There was a car show here last night, featuring about a dozen vehicles adapted to carry a wheelchair. It is amazing how technology has brought us to this point. Side-entry, rear-entry, and various cranes that reach out and lift your chair into the vehicle. We're buying a simple side-entry van I can drive into, and be locked in place. A big step toward getting out and exploring once we get home.
My next-to-final wheelchair has arrived, and it's a great chariot! This chair, unlike the loaner I've been using, has a battery that lasts - two or three days so far. It also goes FAST! This chair has four gears and I haven't gone above 2nd gear yet, which is a good deal faster than a person can walk. It's also comfortable, which is pretty important when you spend your entire day in it.
I've explored further down the hospital hallways than I dared before. I was taken out across the big parking lots, across a busy four-lane road to a restaurant, and back again. I left my chaperone in the dust. I've been out in the gardens practicing riding on grass, up and down slopes. It worked fine in all cases. And it's fun to drive.
The one glitch is that this chair does not have the vertical-rising feature we had ordered, so we're going to have to come back to pick the final chair up in 5-10 weeks. I was not impressed, but we're living with it. In the meantime I'm certainly enjoying this one.
One week and counting.
This is sounding better by the day.One week, well done to get the vehicle, and maybe not quite the chair you had hoped for, but will it do meantime? You will definitely be home well before Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI can see you booting about in this chair , they will need to get you an air horn to warn people to get out of your way lol . I am glad to hear your taking all of this in stride and are able to come to term with how it is now for you both . Look out all crazy wheels coming through lol ! Yes modern technology has improved the ability for those who have a harder time getting around to be able to get around a bit easier and better . Glad your able to get out and about to enjoy the outdoors . I hope you can go home soon and get settled in the comfort of your own castle once again .
ReplyDeleteWow, this sounds great! What fun to be mobile again, I suspect. That's great news about the van, and although you must wait so long for your final chair, this one will be fun to play with. Yay!
ReplyDeleteSounds good, congratulations on getting two new chariots. No "hot-rodding" in that speedy chair, you're not 19 any more. You must be anticipating going home and getting out for a ride around the countryside; we expect blog posts and photos of barns, and fences, and trees, and crops, and snow, and ...
ReplyDeleteI've seen vans like you've mentioned, either with a side or back entrance capability. Very handy.
ReplyDeleteNow that is awesome ! Mobile again almost sound like a race car. Glad you are having fun with it and before you know it the week will be over and back home. Glad you can use this chair in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteLike you said technology has come a long way. Just be careful you don't run anyone over. Maybe you might consider adding an odometer to keep your speed in check. LOL
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Now tell us Stew, is that not a Mercedes your describing. By the sounds of it you had better have a roll bar installed, side airbags, and a 5 point racing harness seat belt. If pedestrians are a problem just have them install a cow catcher on the front of your chair. Worked for old locomotives a century ago. Not calling you an old locomotive of course but I'm sure you can see the logical parallel. I've only ever driven rear loading wheel chair vans but seeing those side loaders in operation I always thought that was a better idea. Say, have you thought about putting a blade on the front. Winter's coming you know and I hear they get a lot of snow up your way.
ReplyDeleteMajor improvements have been made and are being made to wheel chairs. that's great for the people who use them.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the next to final chair is a big improvement for you. Sorry you have to wait so long for the one that really meets your needs. - Margy
ReplyDeleteWow I didn't even know wheelchairs came with different gears. Sounds like a car. : )
ReplyDeleteThe van sounds like a good choice.
Great! I know how fast those chairs can go - rather faster than I can run! For this reason we had to have some of the chairs modified that we used in the school as they ran rather faster than the thought processes of some of our drivers! Those smart enough to use the faster gears had to be banned from using those gears indoors. One of my duties was teaching the youngsters to drive their chairs - suddenly the world was opened up to them. In my experience it was always the mischievous ones who learned most quickly - you should do just great!
ReplyDeleteYour move into using a wheel chair is an eye-opener for me. I have a friend whose husband also had a wheel chair and she has an adapter in her small car for the chair to be lifted into the back. They lose all their storage room, but it works for them. Brave you crossing a highway!!
ReplyDeleteHello, It sounds like you are having fun driving your chair around. The van will be great with easy access. Happy Friday, enjoy your day and weekend!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that things are moving forward and you are on schedule for going home in a week. Like many above have said, no racing. I don't want to hear on the 6 o'clock news, that a wheelchair was pulled over by London Police for speeding on Commissioners Rd. Take care, we hope to visit you when you are home before we head south.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your chariot of fire. :)
ReplyDeletethat chair does sound amazing - can't believe the speed you will be able to get up to, very brave of you to cross that busy road - Meaford will be a breeze after that
ReplyDeleteYou'll be popping wheelies in your new chair before you know it! :) Glad to hear you are getting ever closer to moving home.
ReplyDeleteWell, it is progress. Good, so far.
ReplyDeleteI think the van sounds like a good choice.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Yeah for wheels !! :)
ReplyDeleteI've fallen behind in my reading and I'm sorry I missed this wonderful post! Today is catchup morning as it is too foggy to walk the country roads.
ReplyDeletethis is awesome! Too bad it isn't the final one but maybe a gradual improvement in 'activities' is better too. I'm excited for you!