I was getting close to picking my chariot. I'd tested a few, I'd done research on others, I'd looked at the pros of renting over buying - spoiler alert, there aren't any - this was looking dangerously like I'd taken my time and was making a sensible decision. Fear not, I'm sure normal service will be resumed.
But for now I will remain on this path, I've even made this little table to show which chairs are in the running.
Price
Showroom location
Carry weight (at it’s lightest)
Range
Rear wheel size
iM.4 Elite
Freedom A06
Ultra Light Folding Electric Wheelchair
Freedom Pro ST
Automatic Folding Freedom Elite AF
Freedom Elite ST
Dashi Eco Foldable Powerchair
Pride iGo
Dashi (125kg) Folding Powerchair
Invacare Alber Erivo Folding Powerchair
LW1 Lightweight Folding
Zora
Stratus
I was pretty close to making a decision, but I thought it would be worth giving Wheelchair Services a call to see if they could help. Who are wheelchair services you ask? Good question. When I was first wheelchair bound it was part of the NHS - a department within Cannock Chase hospital. They were responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of your wheelchair. As time has moved on things have changed (I think we still had black and white televisions when I first used the service) and it was outsourced to a private company. There have been many companies over the years. I hadn't used them for several years after my last encounter with the MD/owner of the then current occupant - Opcare. But that's in the past, I won't say anymore... Except she was the type of person who would look out of the window, see it's raining and tell you it's sunny. Oops, now, NOW I won't say anymore...
I had used Opcare a few years before this MD/owner came to power. I visited them at their place of residence on an industrial estate in Stoke, there were four or five employees as you enter into a large room and two separate treatment rooms. I sat in the main room in a designated waiting area, waiting to be called into the treatment room for my appointment.
A few years passed by and I hadn't had a reason to return, but my gel cushion was leaking, so I asked for their help. Things were very different this time. I entered the main room to be greeted by one person sat on a chair in the middle of an almost empty room. One or two desks were pushed up against the wall with unplugged monitors, keyboards and various office paraphernalia resting on it. I didn't see into the treatment rooms but I suspect they were similarly abandoned...
Dammit! I've done it again! Seriously, I've said too much, this has got nothing to do with getting a motorised wheelchair...
When I would phone them, it would just ring endlessly, there wasn't even an answer phone. I was later told by Fibby McFibberson (MD/owner), that this was because they were inundated with calls so they couldn't answer mine. I reminded her I'd seen the empty building, but she said the phones are answered in a different location.
Sorry, I didn't realise I was still holding onto that!
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. The contract now belongs to AJM Healthcare. They have a private and commercial side of the business and a NHS funded wheelchair service. They will assess you and offer you a wheelchair to suit your needs. You have the option to accept that NHS wheelchair or accept a voucher and use it to get a chair privately and you pay the difference. They will then bring a chair to your home for you to try. If you then choose to purchase it they will send you information of the various charities you can apply to for a grant. A member of there clinical team can write a covering letter to ensure the charity realise you are making a legitimate claim.
I decided to make one last throw of the dice before making my decision. I gave them a call and had a fifteen minute assessment over the phone. He took down my requirements, sent them to his engineers and arranged for someone to come to my house to demonstrate the chair(s). If I didn't like the chair(s) they could help me find a better suited chair. There is no obligation to buy, but if like me, you need some guidance, it's a very appreciated service. The chair they chose to demonstrate to me was the Quickie Q50r carbon. It was only 14kg with an 8 inch back wheel. I made my usual knee jerk reaction and immediately decided it was going to be pointless for them to come and demonstrate it to me, it was too light and small. But this is Tom 2.0. I decided to give them a chance and met Ben Zissmin who now worked for AJM Healthcare. He is possibly the single most impressive person I've met in my life, but I haven't met Mr Blobby yet, so Ben could still lose that accolade. I won't say much about him here, maybe I'll save that honour for my second book...
Oh, which reminds me, my book - Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons - isn't available in any good bookstores. On the plus side, it's not available in any bad book stores either. It's available on Amazon only.
Quickie Q50r carbon
It was quite a nifty little thing, like an office chair. That was the problem though. You would enjoy zooming around the office car park during your lunch break, but you wouldn't use it get home. To be fair the wheels were bigger than an office chair...I think. I took it out for a spin and Ben gave me some much needed pointers. I've taught myself over the past couple of weeks and I don't think I've done too badly but he was pointing out a few things I was aware of but wasn't showing enough respect. The main issue facing foldable motorised wheelchairs is they need to be light enough to lift, yet still practical. I've found that about 26kg is a good balance between making it easier to transport, store, and maneuver and it's ability to handle terrain. The Quickie wasn't great on either fronts. Just going up a slightly raised curb required you to be directly in front of it with straight wheels. The front wheels on a wheelchair spin around like trolley wheels, allowing a very tight turning circle. If there was a pebble on the ground you had to decide if you were approaching at the correct angle to tackle it. You had to ensure you were on the side of the path furthest from the road because any slight change in the slope of the terrain, would dictate the direction you were going in. It coped better than I thought it would, but it didn't impress.
Price
Showroom location
Carry weight (at it’s lightest)
Range
Rear wheel size
Quickie Q50r carbon
And the winner is...
iM.4 Elite
It probably won't shock you that I went with the iM.4 Elite. It wasn't the cheapest, but it also wasn't the most expensive. But the Easy Living Mobility showroom is a 10 minute trip, which is very convenient, but convenience alone doesn't impress me - customer service does. Easy Living Mobility were my first point of call and arranged for me to borrow the Freedom A06 for £70 plus £150 refundable deposit. Just about everywhere else didn't let me borrow a chair, or if they did wanted to charge me hundreds. Nathan (salesman) allowed me to interview him so I could record it on my blog. I then dealt with Aby who helped me enormously and re-assured me they are there for me aftersales. I can not recommend them enough.
As soon as I got it home I wasted no time in getting out and about it. It's an absolute game changer. Although, the same issue I had when testing the Freedom A06 still existed with this. The terrain dictated my direction, so I got into the habit of driving on the far side of the path, away from the road. At least this responded fairly quickly when you tried to rectify it. The Freedom A06 seemed to keep skidding towards the road until my heart was beating so fast it sounded like it was doing a drum roll. This was 3kg heavier but was still light enough to pick up, had bigger wheels and better suspension. However, unless the chair is too heavy to pick up, it's going to have this problem.
I embarked on a lengthy journey and intended to do several journey updates as I went, but it became clear I needed a phone holder to do this. I think they're onto something when they say you shouldn't use your mobile phone when driving. I found it quite hard to hold the phone while looking where I was going and looking where the camera was pointed and trying to commentate on my progress..
Fortunately there weren't any wheelchair police around.
