Convincing a Parent to Use a Wheelchair

[RSGroup]

Does anyone have any experience convincing an elderly parent to rent a wheelchair in WDW? My dad has problems with his feet and cannot walk a lot, but is stubbornly refusing to rent one. Suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[disney david]

Does anyone have any experience convincing an elderly parent to rent a wheelchair in WDW? My dad has problems with his feet and cannot walk a lot, but is stubbornly refusing to rent one. Suggestions?

Thanks!

well i would rent one a say dont make him use and say it there if you need it. trust me he want to use it after he been walking awhile and his feet hurt he will be glad you rented one. or if you driving a park at one of the parks they sometimes have a a wheel chair to help you get to the front let him use that to get to the front and he see how helpfull it is and he want to rent one.

i hope that helps and have fun disney has alot of walking so mybe he will change his mind before you get there and want to rent one.

 

[gumballrxpress]

There is also the option of renting a scooter. A scooter would give Dad a bit more independanc. There are some off-site places which will deliver the scooter directly to your resort. It can be a real long walk from the bus to the gates, or even walking around the hotel. Renting a scooter at the parks can be hit or miss. If you're not there early enough they may not have one avaliable.

When we were going with my mother for the first time, I insisted she get a scooter. Pushing someone in a wheel chair is very tiring, and the "passenger" doesn't have any independance. With a scooter, he can zip ahead, or stop somewhere without telling his 'driver' where and when he wants to go.

Tell Dad that he'll enjoy himself a whole lot more if he isn't in pain. If he doesn't want 'wheels' all of the time, some one else can 'ride' for a while. You'll all have much more fun when you're not waiting for Dad and he doesn't feel like he has to keep up. He can leave the scooter at the hotel and go back and pick it up if you take a break during the day if he wants to walk for part of the day.

One year I'd hurt my knee and had tried to tough it out. By the end of the first afternoon, I couldn't walk anymore. I gave in and rented a scooter. The scooter made my whole trip more enjoyable. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been the only miserable person in my party.

 

[zurekgirl]

My dad had (okay still has) the same issues. For my Dad he was worried once he started using a wheelchair, he'd never stand back up again. I think he hated the idea of people looking at him like he wasn't "capable". I vividly remember riding the peoplemover at Disneyland three times in a row just so he could catch his breath from the pain. When the day was over he'd be in so much pain we he could talk for 45 minutes. I loved experiencing the park with him but it was stressful for me as a child. I didn't want us to have to walk any further than we had to so as to not cause him pain.

We're planning a trip for Jan 2011. I now have my own family and convinced he and my mom to join us. While my Dad now does mostly use a wheelchair (he has CP and his joints/muscles finally told him enough with the walking) he was worried about "slowing" down our party and "preventing us from doing everything"

We talked honestly about how I felt as a child, how I don't want my kids to see him in pain, how much I want him there to have my kids experience WDW with their awesome and fun Grandpa and how he's not much fun (or himself) when he's in that much pain. I explained how we walk 5-10 miles a day and how its tough for me (finished my first 1/2 marathon this mothers day). I gave him time to think about what I said and readdressed the issue a few days later. He never told me I was right but asked to see all the options (park rentals or from a different company).

I say have a good old heart to heart and hear why he is really concerned. You'll be able to understand the real issue better and then a better solution will present itself.

BTW when he does use a scooter he "pretend" races other scooters for laughs from my son. He also use horn at times I wish he wouldn't, like when I bend over. Again my son . He acts like he's putting on his own parade, waving to passerbyers. He got a family to follow him one time ... This January will be an adventure!


Good luck!

 

[bidnow5]

Many of us resisted renting a scooter I never wanted to rent one then one time I noticed I was slowing everybody down so I tried one for one day just to see. It was the best thing I could have done to make the trip better. I now have my own scooter

 

[SandrA9810]

My grandmother is the same way. She's too stubborn to say she can't do something. A few years ago when she was in better health, she spent Thanksgiving week at Disney. Now the resort offer's a legnth of stay wheelchair which you can use the whole time you're at Disney. Then you turn it in at the end. Well being a CM at the time, I got free wheelchair rentals, except on holidays, in the parks.

We got the wheelchair from the resort and some days she'd be ok with bringing it to the park. Other days, not so much. So I would just get a wheelchair at the gate, when we thought she needed it. Thanksgiving day happened to be a day she needed it, but refused to bring the hotel one, and had to pay the rental fee for the wheelchair.

And since it was cold, it also gave us someplace to put the blankets. She'd sit on one, and we'd hang one over the back, so it was more like a cushion until night time.

So if you can, get the wheelchair from the resort if you're on property. Or do a legnth of stay rental (saving a couple dollars per day) at the gate. If he's stubborn, just say it's for the souviners and other things you'd rather not have to carry, like a bookbag. And let him use it when he decides to.
My grandmother did start enjoying all the attention she was getting for being in a wheelchair, like entering attractions. Nothing like walking the park with your kids, grandkids, and great grandkids at once.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

My mother lives two long city blocks from a subway station. When she was visiting a few years ago I "forced" her to use an ECV.

I asked her if she could walk from her apartment to the subway station. Her answer was "I could if I had to". I then asked her about walking there and back, after a short pause I also said "three times in a row". Her response was a look of "are you insane" which only a mother can show.

I then explained to her that one around the World Showcase Lagoon Promenade was longer than that.

And the end of the day she said that if she had not used the ECV she would not have lasted an hour.

Pick a place about a mile from where your father lives. Ask him about walking there -- and back -- three times in a row (with proper pauses). Most people at WDW tend to walk 8-12 miles per day.

 

[RSGroup]

Thanks for the responses - great advice!

 

[KS Dis Mom]

We told my mother that she would have to keep up with us.....She made ECV reservations that day.

 

[Eeyore5]

My mom and I both needed an ECV last time around. She has since had her knees replaced and was thinking she could walk for our upcoming trip. She had sever degenerative joint disease and can walk about 30 min at a time. I told her I want her to have a great time at Disney and understand wanting to walk there. I suggested she try to walk at a mall for an entire day. If she can do that, then she can go without an ECV at Disney. The thought of walking all day at a mall convinced her. She has her ECV rented for the upcoming trip.

 

[JDX4]

Last year we went to Disney about 6 months before my husband's hip replacement surgery. Even though he never used a wheelchair in his "regular life", Disney is different. There is just so much walking.

We rented a wheelchair each morning at the parks, and we pushed him in it about three-quarters of the day. Sometimes, though, he would get tired of sitting, so we would load our bags into it and he would push the chair himself, using it like a walker. He was able to lean on the chair to take some weight off his hip, but was able to stretch his legs a bit.

The wheelchair made the trip so much more enjoyable for him.

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

My mother is the stubborn type. So am I, actually--I get it from her. She's got numerous health problems: heart disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and has had an ankle replaced. She refused to be "stuck" in a wheelchair on our trip to WDW last summer.

I spoke to her about it before the trip and explained how much walking there was, how few places there were to sit, how much standing was involved, etc. That was enough to convince her to hold a wheelchair in reserve if she felt like she couldn't make it. That was as flexible as she was willing to be, but it was better than nothing. She made it through the first day all right with a lot of sitting. The second day she seriously started to flag. By the third day, she could no longer walk and needed the wheelchair. We used it for the rest of the trip.

My point is that, sometimes, no matter what you do, you're not going to be able to convince someone to use a wheelchair, even if they need it. My mother will most definitely use one or an ECV on any future trips, but it took the reality of the situation to really drive home that one was necessary. My best advice is to have a wheelchair in reserve and bring it with you to the parks in case its needed. Worst case scenario, he'll actually need it and it will be right there.