With the Mothers’ and the Fathers’ day around the corner, I was going around researching for gifts for my parents and their parents. Issues of the mobility of my elder relatives have taken the driver’s seat as I considered the various factors for the selection of the gift for them. The choice may be expensive, but it is worth the cause when I and my wife considered what we can save on the angst and the panic pangs we get about my elderly relatives, their safety and well being. After all, just as the loving and caring nature we inherited from our parents, we decide it is worth while to inherit the mobility aids they used. We decided that it is a long term investment; we were making, for many generations of the elderly to come after us.

According to a study, transportation and mobility are closely related to independence, well being, and quality of life of an elderly person. Mobility of older adults should be enhanced without compromising safety.

However, women with serious mobility problems are twice the percentage of men in age group 75 years or older.

Breeze III Mobility Scooter

Research indicates that:

• Women outlive men
• When they lost their mate, they lost their mobility too
• Women outnumber male drivers in the recent years and would continue to do so in the future
• From the age of fifty-five or more women, twice the number of men use a walking stick, crutch, or walker to get around
• 2 percent of the elderly people aged 65 to 74 years have come to use invalid carriage or wheelchair
• 6 percent of over 75 years have come to depend on invalid carriage or wheelchair
• Twice the number of women aged 75 years or more use a walking aid or an invalid carriage or wheelchair as the men of the same age group

Breeze III Mobility Scooter

Mobility problems create serious repercussions on health and well being among the elderly as:

• Mobility problems negatively impact the autonomy and quality of life the elders
• Mobility restricted are less likely to feel happy and content
• Elderly with restricted mobility have fewer social contacts
• Social isolation is the strongest predictor of premature death among the elderly
• Elderly with restricted mobility are three times as likely to be unhappy with life as people without mobility problems
• Elderly with restricted mobility are three times dissatisfied with life as people without mobility problems
• Elderly with restricted mobility have fewer contacts with both family and friends than people without mobility problems
• Elderly with restricted mobility experience negative consequences of falls that require hospitalization or may even lead to death

Breeze IV Mobility Scooter with Canopy

Factors leading to mobility restriction among the elderly

There is a steep rise in the population of the elderly in North America due to the increasing life expectancies and medical benefits. However, alternatives to their mobility by the state have not increased in the same ratio in view of its cost and feasibility, aggravating the mobility related problems among the elderly.

Data shows that older adults

• View public transit, para transit, walking, and bicycling as less convenient, available, feasible, or safe
• Experience higher rates of injury and crime as pedestrians
• Suffer higher rates of injury and crime as the users of public transit
• Are more likely to be victimized when using public transportation than people of other age groups
• Are more likely to be killed as pedestrians as there is increase in overall road fatalities because
• Have no other transportation options in their suburban communities
• Have no transportation other than their automobile
• Experience problems of information processing and functional ability as Older driver
• Face a crash risk/km driven which rises around the ages of 65-70

Stand-N-Ride Too

Visit the Luxury Scooter Showroom at www.elderluxe.com to choose and select from a range of electric mobility scooters designed with the features from the auto and motorcycle, walking canes and walking staffs and advanced walking aids to improve mobility and resolve other mobility issues and safety of your elders.