Be Unlimited This Spring: Tips on Choosing the Right Scooter

After the challenging winter we all spent here in Denver, there is something liberating about the warm weather, the fragrant scents, the glorious colors that makes most of us want to be outdoors. If you or someone you care about has an illness or injury that causes difficulty with mobility, there are ways to enhance independence.

Consider the electric scooter. It’s an incredible invention that dates back to the late 1800s, the same time frame as when the bicycle began to emerge. Patents first appeared in 1921. Today’s versions of power operated scooters have design features and functional options that rival the slickest of vehicles on the market.

The most important part when considering a scooter (or any other piece of mobility equipment), as always, is choosing which scooter works best for your needs. We get a lot of folks who come into the store looking on behalf of a loved one. It’s a great gift idea, and we highly encourage such thoughtfulness! It is also so important to be able to answer some key questions whether the scooter is for yourself or someone else. We have listed them at the bottom of this post.

It is important that you test drive scooters. Feeling comfortable is important to driving safely. Having the ability to adjust for seat width, height, reach, and speed are features you simply cannot determine by looking at a picture.It’s also a good idea if at some point before the purchase, the person for whom you are purchasing actually gets to test drive it. Because they come in so many shapes and sizes (both people and scooters!), it’s important to work on making a good match. Be sure to check out Roy Patrick’s story in our About You section. There’s a guy who spent some time thinking through his needs and wants, finally making the absolute best decision for himself.

So, if you’re feeling cooped up after these chilly months, take a test drive! This month we are featuring the Jazzy 1103 by Pride Mobility in our store.

• What physical condition are you in? What illness or injury is affecting mobility? Is it temporary or degenerating? You want to choose a vehicle that will give you enough flexibility to adjust to your physical changes over a period of time.

• Where do you plan to use the vehicle? If indoors primarily, you want something with a sharp turning radius to maneuver easily through doors and around furniture. Outdoors, you need something with bigger wheels and the ability to withstand surface irregularities.

• What feels most comfortable and natural to you?