Does anyone have or know about mobility scooter/elec' wheelchair?

[Roxy's Run]

As most of you already know, my boyfriend has severe peripheral neuropathy in both legs and both hands. He cannot feel from his knees down to his feet and has lost most use of his hands. :no: We still don't know why, but that is another long story.

:

Anyway, he can get around with use of a walker but he cannot go for long distances - only about 100 ft or so. He gets real weak and his legs start to hurt really bad. So I wound up getting him a used wheelchair for $3 from a local store that sells things that have been donated and all proceeds go to a local Hospital. :aktion033: Both he and I treasure the wheelchair and are grateful for it. But because he is home all day long everyday by himself, I see that he is getting severe cabin fever and I see that his mind is not like it used to be.

I chalk this up from lack of challenging his brain and thinking things out and have been trying to get him out more to see different things and go to different places. Even though he argues with me about going somewhere I force him to go and once we are at our destination, sometimes it is hard to get him to leave. :bgrin Plus when we go places, we are both "sidetracked" from our everyday stress and depression from this whole ordeal. We laugh, we carry on, and just have fun together instead of sitting at home staring at each other fighting about how we are going to pay bills, keep a roof over our heads (another long story - but a serious one at that), why can't the doctors figure out what is causing his problem, why he can't do things he used to do, why have his "friends" disappeared, why does everything have to fall on me, the horses have to go, etc. It is a sad sight really. :no: But this is not the point of this post. I'm sorry, I'm babbling.

The other day I took off from work and took him to the boardwalk where I pushed him along the entire length of the boardwalk (about 1 1/2 miles one way) and then last night I took him to a local reservoir and I pushed him part way through the trail around the lake (total trail all the way around is 5 miles). I wanted to go further on the trail, but it is a dirt/gravel trail with many hills and wooden bridges. I was EXHAUSTED from pushing him. What a workout!!!!

Sorry, so long, but my questions are: Does anyone have a electric mobility scooter or a power wheelchair? If so, what kind do you have? Which would you prefer? I have been looking at a four wheel scooter thinking that is the most stable for him considering we do go "off road" quite a bit and I'm not sure that a power wheelchair is stable enough for that. I think the same with the three wheel scooter - not stable enough for what we want to do. I can see him toppling over once the ground gets uneven or bumpy.

He does not have medical insurance so to say. He is part of the NJ Medicaid program so I will be calling them to see how and if he can get one. He is considered permanently disabled and receives SSI benefits. Does anyone know the steps I need to take with Medicaid? Any hints? Anything else that may help us out in this situation? We do not have the money to go buy one since we are hanging on by a thread as it is with just my salary and his tiny SSI payments. So if Medicaid doesn't pay for it, I guess it is back to pushing him around in the wheelchair. I have been looking around on Craigslist, newpapers, etc. for used ones, but we just cannot afford it. I just don't have the money.

I would like to see him more mobile at home so he can ride around the place when I'm at work and doesn't have to wait for me to come and get his wheelchair. Or he gets the garden tractor and rides that around but with the price of gasoline . . . plus it is real noisy.

: Plus it would be nice to walk beside him instead of behind him when we go places. I also think that the feeling of independence is a major plus for him as I know he is really depressed about relying on me for most everything. Plus it is less work for me. :bgrin

Any information or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks alot. Again, I'm sorry this turned out so long. I guess I needed to vent a little as well as ask my questions.

Linda

Roxy's Run Miniatures

 

[Casnos Minis]

[SIZE=14pt]Linda[/SIZE]

My dad has 2 motorized wheelchairs. He loves them. The only problem is they weigh about 300 pounds or more, so you would need a lift to put on the back of your vehicle. We have 2 mini vans and it takes 2 of us to get just the wheel chair out and then 1-2 of us to get out the battery. He's an amuptee with conjestive heart failure so he couldn't get an artificial leg as his heart couldn't handle it. He's got 2 kinds, one has bigger back wheels good for off roading and the other is better for the stores and mall. He's starting to get limited mobility in his hands, but can still use them with ease.

Call medicaid, He has medicaid and MassHealth ( we live in Massachusetts) they pay for his wheel chairs in full. Do you have another insurance like Mass Health available where you live? Try any home health care places they might know also, do you have a veteran's hospital near you that you can call they might knnow of some one to help also.

Hope this was some help.

Christy

 

[RedWagon]

I saw an electric wheelchair at our local Goodwill store just yesterday. I have also seen them at the pawn shop. When my MIL bought my FIL a scooter, she was able to finance it--the supplier took care of all that. My FIL's scooter did well outside; he never tipped over. He now has a golf cart for outside use, though. His electric wheelchair was provided by the VA so if your boyfriend is a vet, check with them.

Hope this helps.

 

[iluvwalkers]

[SIZE=14pt]i got a 3 wheel scooter while i was non-weight baring on both legs last year. i am not sure how much it weighs but my husband was able to lift it to put it in the back of our vehicle. it also went well on the gravel and rough ground, i used it in the winter mostly. it was not tippy and the seat would turn so it was easy to get in and off. it also was good for 17 miles with a charge. i can't think of the name but i could look, it came from Spin Life, you could do a search. not sure if this helps but good luck, it was a life saver for me and i could ever get around inside my home with it. Nikki[/SIZE]

 

[rabbitsfizz]

You can get portable fold up electric chairs that can be lifted quite easily- usually though the heaviest part of the chair is the batteries- so with the portable ones you do lose distance and speed- power in fact.

The three wheelers are the easiest to manage but the four wheelers are the business, really.

I am still quite able so I do not need them to be light to turn etc but I do know a woman with MS who is very limited in her arm strength and I am pretty sure she has the equivalent of power assisted steering- there are many web sites that would help you with your options, though.

 

[sfmini]

Most medical supply companies know very well how to get around the 'system' and probably can help you get him a scooter via medicaid. How long has he been on SSI? Once he has been on SSI for a full two years, he should also be eligible for Medicare, and they do cover things like the scooters. Watched too much daytime tv while I was off on temp disability, but there are scooter suppliers that advertise that they will get your medicare claims paid for their products.

Sorry I can't be any help with Medicaid, pretty sad since I work for the state of Ohio and am working on the Medicaid computer system! Maybe I can try to find someone here who knows. I'll try. Since Medicaid is federally funded, coverage shouldn't vary too much from state to state. I'll do some poking around.

One suggestion for right now is go ask his caseworker. That person should know right off the bat what you need to do. My guess is pre-approval via a medical professional's recommendation will be needed.

 

[Roxy's Run]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your input. I stopped by a local pharmacy/health food place that sells medical equipment including the scooters and spoke to them. She told me that I needed a prescription from Denny's doctor and the doctor needs to fill out an application for Medicaid. She is familiar with Denny's situation. She warned me that if there is indication that Denny can walk, even with a walker, he will be turned down. She also went on to say that they approve scooters for in house use and not for things like shopping, or going places. I'm not so sure I believe this statement, but hey, that's why I'm doing my research on this. IF this statement if true, well, Denny and I live in a single wide mobile home so there is no way a scooter would fit in here anyway. He gets around the mobile home rather well because it is so small, he holds onto the walls to get down the hallway and holds onto the furniture also. Has anyone else heard of this "requirements"? I am going to visit another medical supplier tomorrow and see what they say.

As for weight of the scooters I am concerned about it as it is always just Denny and I and no one else is here to help me. I have a pick up truck which I figured I could build a ramp of some kind to drive the thing in and out of the bed of truck. But I am considering this factor into the whole equation as well. (((SIGH)))) why can't anything be easy??????

:

Linda

Roxy's Run Miniatures

 

[dangerranger]

He should qualify for a scooter, talk to his DR. they should be able to word the forms corectly to get him one. I have lost the feeling in my hands , and this is so agravating. the simplest things that I used to do now I have to find someone else to do for me. My drs are working with the nerves in my neck to improve things for Me and its slowly improving. I hope they find whats causing his problems before its perminant. DR.

 

[Roxy's Run]

Thank you DR. I am so sorry that you are going through some tough times with your hands. I hope you continue to get feeling back in your hands. I see how frustrated Denny is not being able to do things that he used to do. He was a truck driver for over 40 years. He owned his own truck and did all the mechanical work on it. Well, he had to sell the truck as we needed the money and there is not a day that goes by that he does not mention his truck.

He misses doing the mechanical things around here. He misses fixing things around here. He misses tooling around in his shed. He misses taking showers without me helping him. He misses fixing himself full cooked meals and not having to use the microwave only when I'm not around. Basically, his entire life is dependent upon me helping him. I work a full time job to have money to pay bills but it isn't enough. We have gone to so many doctors, hospitals. Had so many tests done. Still, we have no answers. It is so frustrating and depressing. Both of our lives have been turned upside down and we are both at our wits end. Anyway, I'm babbling again. I'm off to the medical supply store to see what's what. Thanks again.

Linda

Roxy's Run Miniatures

 

[AppyLover2]

Linda I can't offer any suggestions that haven't already been made; just wanted to wish both you and Denny well, and hope they come up with some answers soon. Hope you can find him that chair. Sounds like it would help you both out a lot. It must be horribly frustrating for him to be so dependent for everything. Those of us who are in good health should thank our lucky stars.