Getting used to wheeled mobility aids is a reality for many ageing people in the UK. Walking sticks, wheeled walkers and wheelchairs are important tools if you have reduced mobility. Conditions like Arthritis and others associated with old age lead to stiffness and pain in the joints. This makes walking unaided more difficult.
If you need a walking aid of some kind, the next stage is learning how and where to use it. Previously accessible routes may become less so if there are high kerbs or steps to overcome, for example.
Relatively lightweight items like a walking stick or rollator walker require less planning than the use of wheelchairs. Even larger aids like scooters require more consideration. One thing in particular to think about are mobility scooter ramps.
Even scooters with the largest wheels do not cope with climbing high kerbs. Ramps may be necessary if you have a kerb to negotiate on a regular basis. If you are transporting a lightweight scooter, you might want to consider ramps to transfer the back of a large vehicle.
There is a wide range of ramping equipment available. For kerbs and single steps, one-piece models are usually sufficient. If loading onto a vehicle, channel ramps are a good choice. These come as two separate ramps, with a ‘channel’ design. Each is just over the width of the wheel, with raised edges either side.
These edges keep the wheels on track and prevent the scooter falling off to the side. Many channel ramps are telescopic. This allows them to collapse down in size when not in use. It means they can be more easily stored or transported in the boot of a car.
Case Study – Grace, 81, from Rickmansworth
Sally required mobility scooter ramps for a step leading to the side return of her house. She wanted to store her scooter behind gates for security reasons. Although the obstacle was only a single step, it was too high for the scooter to climb without a ramp.
Initially Sally considered a permanent concrete wedge which need building by a tradesman. She decided against this idea because she felt its appearance would not fit the rest of the driveway.
Instead she went for a one piece aluminium ramp. While Sally leaves it in place most of the time, with the help of her son, it is easy to pick up and store as required. Its length is five feet, which gives a gentle incline. The ramp has a grip pattern milled into the rolling surface, ensuring tyres do not slip when it is raining.
With the width providing around four inches either side of the scooter’s wheels, the one piece ramp is ideal for the space available.
Inside the house, Sally uses either her walking stick or a narrow walking frame to move around. Strategically placed grab rails next to the toilet and bathroom sink are there to assist her balance. She also has a hand-rail next to her back door, which has two steps down to the garden patio.
She has a relatively small house and lives alone. Because she has trouble climbing stairs and worried about the potential to fall, she had a stair-lift installed.
While she is able to get around indoors without a wheeled walking aid, for short journeys outside she uses a rollator walker. It features brakes, a shopping and large wheels. It also has a seat, which allows Sally the luxury of the odd sit down to rest when she needs to.
She also has a walking stick which collapses down in to sections which she can carry in her handbag. When she arrives at a shop, she parks her rollator walker on the pavement and uses her stick inside.
For longer journeys the scooter is ideal, but Sally does need to consider her route before travelling. She knows where there are mobility scooter ramps for access to the shopping centre, for example.
She is also very aware of the distances she will need to walk with her stick when she arrives. She makes sure these are short enough for her to manage.
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