You all have helped me so much in the past I'm hoping someone can again.
My husband has a spinal condition affecting his cervical spine. He has used an
ECV at Disney for many years. His condition has deteriorated quite a bit over the years and now just the stress of keeping his head up all day has become too exhausting. If he is able to lean back and rest his neck for periods throughout the day it makes all the difference in the world with how long he can remain out and about.
The typical
scooter we have rented in the past has virtually no neck support, so for our most recent trip we opted for one with a "Captain's chair" (From ScooterBug), hoping that would make a difference. Unfortunately the neck rest wasn't quite high enough (the top of the neck rest hit him mid-neck) plus the seat was positioned such that actually leaning back to use the neck rest was an unnatural position and there was no way to adjust the seat.
Has anyone come across a company in Orlando that rents a scooter with a much higher backed seat? Something along the lines of the height of a power chair?
Side question: I'm assuming that even if we were to find a company that rents a power chair to those that do not use one at home that vacation would not be the place to try one for the first time? He's a super skilled driver of an ECV but I know a power chair would be a completely different experience. There may be companies around here that rent them to try out, but we'd have no way of transporting it in our vehicles at home.
Thanks for any help you can offer. This most recent vacation was such a difficult experience. If we can't find a solution that works for him, I'm afraid his traveling days may be over, which is very difficult to think about.
Gold Mobility and you will want the larger one as it comes with a captains chair and the headrest is adjustable up and down, additionally as Euby says they will meet you with the ECV and adjust accordingly. As a bonus with theirs, you get a fan, USB Ports, undercarriage lighting, cell phone holder and cup holder and can pick one accessory for free if you want it.
And I have seen reports that they will be renting powerchairs soon as well. Since you don't have to pay until delivery if you call to book, maybe you can ask them to bring both you can try them and only pay for the one that works for you.
My understanding of power chairs is that they're not simply "try it out" devices. She can explain it better, but the controls are multi-functional, and the device requires actual training. Not just a quick drop-off tutorial.
It depends on the person, I have driven them when my parents needed them, not very hard to use in my experience, but definitely different to an ECV. But everyone will be different, which I why I suggested at least checking. And it will depend on the complexity of the chair as well, of course, some are more complex than others, but I would imagine a rental company is going to have the easier to operate versions.
Over the decades, I went from using a folding cane because sometimes I only used it occasionally and it was easier to carry attached to my pants belt loop when folded and not in use.
Later, I need to use a cane all of the time.
Later, I just rented an ECV at the WDW parks and used my cane to get to and from my resort room.
Later, I just couldn't walk that far and stopped going to WDW and I finally decided to rent a mobility scooter and it changed my life. I could drive it anywhere at WDW. And I mean everywhere. I explored all of the different resorts and Pleasure Island...ha...ha...ha...a long time ago.
Then I bought my first mobility scooter and then a second mobility scooter with a captains chair with a headrest.
Let me stop here and mention that I agree with cmwade77, that the smaller Gold Mobility Scooter, LLC company rents a smaller Go-Go-Sport without the headrest or captains chair. But they also rent the larger Victory Pride 10 with a captain's chair headrest.
Pride Victory 10 3-Wheel Mobility Scooter Rental - WDW Scooter
Pride Victory 10 4-Wheel Mobility Scooter Rental
Pride Go-Go Sport 3-Wheel Mobility Scooter
Pride Go-Go Sport 4-Wheel Mobility Scooter
My second mobility scooter was a Victory 10 LX, which was just a fancier Victory 10 with four wheels. The captain's seat had more comfort and a headrest. I found that because of my size and back that my head didn't rest on the headrest easily. I had to tilt my head back a lot for the back of my head to touch the headrest. I think this was because of the shape of my back and fat. The same was true with when I used my car headrest. I bought online a washable soft foam thing that was made to fit on the headrest of my car with an elastic band. This worked perfectly. So I am not saying the same thing will happen to you, but for me, just adjusting the headrest on my car or on my captain's chair didn't help me because of my neck and back were not completely inline like a person that may not weigh as much as I did. But I really did like the larger battery, bigger chair comfort for sitting and leaning back. This may not be important to you, but I thought that I might throw it out there in case he had a similar experience with his car seat and headrest. By the way, my old car's headrest would only go up and down and not forward and backward. The mobility scooter has a manual up and down the only adjustment.
Recently I bought an electric wheelchair that folds up and only weighs about 55-lbs and has a weight capacity of 365-lbs.
I also hear that Gold Mobility Scooter, LLC company might start renting a power wheelchair, but I don't know what kind, yet.
My wheelchair is unusual. It is called a "Fold and Go Wheelchair". It doesn't have a headrest because it would defeat the purpose of the folding size and weight and the general structure. I'm sure that there are others that have a headrest. I wanted one that was light, could handle my weight, could have a battery that could last long, could fold to a small size and could be lifted into a rental car. Mine met all of those criteria and then some.
Now, I agree with SueM that driving a power wheelchair with a joystick is a whole lot different than driving a mobility scooter with a steering tiller.
Joystick versus Tiller. A tiller is more like driving a car. Has anyone driven a car with a joystick?
I think most mobility scooter renters have a hard enough time not bumping into walls and other things just using a mobility scooter for the first time. Can you imagine a newbie trying to manipulate a heavy wheelchair with just a tiller for the first time on a bus, in the hotel room, around the food court and around a crowded park.
If at all possible, I would rent a power wheelchair at home for whatever time just to see what it is like to drive around. That would give you a good idea of what it might be like. I don't know, but that is just my opinion like SueM's opinion.
But...this is my personal experience. I did years of research of what I wanted since there were things that surprised me and I didn't expect when I bought my first two mobility scooters. I won't go into those things, but I think you know what I mean when you buy something and when you get it home it wasn't what you expected.
So! I decided to rent my very first power wheelchair from Fold and Go Wheelchairs after all of my research. They brought it to the Pop Century Resort lobby and explained to me how it works. How to unfold and fold it up for storage. How to attach the battery charger and for about 7-hours per night. He showed me how to remove the two 3-lb Lithium-ion batteries that were built into the structure of the wheelchair I thought that was cool to save space and to add for security and safety. I didn't have to remove them. He showed me how to use the joystick and watched me as I drove around.
I have to tell you that even though I am old as dirt, I like to understand the mechanics of different things. I quickly learned how to travel.
But I did have problems for the first week that took me a long time to learn what not to do.
I learned that since nothing was in front of my toes even thought that there was a footrest, I found myself going to touch the Pop Century Resort elevator button head on and accidentally leaning forward and having my forearm or jacket and I pushed the joystick forward pushing the wheelchair hard and continuously against the wall I did the same thing for the resort room front door. I had a terrible and a painful bruise on my big toe. I was wearing open toe sandals.
When I leaned forward I didn't realize that I was doing this because using a mobility scooter, I had to use the tiller's finger control to move the machine.
Otherwise, I was very careful everywhere else except for reaching forward for something. It was a very hard lesson for me to overcome when I was very tired after a long day.
I also learned to set the joystick's power level to match those walking next to me. I was always on watch for folks around me, but I always did when using my mobility scooter.
After the first day, I was sold on buying it. I loved that I could ride onto more of the WDW attraction rides with my wheelchair where a mobility scooter was not allowed.
I could roll right up to any table like sitting in a chair.
I could turn 360 degrees on a dime, but that took a week of learning how to do that effieciently with the joystick. It came in very hand in tight spaces. It wasn't like turning in space like a standing person, but it was a lot better than a mobility scooter.
So I may be the odd one with my learning curve renting for the first time at WDW without any experience.
I would tend to agree with SueM and kaytieeldr about a newbie trying to use a power wheelchair for the first time around so many guests at WDW.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask me, but everything that I have written is just my personal. opinion. I surely don't want to tell anyone else what to do.
Whether you rent for the first time at WDW a mobility scooter or rent a power wheelchair, ask the vendor if you can change your mind when you use it the first day because it just wasn't for you.
And if you can, please rent one at home from a local vendor if available to see if it is for you or not for you.
I have another thread here explaining my own personal experience and details of my Fold and Go Wheelchair, too.
I think that I have had too much coffee today because I have been typing like a madman.
I'm sorry.
Oh, and when I need to rent, I will definitely and without reservation rent from Gold Mobility Scooter, LLC company.
I would type my reasons, but that might take me another hour. But I will if you ask me!
