetcar tracks on Main Street. If you need to cross them, approach them at a 90 degree angle or the tires will get stuck in the tracks.
- always lock (or have someone hold) the wheelchair when getting in or out. It can easily roll away when you are backing into it.

 

[Densgirl]

The only thing I haven't seen mentioned here is when I first started to push DS's wheelchair years ago I got blisters on my hands from the hot, humid weather and the plastic material on his w/c grips. A dry facecloth in my purse to occasionally wipe my hands helped very well. I might just sweat more than average too though.