motorized wheelchairs

[tammydel]

My question is:
Is there such a thing as a motorized wheelchair where the motor is controlled by the person pushing?
Here is our situation. My grandmother uses a walker at home. Last time we took her to Disney we rented a wheelchair. It was fine expecpt it was a little hard on the pusher. My grandmother, while short, is somewhat Pooh sized. We took turns and of course did not let her know that it was a difficulty. I don't think she would be able to manage a scooter or standard electric chair without running into people.
So is there anything that is easier to push, but with a mechanism controlled by the pusher? And if there is such a thing, can you rent them?

Thanks for any help.
Tammy

 

[SueM in MN]

There is nothing I am aware of that you could rent.

My DD's own power wheelchair has a small 'attendant' control on the back, but that would be something put on people's personal power wheelchairs, not on one you could rent (because it was something like an extra $1000 to put on).

If you are worried about her using an ECV, your main option would be a manual (push) wheelchair. There are companies that rent power wheelchairs, but most will rent only to people who have experience with driving one and just don't want to travel with it. (Power wheelchairs are harder to get the knack of driving for most people since a joystick controls forward, reverse, turning and speed all at the same time).

If she uses a walker at home, you may be able to get some rest for the pushers by having her stand behind the wheelchair at times and use it like a walker, for stability. It would be good anyway for her to be up walking periodically, so you can present it to her that way.
Also, depending on how slowly she walks with her walker and how much energy it takes her, you might want to look into a wheeled walker with a seat. A LOT of people use those at WDW because it can be used like a regular walker, but sat on when you get tired. You couldn't really push her in it, but if the walker is more for stability and she doesn't tire that much walking, a walker with a seat might be an option.

 

[tammydel]

There is nothing I am aware of that you could rent. My DD's own power wheelchair has a small 'attendant' control on the back, but that would be something put on people's personal power wheelchairs, not on one you could rent (because it was something like an extra $1000 to put on).

If you are worried about her using an ECV, your main option would be a manual (push) wheelchair. There are companies that rent power wheelchairs, but most will rent only to people who have experience with driving one and just don't want to travel with it. (Power wheelchairs are harder to get the knack of driving for most people since a joystick controls forward, reverse, turning and speed all at the same time).

If she uses a walker at home, you may be able to get some rest for the pushers by having her stand behind the wheelchair at times and use it like a walker, for stability. It would be good anyway for her to be up walking periodically, so you can present it to her that way. Also, depending on how slowly she walks with her walker and how much energy it takes her, you might want to look into a wheeled walker with a seat. A LOT of people use those at WDW because it can be used like a regular walker, but sat on when you get tired. You couldn't really push her in it, but if the walker is more for stability and she doesn't tire that much walking, a walker with a seat might be an option.

Thank you Sue for your quick and knowledgeable reply. I didn't think there was anything like that out there for rent, but thought there might be a chance of something I wasn't aware of. Probably letting her walk and push the wheelchair is a good option for us.
Thanks again!
Tammy

 

[hematite153]

The other questions I'd add are...where did you rent the chair, what kind of chair did you rent and was it properly designed for her weight?

- Most "standard" rental wheelchairs have a weight limit of 250 lbs and I've found that if the person is over 230 lbs it's a much harder push. So, how pooh sized is she? Should you be getting a heavy-duty chair?

- We've used a variety of chairs and the wdw ones are particularly brutal to push. Even rentals from home seem to vary a LOT in terms of pushing ease. We've learned to "test drive" the chair before we leave with it. (Granted, it isn't easy to get them to switch it when there's a problem because they always seem to say, "it's the only one we have" but, they have the one they were planning to give to the next person.)

- In terms of type of chair, we once got talked into renting a transport chair (4 small wheels) and we've found that it's the standard recommendation for people pushing elderly people who can walk if needed. The transport chair is a lot lighter and was certainly easier to get in and out of a vehicle. But, it was MUCH harder to push--especially at wdw. Ever since then we've insisted on a chair with large rear wheels despite the additional weight of the chair.

- Also, on our last wdw trip I got a pair of cycling gloves to wear while pushing. It's amazing how much easier they made it. I know they make gloves specifically for pushing a wheelchair, but, I didn't find any in my size and the cycling gloves worked reasonably well.

 

[maroo]

My question is:
Is there such a thing as a motorized wheelchair where the motor is controlled by the person pushing?
Here is our situation. My grandmother uses a walker at home. Last time we took her to Disney we rented a wheelchair. It was fine expecpt it was a little hard on the pusher. My grandmother, while short, is somewhat Pooh sized. We took turns and of course did not let her know that it was a difficulty. I don't think she would be able to manage a scooter or standard electric chair without running into people.
So is there anything that is easier to push, but with a mechanism controlled by the pusher? And if there is such a thing, can you rent them?

Thanks for any help.
Tammy

My friend Rachel (not Lauren, who I am usually talking about) DOES have a wheelchair that has sort of motorized wheels...so that when you push it you don't have to push very much for it to go. But, I think it is probably a VERY expensive piece of equipment. You might be able to rent something like that at one of those places in Orlando, though. ?? You definitely DON'T want to rent an ECV and drive it yourself standing on the outside of it...trust me. And you definitely don't want to try to steer a real powerchair.

I actually needed a wheelchair one day on our trip...(long story and I have not gotten there yet on my TR!...so don't tell anyone! )...and we just traded off who pushed me. ?? But there are hills...that are a lot "bigger" if you are trying to push someone up them in a wheelchair...so wear good shoes.

 

[DisneyWheeler]

My question is:
Is there such a thing as a motorized wheelchair where the motor is controlled by the person pushing?
Here is our situation. My grandmother uses a walker at home. Last time we took her to Disney we rented a wheelchair. It was fine expecpt it was a little hard on the pusher. My grandmother, while short, is somewhat Pooh sized. We took turns and of course did not let her know that it was a difficulty. I don't think she would be able to manage a scooter or standard electric chair without running into people.
So is there anything that is easier to push, but with a mechanism controlled by the pusher? And if there is such a thing, can you rent them?

Thanks for any help.
Tammy

There's power wheels that you can add onto a manual wheelchair as someone has stated. They're called The Xtender, and Sunrise Medical makes them for the Quickie manual wheelchairs. I've heard of them, and actually have seen them, and they seem to work really well.

I can understand on how hard it is for the pusher to push the wheelchair user around Disney World. My husband, or godfather didn't have any problem pushing me around in my manual wheelchair. My mom did though, and actually had to end up renting a manual wheelchair herself because of her severe back problems. My godfather ended up pushing her while Dan pushed me.

Next time we go to Disney though, I'm going to see about renting a folding power chair from my DME dealer. Even if it means having to drag my own battery charger and tray from home. But, it'll be a lot easier on everyone, especially when it comes to the hills and the steep ramps that go up to the monorail stations.

Samantha

 

[tammydel]

What a lot of great infomation.
My mother arranged the wheelchair last time. I will tell her all this information. My grandmother is under 250 for sure, but I will tell them to make sure they test them out.
it sounds like all the the other options would not be available on rentals.

Thanks for all the responces. I can't wait for this trip!

Tammy

 

[SueM in MN]

There's power wheels that you can add onto a manual wheelchair as someone has stated. They're called The Xtender, and Sunrise Medical makes them for the Quickie manual wheelchairs. I've heard of them, and actually have seen them, and they seem to work really well.

Yes, I've seen them too and knew someone who used to have them.
They would not be available on a rental wheelchair at WDW though.

 

[tammydel]

We actually will be renting the wheelchair at home so that we have it for the duration of the trip. We will inquire about those wheels, though as stated I'm not optimistic that they will available on a rental, or even if we could buy the wheels and put them on??
Tammy
Thanks again!

 

[SueM in MN]

We actually will be renting the wheelchair at home so that we have it for the duration of the trip. We will inquire about those wheels, though as stated I'm not optimistic that they will available on a rental, or even if we could buy the wheels and put them on??
Tammy
Thanks again!

This is a link to an example of power assist wheels.(this is the price of the wheels) They are meant to assist the person who is propelling their own wheelchair.
This is a company that carries power assist devices for someone pushing the wheelchair.
I couldn't find a price there, but Invacare also carries it and does have a price (again, only for the device; price doesn't include a wheelchair).

They are probably expensive because I would bet they don't sell that many. The more that are sold, the lower the price can be.