Wheelchair advice needed

[Takket]

We always rent a manual wheelchair when we go to Disney. My wife is disabled. I push for her...

Has anyone ever had any experience with what is called a "power assist" wheelchair? I looks like it has a motor that kicks in when you are on an incline. Does this work if someone is pushing the chair or does it only work if the rider is controlling the chair themselves?

We usually rent from CARE medical and I saw this chair on their site and wondered if it could help because some of those inclines between England and France are brutal when its 90+ degrees! You all know what I'm talking about right? Other thing is CARE says they only rent these to people that use them at home. Do they require some sort of special training??? Can you rent them elsewhere if not from CARE?

Second question is about ride comfort... the cobblestones in France and new Fantasyland make for a VERY rough ride for my wife and discomfort. Any suggestions on something to sit on that helps? I figured a foam cushion but was wondering if there are any better things out there to help smooth out the bumpy rides.

Thanks

 

[SteveMouse]

Electric wheelchairs are a much different animal than an ECV, although they both use batteries and electric motors to supply full-time drive (for models from many manufacturers). Electric wheelchairs are steered with a joystick rather than a handlebar- the joystick controls both turning and forward/backward and is pretty sensitive to touch- familiarity is a must, which is why Care wants only experienced users. Other companies have similar policies. It would be very easy to run over someone's foot, go off a curb, or have another type of accident.

Because they have a shorter wheel base, the ride in wheelchairs (electric or manual) is often rougher than an ECV.

You might want to consider renting an ECV- your wife would be able to go ash she wants and you would be able to walk next to her rather than pushing.

 

[allie_to_you]

I posed this question recently too as on our next trip, we are wanting to take our daughter with us. My DH is in a wheelchair full time and my daughter, while she will walk some, will still be young enough to need a stroller and obviously, I can't help push my DH and push the stroller, which is why we were looking into an electric wheelchair option. The problem with getting an ECV for someone who cannot walk at all as in the case of my DH who is a paraplegic is that for him to ride the attractions where he can normally just roll right onto with his regular wheelchair, if he has an ECV, he has to be transferred by me to a standard wheelchair first, which is doable, but difficult since he cannot assist me in the transfer at all.