Disabled scooters are often purpose-built or modified to meet the needs of individual users, but which is best for you — a wheelchair or a disabled scooter?
Power wheelchairs are not covered by most medical insurance companies.
Disabled mobility scooters are covered by many insurance companies.
Wheelchairs can be uncomfortable if you are sitting in one all day.
Disabled mobility scooters can have seats specially designed for individual users, as both comfort and utilization requirements need to be considered. On most disabled scooters you can choose: seat covering, extra padding, lumbar supports, and powered height adjustments. Armrests can also be added, removed or changed.
Wheelchairs need someone constantly available to push you or you need to have a lot of physical strength in the upper body to propel the wheels by hand.
Disabled mobility scooters do not require any special level of strength in the user and if you’re able to sit, you can just get on your scooter and whizz off. Disabled scooters are usually steered through handlebars, with thumb controls or levers which let you control speed and direction. Depending on your individual circumstances, you can choose alternative steering systems such as joysticks and loop handles. They run off a 12 volt battery which you can recharge easily in any standard outlet. The normal range for each charge is about 25 miles and the maximum speed is about 5 mph.
Wheelchairs are good for allowing you to move from room to room in your home and for getting from your bed to a chair, but the foot rests of a wheelchair are often difficult to manage.
Disabled mobility scooters have 360ยบ swivel seats so you can flip the seat around and get out easily. The compact three wheel disabled scooter is very maneuverable and quite suitable for using inside your home or a nursing home. Front-wheel drive vehicles are smaller in size and are good for indoor use on level surfaces
Wheelchairs are easy to fold and put in the trunk of a car and you can take it with you on a plane trip.
Disabled mobility scooters such as the travel scooter are compact and easy to fold and fit into the trunk of a car. And you can take it with you on a plane trip.
Wheelchairs are not as sturdy for outdoor use as even a basic disabled mobility scooter.
Disabled mobility scooters can offer you a model suitable for combined indoor and outdoor use, and a special outdoor model with rear-wheel drive for rugged terrain. They are covered under the A.D.A accessibility laws. This means you can use your disabled scooter inside stores, theaters, museums and on public transportation. Disabled scooters for outdoor use also usually have extra safety features, such as: lights, horns and turn indicators. Other extra accessories may include portable battery chargers, baskets, oxygen carriers and storage compartments.
Wheelchairsare better for sportsmen and women and you can play tennis, bowling, basketball and football, and other sports, in a wheelchair.
Disabled mobility scooters can be used on golf courses.
Wheelchairs are better for ballroom dancing. This is a popular activity world-wide and is known as wheelchair dance sport where you can do anything from a waltz to the pasa doble!
Disabled mobility scooters lose out on this one!
I think it’s fair to say that with its suitability for both indoor and outdoor use, a disabled scooter would give you more mobility independence than a wheelchair. However, only you can know which one is best suited to your personal requirements.
I hope this article has given you some idea of the advantages and disadvantages of wheelchairs and scooters and will help you choose a mobility aid which will let you to take control of your life and increase your personal happiness.