Mobility Scooter Ramp
Jackie suffers from degenerative arthritis and is totally reliant on her mobility scooter for shopping and local socialising. Although she has a small ramp to her back door into the kitchen, it takes about half an hour to manoeuvre the scooter through the back door and into the kitchen because there is not enough space.
There is space to have a ramp to get the mobility scooter indoors via the patio doors. However, Jackie is unable to lift or manoeuvre into place any of the commercially available removable door ramps. Any permanent ramp needs to take into account the PVC patio doorframe and to ensure the protruding door fame lip and the door locking mechanism are not damaged or compromised.
The solution
Dave Chartres from the York panel came up with an ingenious solution. His design incorporated two fixed wooden ramps – one inside and one outside – which are coupled when the door is open by a removeable bridging piece. This allows Jackie to drive her scooter over the door frame threshold without damaging anything. Once the bridging piece is removed the patio door can be closed exactly as normal.
The bridging piece is light enough for Jackie to be able to lift it and it has handles and spacers which make it easy to manoeuvre and locate into place.
The outside ramp with bridging piece in place – lifting handles visible:
The indoor ramp:
The ramp in use. (Second patio door only open to show full ramp and bridging piece lifting handle):
The benefit
Jackie now has more independence and can get her mobility scooter in and out of her house much quicker and far more easily.
- Skills involved:
- Issues Addressed:
- Activities Helped:
- Location:
- Solution:
I am facing very similar problems. it’s now becoming impossible for me to continue to use the portable ramps as I can’t lift and put then down etc. my scooter is my only means of getting out of the house. I’m only 30 and struggling massively. there’s a lip on the inside of my door too, which prevents anything being there permanently
Hi Laura, thank you for your comment. If you please complete our referral form with a bit more information, then we can see if we’re able to help: http://www.remap.org.uk/help
This idea may help my Housing Association with adapting my patio door as entrance to my flat. I have a small patio, which they have suggested using to store my scooter in (its out in hallway at present, fire risk). This situation occurred after i swapped with previous tenant. She had been told electric socket was going to be installed in nearby storage unit, when we swapped this got cancelled. Long story short, following OT report they say this is not viable as 3 flats share the unit and they were all asked to pay extra rent! Then they looked at making direct entrance to my flat, not feasible. Then suggested the patio. They would have to put gate through fence and landscaping. But then scooter out all winter and the risk of being stollen. Plus whole patio would be gone, reason i wanted the swap to flat. There is a height issue to get scooter into property and i would have to leave door open in winter to run a cable out to charge it.
I’m still trying to get a solution via OT. But they even think it looks waste of time, leaving me housebound as my mobility gets worse. I have osteoarthritis.
Hi Frances, we may be able to help with this, please complete our referral form here: https://remap.org.uk/referral-form/