Mobility and ALS

Used across the whole answer

Used across the whole answer

✓Supports this

“A walking aid brought in early, rather than after things get difficult, can help prevent falls and injuries.”

Puts the weight on timing. It says a device that arrives at the right point is what avoids falls and the injuries that can follow, and it names unsteadiness and tiring easily as the signals to act on.

Getting the right device at the right time can help prevent falls and avoid injuries that could lead to additional complications.

Mobility and ALS

Used across the whole answer

✓Supports this

“It works better to have mobility equipment in place a little before it becomes essential than to arrange it once it is.”

States the same rule and gives the reason behind it, which is the wait between deciding you need a device and having it.

It is important to be proactive and plan ahead so you don't get stuck waiting for your next mobility device.

Getting and Paying for Mobility Devices

Used across the whole answer

Used across the whole answer

iAdds context

“Many ALS/MND organisations and clinics lend out mobility and daily living equipment.”

Confirms that loan schemes are common and that borrowing is usually free, and suggests asking the clinic or local ALS organisation when cost is the obstacle. It is describing loan closets in the United States, and it does not say the loans are short term or that they are a way of avoiding a wait.

Many local ALS organizations and clinics loan certain types of assistive devices and medical equipment at no cost.

Equipment Loan Closets

✓Supports this

“Getting a piece of mobility equipment can take weeks or longer, because it has to be assessed, funded, ordered and delivered.”

Tells people to be proactive so they are not left waiting for the next device, and puts a number on it: qualifying, ordering and receiving a custom power wheelchair can take a month to two months or more. The funding step it describes is US health insurance, so the route differs elsewhere even where the wait does not.

The process of qualifying for, ordering, and receiving your custom power wheelchair, for example, can take 30-60 days or more.

Getting and Paying for Mobility Devices

✓Supports this

“Mobility equipment that matches what a person needs now helps them stay safe, active and more independent.”

Answers the worry directly. It acknowledges that admitting you need a walking aid or wheelchair is hard, and says that a device matched to your current needs is what lets you keep going where you want to go.

Acknowledging that you may need a walking aid or wheelchair can be difficult, but being realistic and getting mobility devices that match your current needs can help you stay safe, be more independent, save energy, and go where you want to go.

Mobility and ALS

✓Supports this

“Getting the right mobility aid at the right time can help prevent falls and the injuries that follow them.”

Makes timing the point: it is getting the right device at the right time, rather than the device alone, that helps avoid falls and injuries.

Getting the right device at the right time can help prevent falls and avoid injuries that could lead to additional complications.

Mobility and ALS

✓Supports this

“Many ALS/MND organisations and clinics lend equipment short term, which is what covers the wait for a tailored chair.”

Says loan closets are common and free, and suggests asking the clinic and the local ALS organisation about borrowing when a device is needed and not yet funded.

Many local ALS organizations and clinics loan certain types of assistive devices and medical equipment at no cost.

Equipment Loan Closets

✓Supports this

“Walking becoming tiring, distances shrinking or falls becoming a worry are good prompts to raise a wheelchair.”

Names unsteady movement and getting easily fatigued when moving around as the point to see a physiotherapist, and says the timing of the device is what decides whether falls and the injuries that follow them are avoided.

Getting the right device at the right time can help prevent falls and avoid injuries that could lead to additional complications.

Mobility and ALS

✓Supports this

“A wheelchair can give back distance and getting out, including going to things and keeping up with other people.”

Says a mobility device matched to your current needs helps you stay safe, be more independent, save energy and go where you want to go, and names long distances and getting around outdoors among what a manual wheelchair makes possible.

Manual wheelchairs can be helpful for conserving energy, preventing falls, going long distances, and getting around outdoors.

Manual and Transport Wheelchairs

!Qualifies this

“How long it takes to get a powered or custom-seated wheelchair, from assessment through funding to delivery, varies by location and can run to many weeks or months.”

Gives a figure for the same process, but a shorter and more specific one: 30 to 60 days or more for a custom power wheelchair. That figure describes one United States insurance route, so it supports the many-weeks end of the range rather than the several-months end, and it is why the answer says the time varies by location rather than giving a number.

The process of qualifying for, ordering, and receiving your custom power wheelchair, for example, can take 30-60 days or more.

Getting and Paying for Mobility Devices

Used across the whole answer

✓Supports this

“Some of the equipment involved can be borrowed rather than bought.”

Says many local ALS organisations and clinics run loan closets that lend out certain assistive devices and medical equipment free of charge. It describes loan closets in general and does not list which items any one of them stocks.

Many local ALS organizations and clinics loan certain types of assistive devices and medical equipment at no cost.

Equipment Loan Closets

Further reading

Mobility planning, including the home environment

Further reading

Practical mobility planning guide covering aids, safety and progression

Further reading

Staying safe and independent with changing mobility

Further reading

Mobility aids and equipment for ALS/MND, and timing

Further reading

Questions to ask about mobility planning

Further reading

Who assesses and provides mobility equipment in ALS/MND

Further reading

Why planning mobility ahead matters in ALS/MND