How to transport elderly?

[Abbie]

My mom, 86, asked us to take her to Disney "one more time". She uses a walker and is unsteady on her feet. She can walk without the walker if she is holding on to someone's arm.

I know we will need to rely on wheelchairs for this trip (will not bring the walker). Do I need to contact the airline ahead of time or do we find one when we get to the airport? Will she be allowed to preboard (using SW)? And when we arrive at MCO, how do we arrange for a wheelchair to be waiting at the gate?

After I figure out the airplane stuff, I need to figure out the best way to handle our journey from hotel to parks and back! But one hurdle at a time....

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

Check out the disabilities board, they will be a huge help

 

[Super 27]

I know we will need to rely on wheelchairs for this trip (will not bring the walker). Do I need to contact the airline ahead of time or do we find one when we get to the airport? Will she be allowed to preboard (using SW)? And when we arrive at MCO, how do we arrange for a wheelchair to be waiting at the gate?

Definitely call the airline ahead of time either when you make the reservations or immediately thereafter. Let them know that you will need wheelchair assistance at both departure and arrival. Once you get to the departure airport, the skycaps can usually get the wheelchair for you right at curbside check-in.

If the airline does their job, they should already have the wheelchair waiting for you at the arrival gate if you told them you needed it in advance. However, it's not too hard for that sort of thing to get lost in the shuffle, so my advice is to ask the flight attendant onboard the plane to be sure that there will be a wheelchair waiting at MCO. I don't know how it works at Southwest, but generally they would be able to radio ahead and make sure that they have a wheelchair there for you.

 

[backyardponder]

I traveled with my father a couple of times when he was quite frail. Southwest couldn't have been nicer. They have a great web page with lots of information...check it out. http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/unique-travel-needs/allergies-disabilities-pol.html

Also, I know tipping is a personal matter, so I'll tell you how much I tipped the wheel chair pushing person...I normally tipped $5. Once, when it was a really long walk (I think it was Phoenix), I tipped $10.

 

[prncess674]

You might want to look into renting a wheelchair in your home town and bringing it with you or renting one from an Orlando place to be delivered to your hotel. Just the walk from the room to the bus stop and from the park stop to the entrance can be challenging. The wheelchairs in the park are very clunky and heavy.

Another option is a transport wheelchair which is much lighter but the occupant can not push themselves. I find these to be good for small elderly people because it reduces the weight to be pushed.

 

[At World's End]

My mom traveled with us last year, and it sounds like she has some of the smae mobility issues.

As for the airport, you should be able to request assistance directly on your reservation. Once you get to the airport, you will have to request the wheelchair. Give yourself plenty of time because you may have to wait for one. If your mom can walk with a cane, they have wooden canes at security so she can walk through the metal detector (I don't have any experience with the new scanners). When you get to the boarding gate, let the agent know you need preboarding, even if it's on your reservation. Also, ask the agent to call the gate at your destination and confirm that they will have a wheelchair waiting. Again, you may have to wait for the wheelchair.

I also agree that you should plan on having a wheelchair full time, not just renting at the parks. There are lots of places in Orlando that rent them and will deliver to your hotel or a rental house.

If your mom is planning on riding the rides, check out the ride pictures at allears. My mom had alot of trouble with rides you have to step down into (IASW, Test Track, Norway ride, etc) Other rides where you walk on a conveyor belt while boarding (Nemo, Spaceship Earth, Buzz) also provied challenges, even when they slowed the conveyor belt. Take your time, be safe, and have a great trip!

 

[Abbie]

Awesome suggestions, every one of them, thank you very much!

I hadn't gotten far enough ahead in my thinking/planning to figure out how to do the parks, but now I know to find a rental place and can specifically ask for the lightweight one.

I don't even know if Mom will want to do any rides, she just wants to be there to soak it in. She has always said when she dies she will come back and sit in one of those chairs above the hat store on Main St. so she can just be there and watch the fun.

Someday if you see a crazy lady blowing a kiss to an empty chair on Main St., say hello to me!

 

[AllyBri]

Awesome suggestions, every one of them, thank you very much!

I hadn't gotten far enough ahead in my thinking/planning to figure out how to do the parks, but now I know to find a rental place and can specifically ask for the lightweight one.

I don't even know if Mom will want to do any rides, she just wants to be there to soak it in. She has always said when she dies she will come back and sit in one of those chairs above the hat store on Main St. so she can just be there and watch the fun.

Someday if you see a crazy lady blowing a kiss to an empty chair on Main St., say hello to me!

This has to be the nicest post I have read here in a very long time.
Bless your Mom

 

[EPCOT is a verb]

Another option is a transport wheelchair which is much lighter but the occupant can not push themselves. I find these to be good for small elderly people because it reduces the weight to be pushed.

Just be careful. The transport wheelchairs are very light and therefore more easily tipped over.

 

[brianm27]

We bought a transport chair for my mother-in-law. It has made three trips to WDW on Southwest. We like having the chair with us all the time because it makes things very easy.

She can walk enough to get up the bus stairs (a little pride issue) so we just carried the chair on, but for attractions and rides like it's a small world she just stays in the chair. She thinks she is a bother to us, but the cast members take such good care of us when she is with that it makes some things easier.

 

[Kanga1]

Abbie,

Bless your lovin' heart. I don't have any suggestions for your questions, but I just want to say have a great trip with your mom. I had a trip planned in 1997 for my mom and dad which we ended up canceling because we were right in the middle of building a house. They never seemed interested in going after that and they never made it to Disney. My dad has since passed on and my mom is in a facility for persons with Alzheimer's. Not taking them in 1997 was the biggest regret of my life.

Enjoy your mom and have a fantastic trip!

 

[At World's End]

We bought a transport chair for my mother-in-law. It has made three trips to WDW on Southwest. We like having the chair with us all the time because it makes things very easy.

She can walk enough to get up the bus stairs (a little pride issue) so we just carried the chair on, but for attractions and rides like it's a small world she just stays in the chair. She thinks she is a bother to us, but the cast members take such good care of us when she is with that it makes some things easier.

This is a great point. I know they have ride vehicles that accomodate wheelchairs, and it really makes it alot easier. You may have to wait a little while they call up one of the vehicles, but it is worth it. I wish my mom would have agreed to this, but she didn't want to cause any trouble. Disney is so great about accompdating people, it's really no trouble for them. I do remember that the safari ride and Living with the Land had special vehicles that did not require stepping up or down, so it made loading very easy.

 

[SueM in MN]

Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
Post #1 of the thread has an index that tells which post in the thread is about what. I'll just point you toward a few that may be especially be helpful.

Post 15 of that thread is about air travel with disabilities.
Post 11 is kind of basic accessibility and on page 2, posts 18-21 are about access with notes about which attractions are more difficult to get on.
Post 16 on page 2 is about DME.
Post 3 has some general information, including links to some pictures of ride cars - including a link to my photo album of ride cars. (Plus, I have pictures of pretty much all of them that I have not posted. If you are especially interested on one, I can post it for you).