I myself have a disability,though not as bad as others i think it would help if you mentioned what things you use in the caravan.How do you get about ? How do you get your mobility scooter into the car etc.
The biggest problem with a mobility scooter is the weight of the battery. When visiting a town we always check to see if they have a Shopmobility operating.
My current scooter gave up the ghost last winter probably due to damp and cold as it was stored in the garage.
When we arrive on site I try not to use my elbow crutches as the wife is close by in case I fall down and also the darn things get in the way.
I then get a chair out and site it near the caravan and help the wife with the awning with frequent sit down breaks. She does all the hammering of the pegs and I do the poles. Sometimes feel like a spare wheel but have to be careful otherwise end up on my back for the rest of our stay. Fetching water or doing the cassette is out of the question.
However I do the driving and towing to make up and she is quite happy with that. A scooter with a type of tow hitch would be handy to connect up the waste water container to tow it to the nearest point saving her lugging it there. Same applies to our cassette which is on wheels.
Both hubby and I have a disability, to make life easier one thing we bought was a cordless drill for the steadies. We don't put the awning up unless we need to. We help each other as best we can or get the kids to do it for us. I've just persuaded hubby that he needs a walking stick which he's not really happy about as he's only 37 and can't quite accept that he's got a disability despite being like this for a number of years.
------------- -x- Diane -x-
May 13 - Cala Gogo, St Cyprien (didn't go, hubby too ill to travel)
May 14 Ranc Davaine
August 14 Les Sablons
August 13 - Camping Playa Brava, Pals
My wife does the water and the toilet. I also feel like a spare part. We don't have an awning, that's why we always have a big caravan, just for the two of us.
Jim
We have a hoist in the car for lifting Tina's scooter in and out. We eventually found a double step which suited our old caravan and we put a windbreak pole beside the step to use as a hand hold as Tina gets in and out. We also used the pole to help her get in and out the tent which had a bathtub groundsheet which kept tripping us up.
Whenever we have been on a site were there have been some people with a disability I have always offered to help in any way I can I know what it is like having spent 12 months in a wheelchair myself,infact I always offer to help anyone who may need any help.Ian
You can buy steps with a hand rail or i use a large steel step which is wide and meant for a static.A hoist Rob and Tina is very expensive but quicker than the ramps that i use for the scooter.The problem ive found about "light" weight scooters is, that they are no good on chips and if you are heavy you will sink in them.Mobility scooters are built to take certain weight so,if your a heavy guy like myself a light weight or car boot scooter will be of no use.
Anything that comes under the word "disability"is a fortune so i suggest buy second hand like on Gumtree.
This is a pride scooter which would £2995rrp one year old and little used cost me £250 second hand.
Ramps for back of car..telescopic..7ft long extended cost about £280 new..secondhand £70
The hoist is dear but they do come up secondhand sometimes and you can get the car specific brackets from the manufacturer if you ask nicely. I got the hoist as I used to lift the scooter in and out myself but after hurting my back I realised that Tina needed more independence and the hoist seemed the safest option.
Everything with the word disability costs a fortune but with a bit of shopping around you can save a fortune. Tina's Sovereign 4 scooter was £1700 in our local mobility shop but by driving for half an hour to another dealer I paid £850 (well worth the trip) and they have come down a lot since then.
Batteries are dear unless you use ebay etc, I saved about 50% compared with our local repair place.
With a bit of ingenuity you can save a lot of money and adapt things to make life easier and us campers and caravanners seem well suited to this sort of thing.
Rob
PS Jeff must be the bargain hunter of the century!
A good idea i saw when away was a chap using an awning extension to store his scooter.This saves on weight as far as burning fuel to cart it about all the time but also storage as it leaves the main part of the awning free.
Im lucky i suppose in that my husband although quite a bit older than me, is still fairly fit and able to do the setting up of the caravan and is able to get my scooter out of the car single handed, as its very easy to take to pieces with the heaviest part only weighing 30lb. Its a Pride Go-Go elite, it has the larger battery pack and is capable of carrying 23st, even up hills when i have loaded it up well with me plus a load of heavy shopping bags from the markets. it also has larger wheels than many of the so called 'boot scooters'.
At home i have got a Pride Legend big scooter, and when we do have to take that one in the car for any reason which is rare, we use a pair of motorbike ramps which can be bought new for around £120 for the pair off e-bay or local motorbike shops. this scooter gets so little use now that its up for sale for a reasonable price, as we really could do with the space it takes up in the garage to store daughters uni stuff during the summer months.
Inside the caravan i have got special memory foam pillows that prop me up into a sitting position for sleeping as i have a c-pap machine going all night, I have also got a wide double step for getting in and out of the caravan. We only really need the porch awning up if were planning to stay for a couple of weeks in the same place and our family are coming down to visit, so we often dont bother with it, but its so easy to erect that OH can manage to do it himself as long as i hold the first leg pole for a couple of mins whist he guys it out, then hes fine completing the task himself.
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
You might find this website useful - www.wheelgotravelling.info. They are a couple, one of whom is a wheelchair user, who have travelled all over Europe, with a caravan and later with a motorhome. Lots of interesting information.
------------- Il vaut mieux vivre ses reves que rever sa vie
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Caravans and disability.
