wheelchair users

[House44]

hi all hope you are all coping ok. my question is when you go out do you use power chair or manual? also do you prefer to be pushed or in control you're self. i just can't get on with manual head rest. have you any stories regarding running people over? once i ran a middle aged women over by accident and she fell and wig came off. wasn't funny at the time but we chuckle about it now.

[Tony]

Much prefer a powered chair. So much nicer to be in control.

[Maria C]

I’ve only had the power chair since July, so I haven’t run over anyone yet. 😉

I could manage the manual chair when I was still using it. Much preferred being in control. Other people would run me into things, over bumps and defects in the ground, and they would stop in shops where they could look at the display, not me!

[Madge]

I have only used my electric scooter and wheelchair which I could/can control.

[Ellie]

For me, definitely my powerchair, rather than being pushed in a manual chair. I guess if one could self-propel a manual chair, it wouldn't be so bad.

i just can't get on with manual head rest.

Wayne, headrests come in different shapes, heights, widths and materials so, if yours is uncomfortable, ask for a different one. Also, the position of the headrest mount might not be in the correct place - they are centred by default but, for example, my mount needs to be 40mm to the left as I'm not symmetrical.

once i ran a middle aged women over by accident ...

I'm glad you clarified that it was by accident 😉😁😁

[Cinderella]

Hi House44, I am in the position of being both a wheelchair user and a wig wearer (when I can be bothered now - a visitor today said 'I wish I could take my hair off in all this heat' ) and can truly understand how that woman must have felt for I have lived in fear of similar happening to me. I have many stories which I can now laugh about but couldn't at the time because of the unfair discrimination or just totally embarrassing situations. The funny thing is if I go out in the wheelchair and no hair it seems to be accepted, but if I am in the scooter, there are the usual stares or avoidance, although it's getting better these days. (It has taken 23 years for me to find the courage to go out without hair and probably because at this point in my life it is the least of my worries).

My son had to use my scooter last week because he injured his foot and he came back from picking his prescription up and remarked - I didn't realise how some people won't acknowledge you, or talk over you and more weirdly how another scooter user completely blanked him. He then tried the wheelchair out and considering he is young, very strong and fit, remarked how hard it was to propel and not very comfortable at all, there was a dropped kerb he was trying to negotiate and it took that long that people offered to help him on three separate occasions, but he was insistent that he would achieve it himself. He was so grateful after that he could be pushed home...

I prefer the wheelchair when going out for anything that involves sitting at a table and feel safer if I have to do anything in the kitchen or that involves reaching down, but it is too heavy and awkward to propel for long so opt for someone pushing plus there is a level of interaction that you don't otherwise get if using the scooter - as you have to keep out of the way of people and go ahead or fall behind so can't be part of any conversation. It is not as comfortable as the scooter though and would agree the independence of the electric scooter wins hands down. But it is great to have both options.

[Heather R]

One problem I find with the electric wheelchair is that I have to sit pretty bolt upright for it to go at all fast (safety feature though I think possibly could be removed) . And I am only comfortable leaning back.

[Olivia H]

I mainly use a mobility scooter, which I prefer. People tend to talk to me directly, not over me as they do in manual wheelchair. The odd time a wheelchair is used...going to theatre, airport travel, hubby pushes me and kerbs/cobbles etc require that extra help. I agree that, if you could not propel your manual wheelchair, which I can as my arms/hands are fine...it would be very frustrating, especially in shops!! Never used an electric wheelchair, as said, 90% time I am able to scoot. Plus my older dog is slowing down a bit, so she sits by my feet on it when she is tired😊

[LesleyB]

I have had a manual wheelchair for 18 months. But it’s got more uncomfortable as the time has gone by. Every cobble or uneven path goes through my boney bottom. So I applied for a powered chair for going out.Also to take pressure of my husband, trying to push me and hold dog leads . But I was turned down, they don’t provide them for just outside. Our house just doesn’t have the room for one.So we just bought one. A folding one,I have been out several times in it. It’s quite robust, so I was able to access a park to watch my grand nephew and niece join in a race. A few days ago we ventured to Leeds and it was lovely to be able to look up and down aisles on my own.