Wheelchair vs. ECV [Merged Thread]

[phisigprincess]

We're trying to make the decision between buying a lightweight wheelchair or renting an ECV during the trip.

My sister (24) broke her foot on Saturday. Yesterday the doctor put it in a cast and boot and told her not to put any weight on it. We leave in 12 days for a week in the ASMu Family Suites.

My mom found a lightweight wheel chair for $150 that she's thinking of buying and having us take turns pushing her. The bonus to owning the chair is that after the trip my mom could use it when my grandpap needs it or while my sister is making her recovery.

I thought it might be easier to rent the ECV to give her the independence to drive herself whereever she likes and take the burden of pushing her (in the August heat) off of everyone else.

If anyone has pros and cons of either (or both) options, I'd appreciate it. Thank you for all of your help so far. We're really in the dark about all of this and your advice has helped us a lot so far.

 

[Mary976]

I'd advise the ECV. Many of the parks are HUGE (especially Epcot) , and some have hilly terrain or terrain that is deliberately designed to be bumpy. I'm thinking specifically of the Animal Kingdom, where there are lots of uphill places (I swear, sometimes it feels all uphill) and the ground is simulated to feel like you are outdoors in the wild. DD uses a manual chair, but she uses it everyday so she pushes herself. That being said, we are both tired after a long day of walking (for me) and rolling (for her). I imagine it would be even more challenging for people who aren't used to using a chair on a regular basis.

Also, you might want to think about the form of transportation you are going to be using. If you have your own car, you'll need to fold the chair and put in the trunk. DD has an ultra-lightweight chair designed specially for her, and that's not too bad, but a lot of standard lightweight chairs are in the 20 pound range, which can get heavy if you are always lifting them in and out of the car. If you need to use the parking lot tram to get from the lot to the car, you'll need to fold the chair there too.

I know many people rent ECVs from off site companies. The company drops the ECV off at your hotel before you arrive (and picks it up when you leave) and then you can use it for the whole stay. Having been on crutches for 8 weeks myself, I remember that my arms were ready to give out after 5 minutes! If your sister gets tired using crutches, having the ECV available 24/7 might be a good thing.

All that being said, depending on how long your sister will have the cast on, the wheelchair might come in handy at home, for shopping or going out.

Good luck! I hope you have a great trip.

Mary

 

[Mrs D]

Just a thought, I know the Human Services department of my village offers "loaner" medical equipment, such as crutches and wheelchairs. I don't know if they have old fashioned wheelchairs or what, but you may want to check with your Village hall.

That being said, I pushed a friend around in a regular wheelchair when he sprained his ankle on vacation. We were at a botanical garden - think large park, paths for many miles. I was in my 20's and more fit than I am now. It was exhausting. And that was for 1 day! And weather was nice!

I'd go for the ECV. If you rent through Buena Vista Scooters and mention All Ears.net you get a $10 discount.

Best of luck.

 

[bopper]

If you really aren't sure, you could always get the wheelchair and see how it goes the first day. If not, then rent an ECV. But bring the numbers of the ECV companies so you can call them when you figure out the ECV is the way to go!

 

[Bete]

This is based on first come, first serve at the resort. We did this for my MIL who was 87 when we went to WDW in 2006. She would not scooter; so, we had to do it this way. You will have to hold the wheelchair against your credit card-like a deposit at the resort. Disney needs to do this; so, they know you will return it. You never get charged one penny upon return of the wheelchair at the resort. You can use the wheelchair for your entire stay once you get one. Now, you don't get a lightweight one, but my hubby who was 69 at the time pushed his mother just fine in it. We did take turns. My MIL probably weighed 155 pounds. The wheelchair we got did not fit in a Lincoln Town Car trunk, but we used Disney transportation the whole time we were there; so, that did not matter to us.

I think this is the cheapest solution and it's worth a try. We had never done it before ourselves and we came out just fine. Now, we did not go commando style for anything. Our whole trip was slow and easy. If the wheelchair doesn't work for you you can still rent a scooter in the park or from an outside source after trying the wheelchair out.

I do like the scooter; because, you will be able to do more at the parks and it will be easier on all concerned. If economics is not an issue I would scooter in a heartbeat. I feel you need to look at it as a vacation and pushing someone all the time is not an easy task. I think you will spend more time in the parks with a scooter; therefore, you will get more value from your trip costs. A bonus with a scooter is a basket to hold items like camera, purses, etc.

 

[mechurchlady]

Wheelchairs are cheaper and smaller as well as able to be folded up. However I have been the pusher of a chair while needing a scooter but she comes first. The scooter give the person independence and the ability to do what they want. It is easy to push a chair but better for everyone to save their energy by getting a scooter. As Bete said the scooter is great for carrying things. I would go with the ECV unless you have a lot of people pushing or money is an issue.

 

[videogal1]

We're trying to make the decision between buying a lightweight wheelchair or renting an ECV during the trip.

A scooter will not easily serve as a chair in a restaurant. A scooter, however, will carry lots of stuff without making the user crazy or adding to the burden of the pusher. A wheelchair does not require that you locate an electrical outlet when it runs out of "gas" but the guilt associated with the huffing and puffing of the dear one designated to push the wheelchair could easily make that a non-issue. Have a heart, rent a scooter.

 

[HonnyDipp]

Alot of the light weight wheelchairs are designed that the person in the chair can't push themselvles, so that means someone else will be responsible for pushing the chair. I have been unable to walk for 2 years, and not having the control in a chair would drive me crazy! I'd rent the ECV its more independence. I'm renting from an outside company, and IMO, @ $130 for a week, I got a really good deal for our weeks stay.

 

[J&J'sMOM]

Alot of the light weight wheelchairs are designed that the person in the chair can't push themselvles, so that means someone else will be responsible for pushing the chair. I have been unable to walk for 2 years, and not having the control in a chair would drive me crazy! I'd rent the ECV its more independence. I'm renting from an outside company, and IMO, @ $130 for a week, I got a really good deal for our weeks stay.

Do you mind me asking what company you are going through?

 

[HonnyDipp]

Do you mind me asking what company you are going through?

No problem at all! I called Care Medical several months ago and reserved mine for our November trip

 

[J&J'sMOM]

No problem at all! I called Care Medical several months ago and reserved mine for our November trip

Thanks!!!!!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Sorry if someone else has already suggested this, I've not read all the replies yet! One idea you could consider is looking for a second hand ECV on Ebay or in the local paper, that way you'd get the best of both worlds! She can get herself around on it, and it can then be passed on to your grandfather when she's done with it. I don't know how cheaply you can get an ECV, but it's worth looking into.

OK, a quick Ebay search has told me that you can get scooters for around the $200-$300 mark. Some were cheaper than this, though of course you can't be sure until the bidding closes. If you have it delivered to your home, you can take it on the plane without it counting towards your baggage allowance.

 

[DISNEY4FUN]

Hi everyone,

We are taking friends with us to WDW. My friends mother is coming also. She can't walk long distances. I was thinking of buying a lightweight, folding wheelchair and taking it down with us. Has anyone ever used one of these? Are there any problems I need to be aware of? I was thinking I could fold it up and carry it onto the busses like a stroller. The lady who will be riding in it weighs about 200 lbs. I did check and the chairs hold that weight.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[pearlieq]

We have a lightweight folding collapsible chair for my mom and it works very well for us. It fits in the car, folds down pretty small, and has been quite durable.

It's a really good option for your trip, and often amounts to the same cost, or less, than renting. Plus, you don't have to worry about there being a chair available at the airport and you'll have it for all your transfers between the busses, parks, and hotel.

Obviously, someone in your party needs to be able to push all day, which can cover miles and include sloping and rough terrain. But it's really not as hard as it sounds.

We had a really good experience ordering from www.spinlife.com

Hope everything works out for you!

 

[SueM in MN]

Besides cost, a lot depends on how comfortable your person would be driving an ECV. Some people are nervous driving the ECV and would not mind being pushed in a wheelchair. Someone who is comfortable driving a car in traffic should probably do fine with an ECV.
If you look in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a lost of companies that rent ECVs in post #2.

 

[BroganMc]

My mom found a lightweight wheel chair for $150 that she's thinking of buying and having us take turns pushing her. The bonus to owning the chair is that after the trip my mom could use it when my grandpap needs it or while my sister is making her recovery.

If this is what she's looking at (http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/match.cfm?categoryID=272) I can attest it is the most uncomfortable thing on 4 wheels. Seriously, my mom got one for me a decade or so ago. It was a last ditch/emergency venture. I did do 5 days of commando touring using the thing back in '98. I still have it and use it as a back-up in case my powerchair breaks. But personally I despise the thing. It's really only good for short trips.

You get pretty much no support with the thing. The seat is incredibly low. The wheels are tiny. The really only good thing about is that folds up to a small size and is very lightweight (under 20 lbs).

BTW, you'll find good prices at the site I linked (SpinLife) on all wheelchairs and scooters. It's a find among the disabled community, wholesale prices from a retail.

 

[Charleyann]

We were at Disney 18 days last year and I was beat and exhausted from pushing my son's wheelchair. Up knolls, down knolls holding on so it couldn't get away. He can't push the chair himself as he has arthritis in his fingers as well as feet, ankles and knees. Has CF and runs out of breaths on his feet.

He just outgrew his wheelchair and his OT suggested since he is 12 years old, he try a scooter. He was so excited. His eyes lite up. He is at a self conscious age and scooter would give him independence.

He is getting a trial scooter on July 31st and then OT will put an application in and see if it will get approved. She thinks it will. It is cheaper then a electric wheelchair and cheaper then DS wheelchair now!

I am liking the idea of not having to ever push a whwwlchair at Disney. It will be a first!

Charleyann

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi everyone,

We are taking friends with us to WDW. My friends mother is coming also. She can't walk long distances. I was thinking of buying a lightweight, folding wheelchair and taking it down with us. Has anyone ever used one of these? Are there any problems I need to be aware of? I was thinking I could fold it up and carry it onto the busses like a stroller. The lady who will be riding in it weighs about 200 lbs. I did check and the chairs hold that weight.

Thanks for any feedback.

First of all, being from a mountainous area of PA you are not used to either the heat or humidity of central Florida during the summer. Also, much as Florida prides itself on flatness, there are hills at WDW. Unless you are used to pushing a wheelchair you can very easily get exhausted.

You might want to seriously consider renting an ECV from an off-site supplier. If you are within driving range of a large WalMart (or similar), you might want to take her there to "test drive" and ECV, with the realization that the store ECVs are much larger and less maneuverable then the ones you can rent here.

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information; Post #2 gives information about ECV and other rentals.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

Also, I would suggest you look at the comment in Post #17 of this thread which deals with pushing a wheelchair for a child.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

One thing to consider if he does get his own ECV. One of the local suppier's Randy's Mobility (see disABILTIES FAQ Post #2) will rent an ECV to people as young as 12 if they normally have their own and do not bring it with them. They will have the person who drops the ECV off make sure the child can handle it. I do not think any of the other suppiers will allow someone that young to be the driver.

 

[HonnyDipp]

Hi everyone,

We are taking friends with us to WDW. My friends mother is coming also. She can't walk long distances. I was thinking of buying a lightweight, folding wheelchair and taking it down with us. Has anyone ever used one of these? Are there any problems I need to be aware of? I was thinking I could fold it up and carry it onto the busses like a stroller. The lady who will be riding in it weighs about 200 lbs. I did check and the chairs hold that weight.

Thanks for any feedback.

Keep in mind that the person in the chair will not be able to push themselves in the chair. Someone else (at all times) will be responsible for getting that person where they need to go