Can anyone recommend a mobility aid for someone with reduced mobility for a day out?

[MoreCarrotsPeas]

We are going on holiday next week and one of the excursions we have planned do not offer mobility scooter rental. The excursion includes a lot of walking and I don’t want to miss out.

I am unable to walk for long periods of time. I don’t want DH have to push me in a wheelchair and I’m unable to propel a wheelchair myself.

Can anyone suggest anything?

Would a walking frame with a seat be any use? Are rollators designed for pushing someone in?

And how do I get the equipment on to the plane?

TIA .

Following as I am struggling with the same. My arms are actually weaker than my legs and so I can't self propel.

Would an electric wheelchair work? I am contemplating getting one but can quite make peace with needing one!

@CassandraWebb I considered an electric wheelchair but they are very expensive for casual use. I’m also not sure if they are permitted on planes.

Yes that's what I'm wrestling with!
And I'm not sure about planes, surely there must be a way to take them but I haven't looked into it yet

Not to be rude but I think you're going to have to miss this one out

If it's a group excursion then people aren't going to wait for you or want to wait for you as you sit down every so often

Also you're on holiday so you don't want to hospitalise yourself unnecessarily

I doubt your insurance will cover you on this one either

Rollators aren’t designed for pushing someone, the seat is for the user to rest on but there is no-where to put your feet. They aren’t designed to be used like a wheelchair and would be dangerous.

Why is this going to land the op in hospital?

And surely in exclusions people regularly want to stop and take in the scenery etc?

Could you hire something when you get there??? Or is there a disability shop near you for advice?? I use a rollator and its self propelled

DS is a full time power wheelchair user. We've been able to take it on flights. It just needs to have a dry cell battery rather than wet cell and be able to have the back folded down so that it fits within airline measurements.

As an aside have you seen the power assist devices you can get for manual chairs? Some can provide assistance in wheeling if you have some strength and others can turn a chair into a power chair. They're not cheap but cheaper than a power chair.Power assist packs

Can I ask why you don't want your DH to push you in the wheelchair?

I'm an ambulant wheelchair user and hated that I had to use one and more often than not missed out on experiences. In recent years I've become more accepting of using the wheelchair and it's given me so much of my life back. We recently took our first city break and my DH managed fine pushing me around.

If you take a manual wheelchair on a plane just request special assistance in advance and you'll be escorted straight into the plane where the wheelchair will turn go in the hold. Take bungee cords to hold the wheelchair together.

I bought this last year after nearly fainting from exhaustion in the check out queue at Lidl and fighting back tears as I trudged home in a fog of misery and pain. It's more expensive than most shopping trolleys that you can sit on, but I needed the arm rests because my legs aren't strong enough to stand without help.

Walk and rest trolley with armrests
I weighed 120 kg when I bought it, so was looking for a very sturdy trolley that wouldn't tip when I rested my entire weight on it. One of my legs is very untrustworthy, and can give out without any warning, but being able to push the trolley in front of me, leaning all my weight on the handle has allowed me to practice walking safely. My gait has improved because I can now subject my dodgy leg to the full range of proper walking motions (instead of having it splayed out to the side and dragged along behind me), I sometimes feel it giving way, but don't fall because the trolley keeps me safely upright.

The best thing is that when I feel exhausted, and as if I can't possibly take another step, I don't have to look around desperately for a bench or something I can lean on. I can just set the brakes on the trolley, lower myself onto the seat and relax.

When there's a long queue at check out and I'm already trembling with exhaustion I no longer battle with tears and fear collapsing. The only downside is that, after I've packed my shopping into the bag and lowered myself onto the seat for a lovely rest, all kinds of people that I've never seen before feel compelled to approach and strike up conversations, telling me about their own health challenges, and asking where I got the trolley from. I even had one elderly gent start to unbutton his shirt to show me his heart operation scar.

So although it was expensive I haven't regretted buying it for an instant. I just wish I'd bought it earlier. Knowing that I can always stop for a rest gives me confidence to walk places I wouldn't otherwise dare to go. It's lighter and easier to fold and pack than a mobility scooter, and walking while resting most of my weight on the trolley has strengthened my leg muscles that were getting atrophied from lack of use.

I was so limited in what I could do and where I could go before, never being sure that I'd be able to walk from the car park to a venue, never mind being able walk around looking at stuff once I'd got there, and trying to find somewhere to sit down when the few available seats are all taken. It's lovely to have my own chair/walker, especially with a picnic packed under the seat.

efoldi.com/request-a-home-demonstration-v2.html?kword=brand&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtZK1BhDuARIsAAy2VztaZCQoIsHyE7yu0-r6B0GfJxyO7mbv9WKkY9D6YdYEzCP_MKC4OC8aAgHrEALw_wcB

We've taken this fold up scooter on a plane. It also goes in the car boot.

I’m reading through the thread and will look at the options listed. TY.

Does anyone know much about NHS wheelchair services and how to get a referral?

Have you looked into hiring a scooter?

@crockofshite The chair you linked to looks perfect but unfortunately hugely out of budget. The excursion we are going on does not offer scooter hire.

@MoreCarrotsPeas I don't know what your budget would be but I have definitely seen much cheaper options around (albeit not as lightweight) both in terms of scooters and electric wheelchairs

It's rotten isn't it, too ill to do things but often not I'll enough to get any sort of support or help.

Would another option be a folding seat /stool that your husband could carry for you to use when there are pauses? That helped me for a bit. You can get some that fold up quite small..

And /or a nice walking stick perhaps?

There are a few on eBay

My cousin used to have a small folding electric scooter that she would take on holidays, don't think the airline charged her for carriage either. It made a world of difference to her holidays.

Could you not hire one here and take it?

What country are you traveling to? In places like Lanzarote you can hire mobility scooters on every street corner.

Might be easier to arrange there?

You can get folding rollators that convert to a wheelchair, depending on your budget

A cheaper one that couln't be used as a wheelchair for long periods

A more expensive option that would be more comfortable

How much did you pay for it? thanks. They never put prices online!

What about an electric scooter and you carry a small folding stool for sitting on. Like a camping stool.

If you click through to "shop" the price is there (it wasn't immediately obvious I agree!)

I would see if you can hire a wheelchair once you reach your destination. We went on holiday last year to a destination which required a lot of walking and DH struggles with that. Rather than miss out we hired a wheelchair and I pushed him.