Wheelchairs and Mobility Scooters: Which One Is Right For You?

February 15, 2011 by Mark Etinger

While emotionally upsetting, it is a fact of life that a high number of people will at some point in time during their existence require a mobility aiding device. Whether it is due to age, illness, or physical mishap, the challenge of finding the right mobility aid for you is something that must be faced. For some, the need for a mobility aid is simply a temporary requirement, needed only for a limited amount of time, or during certain specific physical activities. For others, it is a permanent aspect in their daily lives, the first thing they enter in the morning and the last thing they leave at night. Regardless of the situation, it is obviously vital to find the right option for you and your specific needs.

The two most well-known options are wheelchairs and mobility scooters. In the case of both wheelchairs and mobility scooters, a tremendous selection of different options is available. But before consulting your medical supply company of choice, here are four questions you should consider that will help narrow down the search:

1) How long do you stay in your mobility aid throughout the day? For those capable of spending a small-to-medium sized amounts of time, certain support systems might not be necessary. But for those who are forced to spend long periods of time in their mobility aids, options such as neck support, headrests, feet support, and even torso support are highly recommended.

2) In this same vein, it is important to acknowledge whether you can sit upright on your own, and if so, can you do so with ease? With mobility scooters, the steering device requires “unsupported upright posture,” and if this is something you are incapable of, then clearly mobility scooters are not for you.

3) How much strength can you apply to powering your device? Some wheelchairs are electric and require no strength at all, while others require a powerful upper body. Even mobility scooters require powerful shoulders, hands, and upper body strength to be run efficiently.

4) Where will you be going? There are such a high number of Wheelchair and mobility scooter options, finding one for any specific terrain you intend on conquering is a breeze. But that doesn’t mean all of them can tackle everything. When finding the right device for you, try to keep in mind where it is you’ll actually be going, and what kind of terrain those places will feature.