Power Wheelchair Or Scooter: 5 Selection Tips From a Licensed Physical Therapist

Choosing an appropriate Mobility Scooter or Power Wheelchair for you or your loved one may seem like a simple task but looks can be deceiving. As a licensed physical therapist and home health care specialist, I assess people with physical disabilities on a daily basis and can provide insight to your in your purchase. Below are the 5 most important aspects of selecting your electric scooter or power wheelchair.

1) Severity of Condition -- Many people ask: Should I get a Power Wheelchair or a Scooter? Its a great question and quite easy to answer. Power wheelchairs are heavy duty and meant for in-home, full time usage and usually those with more debilitating conditions. They cannot be folded up and placed into a car trunk like most scooters. Scooters are meant for intermittent usage around the house and are portable to enable mobility outside of the home as well. Power wheelchair usage outside of the home requires transport via a specialized van or power lift mechanism/trailer added to ones vehicle. Decide what's best for your condition.

2) Home Setup -- Do you live in an open area or tight space? Power wheelchairs have a much smaller turning radius than scooters, sometimes zero with certain high end models. If your home setting is open without clutter, this should not be an issue but with most elderly individuals, open home setups are not the norm.

3) Insurance Eligibility -- Are you Medicare Eligible? If so, as long as your physician deems the wheelchair/scooter as medically necessary you will be covered by Medicare for the device. To determine if you have a condition that would qualify as medically necessary, speak to your physical therapist or physician. Such conditions include severe degenerative arthritis, multiple sclerosis, strokes and respiratory diseases such as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If not Medicare eligible, check with your insurance company for any coverage they may provide. Scooter costs can range as low as $500 to upwards of $3500 for heavy duty models while electric wheelchairs are usually $1000 at minimum with some models up to $7000+.

4) Support Systems -- A big factor that needs to be considered is the external support system one has. Is there a family member involved that would be able to physically lift a scooter into a car trunk? Does one have access to a van to transport a power wheelchair? These details need to be factored in before the decision is made.

5) Do you really need it NOW? -- I think this is the most overlooked aspect of this whole process. If you have 2 severely arthritic knees that would qualify under Medicare guidelines, did you consider knee replacement surgery to potentially avoid the need? In my view, individuals tend to elect the use of assistive devices such as power wheelchairs and scooters too early in their lives. Once one chooses to go this route, persons usually fall into a dependent mode and it becomes very difficult to regain mobility and independence into the future. Trying active rehabilitation programs such as physical therapy, occupational therapy or a simple exercise regimen could potentially put off the need for such devices.