For many seniors and disabled patients, walking or moving around the house and in outdoor areas can be very uncomfortable and painful, as their legs and feet can be too weak for them to walk properly. Thankfully, there are now plenty of mobility aids available on the market that the elderly and people with special needs can use so that they will have a more comfortable time moving.
One of the best mobility aids today is the mobility scooter. What is a mobility scooter? And what are its different types? Let us find out more about this specific mobility aid as we take a look at the guide to the different types of mobility scooters and their benefits.
What are Mobility Scooters?
Mobility scooters are a kind of mobility aid that is powered by batteries that can be charged using electricity. The batteries can then allow the mobility scooter to move without the need for the person sitting on it to exert too much effort. Unlike regular scooters and wheelchairs, mobility scooters can just go in different directions using a controller, so you don’t need to push or roll the wheels for them to move.
What’s interesting about mobility scooters is that they are a combination of wheelchairs and scooters. As a wheelchair, the mobility scooter has a seat and backrest that is cushioned or padded so that it will be comfortable to sit on for hours. In addition, some mobility scooters would even have armrests so that seniors or patients will be able to rest their arms whenever they are not moving the scooters.
As a scooter, the mobility scooter has two handles that can be rolled backward for the wheels to move. So, it works the same way as most motorcycles, although there are some mobility scooters that will move with just a press of a button. The handles are connected to a steel column that can swivel to the left and to the right, which would then allow the user to change the direction of where the scooter is moving.
What are the Different Types of Mobility Scooters?
Mobility scooters come in different sizes and types. There are mobility scooters that are smaller than most, while there are some that have more than three wheels. Here are the things that you should know more about the different types of mobility scooters.
Three-Wheel Mobility Scooter
Three-wheel mobility scooters have two wheels at the rear and one wheel at the front. The lone front wheel allows the three-wheel mobility scooter to have a tight turning radius, which would then allow the scooter to have better maneuverability. These three-wheel scooters are more suitable for indoor use, as they are easier to control in tighter or narrower spaces. However, the drawback to the three-wheel mobility scooter is that they aren’t very stable, so they may just fall sideways whenever they are used on uneven surfaces.
Four-Wheel Mobility Scooter
Four-wheel mobility scooters have much better stability compared to the three-wheel variant, as they have two wheels at the rear and two wheels at the front. So, because of the equal number of wheels at the front and back of the scooter, the weight of both the user and the device is evenly distributed on the wheels, thus providing better balance. But, the problem with four-wheel mobility scooters is that they lack the tight turning radius that the three-wheel scooters have, so they have less maneuverability and can be difficult to use indoors.
Travel Mobility Scooter
The travel mobility scooter is significantly lighter than the first two types, although it can have three wheels or four wheels, depending on how it is designed by the manufacturer. Due to how light the travel mobility scooter is, it is more suitable for elderly or disabled patients that travel or move to different places most of the time, as the scooter is light enough to be carried with ease and stored inside cars. The travel mobility scooter can be folded or disassembled so that it can fit better in cars or trucks. The downside to this type of mobility scooter is that they are not as durable as the first two types since it is made from lighter and thinner materials.
What are the Benefits of Mobility Scooters?
Mobility scooters have two benefits that can be experienced by elderly patients and people with special needs or disabilities. Take a look below for descriptions of these two benefits so that you will see how advantageous it is for seniors and patients to have a mobility scooter at home or outdoors.
Better Mobility
The mobility scooter, as its name suggests, can provide people that have weak legs and feet better mobility indoors and outdoors. Having better mobility would allow the elderly and persons with disabilities to move around the house, the park, or any other areas with relatively flat surfaces easily. By having better mobility, patients will be able to move into the rooms or areas that they want to be in without getting stuck in a bed or a sofa. Being able to move around a lot would reduce their stress, anxiety, and depression, and they would eventually have a much more positive outlook in life.
Comfortable Seat
Whenever the mobility scooter is not being moved, it can still provide a comfortable seat for seniors or patients. If a patient is at the park and he or she wants to just enjoy the view, the mobility scooter can act like a chair that enables the patient to just sit comfortably while admiring different sights at the park. A lot of mobility scooters offer a seat that has plenty of padding or cushioning, so the patient can sit on the seat for hours and not experience any pain or discomfort.
So, those are just the simplest things you need to know about mobility scooters, from their different types to their benefits. There are dozens of different mobility scooters to choose from, but choose the ones that are rated highly by reviewers to ensure that what you will be buying is safe, comfortable, durable, and reliable.