5 Questions to Ask Before Buying Any Mobility Aid Part 1

Summary

Choosing the right mobility device is about much more than picking a walker, wheelchair, or scooter—it’s about finding equipment that truly supports a person’s daily life and long-term goals. In this Carelab episode, occupational therapists Emilia Bourland and Brandy Archie explain why asking the right questions before making a purchase can prevent costly mistakes, improve safety, and help individuals maintain their independence.

Using real-life examples, they discuss how functional goals, proper training, insurance coverage, and timing all play a role in selecting the best mobility solution. They also highlight the importance of working with qualified professionals and understanding all available options before investing in equipment.

Key Questions Answered

Transcript

Emilia Bourland
Hello everyone, welcome to CareLab!

Brandy Archie
Welcome

to CareLab guys.

Emilia Bourland
Okay, today we're gonna be talking about five questions you should ask before buying any kind of mobility aid. I tell you what, when this this topic first came up, Brandy was excited. She was chomping at the bit for

Brandy Archie
yeah, I'm

Emilia Bourland
it.

Brandy Archie
listen, I'm trying to talk about this for sure.

Emilia Bourland
All right, so go ahead. Let's let's kick us out. Kick us up, Brandy.

Brandy Archie
Okay, so let's also define the question as a small bit. When we say before buying a mobility device, I mean we

Emilia Bourland
Yeah. huh.

Brandy Archie
mean with your own money or through insurance. And I'm gonna tell you why this is important. because you're still getting something, even if the dollars don't come out of your pocket. And I literally I know I say this a lot, but it be the thing is be really well timed. Literally yesterday I had a a struggling caregiver who had gotten a

Power wheelchair through insurance for her person. And

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
it was not supporting what they actually wanted to do. So the first question that you need to ask is does this equipment support our desired functional tasks? I'm gonna put it in there a context. I think it's such a good example. So

Emilia Bourland
Yeah.

Brandy Archie
the person has Parkinson's, and so they qualified for a big fancy wheelchair, which has a power wheelchair.

Which has a ton of features that are really important and they might need in the future, right? And you're supposed to have this chair for the next five years if you're using insurance. But their original goal was that she had been transporting him in a transport wheelchair. This is a lightweight chair that's easy to put in the back end of a vehicle. and when they get to the place, she would help him out of the car and she would push him into the place. But she wanted and he wanted to be more independent.

It'll be easier for her if she didn't have to push physically push him. And then he could like wheel around the store or whatever they're doing on his own. So they were looking for some

Emilia Bourland
Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
powered mobility in order to make that happen. which is totally fair. but the device I got was not easy to transport because it was big and fancy, it was really heavy. she couldn't take it apart and put it in her vehicle. it needs a special kind of lift on the back, not even like one of the cheaper kinds. It needed like a

Fancy one because it was so heavy and because it's complicated to get on there. And so that question was not asked when they first went through this process, and she wasn't aware of all of the implications of having this kind of device. And now they are about

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
to spend more money on something else that is going to actually meet their needs. So if you can just literally ask the question Is this piece of equipment going to support our functional desired

functional tasks? that can solve a lot of the challenges.

Emilia Bourland
Yeah. I think the the and the point to go along with it is is especially the more the more complicated that functional task is, what are the other things surrounding it that need to be kept in mind? Because a piece of great equipment can be a piece of great equipment. But to your point, if you don't have the- if you don't have a lift on the back of your car to transport this power wheelchair.

Is it actually going to be helpful to you? And so how do we make arrangements for you to have all of the things that you need in order for this piece of equipment to work? Right. you know, the other example that I would use for that, just really basic stuff sometimes. Sometimes maybe family has a goal for the the person that they're caring for that the person they're caring for does not necessarily share, right? Maybe,

Brandy Archie
Ooh, that's a good one.

Emilia Bourland
maybe it's really important to the family that this person get into

get into the shower or on and off the toilet or you know, you name it, whatever it is. But for that person, maybe those things have become less important. Maybe instead of spending their energy bathing, they'd rather get a sponge bath and spend more time being able to sit up at the table to eat or something like that. So making sure even on that basic level that that this piece of equipment is gonna go towards something that is really truly a desired functional

goal of the person who's going to use it is really important because to your point, Brandy, whether you're spending insurance dollars or your own dollars, those are dollars that that are being spent. And if you get something for someone that they don't really want or that they don't really want to use, then more often than not, it's actually gonna be a a waste of those dollars and a waste of other of other resources as well, right? So

Does this equipment actually support a desired functional task that everyone is on board with? It's an essential question to ask before you go any further along in the process.

Brandy Archie
Yeah, it I'm gonna give like another like more simple example of like

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
because it's often not that the person doesn't want to do it or want to use it. A lot of times it's because they don't feel confident in doing this new thing. We talk about change a lot and how hard it is. And like, do we wanna take the effort up front that it's gonna take in order to learn this new thing so that the outcome is X? Right? If the outcome of X is not strong enough for that individual person, they're not gonna go through the work.

of like learning and becoming comfortable with using this new device, if they don't have a good enough motivation on the other end. Maybe they should want to put their own socks on all the time, but if they don't really want to, then using this fancy sock aid or this other thing is just not a thing they're gonna mess with, even if you get it for them. So that's why those questions are so important.

Emilia Bourland
Well, and that really leads very well to one of the other questions on this list, which is has the person been trained to use a piece of equipment? Equipment is only as safe and only as functional as it possibly can be if people are trained to use it safely and to use it functionally. So often, you know, I'll walk into a home or a situation where a piece of equipment has been very well intentioned.

it's someone very well intentioned purchased this piece of equipment, but it's used incorrectly. And so it's actually or it's it's being used incorrectly, we'll just say that. And so it has actually caused the situation to be less safe than it was without the equipment there. So that's a really

Brandy Archie
Yes.

Emilia Bourland
important question too. You know, has proper has proper training been provided for this equipment so that

you or the person you're caring for can actually use it as it is intended and use it safely because if equipment is not used properly often it's going to cause an increased safety risk rather than promoting safety.

Brandy Archie
I have so many examples of this, so many. Like a bed rail that's a t that's put down by the foot of the bed as opposed to the head of the bed, so they can get up and

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
get out of the bed. But then when getting in the bed, you're flipping your legs over the like kicking your legs over the bedrail because it's in your way. Well it's supposed to go up at the head of the bed. It's not nothing wrong with this bedrail. You just put it in the wrong place. A tub transfer bench that the it hasn't been put together appropriately, so the handrail for the tub transfer bench is on the outside.

So you gotta get over that

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
in order to get onto the tubbench. a what was my other example? There's like a shower chair that either doesn't adjust or has been set too low. So you're sitting down too low. And the number of times I've been in a bathroom and been like, hey, is there a reason why you have this so low? Because it is adjustable and I can just raise it up so it's easier to get off of it. And they're just like mind blown. Had no idea that this

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
could be raised up and changes the whole functional situation.

So the training for using these devices, even as simple as that. We're not even talking about driving power wheelchairs or taking apart scooters so you can get them where they need to go, which are kind of more complicated and definitely need training. These are like simple do-it-yourself. You get them shipped to you from wherever. Hopefully ask Sammy. Maybe it's Amazon. Switch to AskSAMIE guys. And but

Emilia Bourland
Ha ha ha.

Brandy Archie
you should just like you should get a you should see you should still know how to use it well, even if you put it together correctly.

using it appropriately in the pl space that you're using it is like vitally important.

Emilia Bourland
Yeah, I will say actually, this wasn't intended to be a shameless plug, but there are when you purchase equipment on AskSAMIE there are we do there are training videos from higher standards caregiver training that you can also get as a part of that purchase that will actually teach you the correct way to use this equipment. They're really detailed.

Brandy Archie
Mm.

Emilia Bourland
You know, we zoom in on the different parts of equipment, showing you how to adjust.

Talking about how to use it properly for transfers in the environment, et cetera. Because it is one thing to have a piece of equipment. It's an entirely different beast to actually know how to use that equipment. Because the only way that equipment makes your life better is if you know how to use it properly. The only way it makes you safer is if you can use it safely. And a lot of times these things are not as intuitive as you want them to be. So getting that training along with that purchase.

I cannot overstate the importance of that. Brandy, what's the next one?

Brandy Archie
I think because we talked about like power wheelchairs and getting the right device, let's go ahead and talk about how the how you're gonna pay for it. And then we'll

Emilia Bourland
Okay.

Brandy Archie
save the other two for the next episode. So you're gonna have to make sure you subscribe so you know when the next episode drops so you can get all five of them. So the reason we're gonna ask the question about how this piece of equipment is gonna get paid for is because your options are different based on those pay that that pay, how that goes.

So for example, in the in the example I used about the person who got that power wheelchair, they went through insurance and Medicare specifically wants to get you a mobility device only for the purpose of you moving around your home. And they are not getting you a mobility device for the intended goal. Remember what the desired functional task was a question. Their intended goal was to get out of the house and to do more stuff in the community, which is super important and you should do. But insurance cares about

mobility in the home. And so that device is supposed to only be used there, which is why they don't necessarily pay for transport wheelchairs that are lightweight and easy to put in the car. Or for transport power wheelchairs, which also have power but are lightweight, lighter weight than like a traditional power chair. And so in that constraint, I can totally understand if you want to use your insurance for getting a mobility device that it does cover, you should do that.

But there's also constraints in which what things you are gonna get. So you really need to be asking these questions, all the ones we're talking about now and will in the next episode, so that you can use it appropriately, right? what would have been probably more effective for them, even though he did qualify for the fancy chair, would have been to get a scooter that does break apart, right? And like that way they can put it in the vehicle if they want to. They could get it up their s their stairs into the space in their home.

where he would be moving around the most often, and it would serve their needs and also still be covered by insurance. So I know this can be complicated because managing insurance and what it can pay for and what it won't pay for is a set of knowledge all on its own. but that's why if you can just remember to ask those questions to the people that you're working with, you can make sure you get what you need.

Emilia Bourland
I would other the other thing that I think is important to go along with determining, you know, are we going to try to get insurance to pay for something or are we going to pay for it ourselves? Besides just the obvious, like, how much is this going to cost? What's our budget? Is how fast do you want it?

Brandy Archie
Mm-hmm.

Emilia Bourland
if you are going through insurance, there's going to be a process where the insurance has to approve that. That means that you're going to have there's going to be documentation, there's going to be paperwork, your doctor, you're going to have to have a visit with your doctor about it. They're going to have to

fill out forms, it's gonna have to be sent off for approval, it's gonna have to be approved. And then at that point, the equipment, you're gonna be able to get it. Now, if you need something custom, this is the thing to do, right? but but if you yeah, you you gotta

Brandy Archie
Totally. 'Cause these things cost like ten thousand dollars. So you want to do that.

Emilia Bourland
you gotta use your benefits for for this kind of thing. Unless money is just like no object to you. But the vast majority of people have to use your benefits for these high priced items. But if we're talking about something

Like if we're talking about something like a walker, if we're talking about something like a bedside commode, even something

Brandy Archie
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Emilia Bourland
sometimes like a manual wheelchair, these are not necessarily no, these aren't necessarily always like low cost, but they're relatively inexpensive compared to some of these higher price items. So if it is something that has been recommended to you, you know it's the right thing, and you need it right away.

And you don't want to wait for that process, then the other that's the other consideration for whether or not you're purchasing it on your own versus going through insurance, is there is going to be a timing matter. Regardless of which one you want to do, I think it's always really important to get a recommendation for that piece of equipment from a therapist, from an occupational therapist if possible. if you're looking for, you know, devices just for like walk it, you know,

a walker or rollator or something like that, you can certainly get that kind of recommendation from a physical therapist as well. but that way you're making sure you're actually, if you're spending your out-of-pocket dollars, you're actually getting the right thing for you. but just keep in mind that timing is a thing. So if it's something that you want to write want right away and it's in your budget to do it, it might be worth it to you to go ahead and just purchase that thing out of pocket versus waiting to see if insurance is going to approve it.

Brandy Archie
Yeah, and part of the reason I was so excited about talking about this topic is because this is literally what we this is so complicated that we created a whole business around it and which is why

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
AskSAMIE exists. And I know I already did a shameless plug, but literally there are a lot of factors to consider. And

Emilia Bourland
Mm-hmm.

Brandy Archie
you only know what you know. And if you can't access a clinician or maybe because like there's lots of reasons in which

There's not an acute event. You're not in therapy. You don't have a person to work with, but you do recognize a need and you need some help. Like that's what SAME is for. It's free. It's an AI

Emilia Bourland
Yeah.

Brandy Archie
tool. You can put in your problem. It'll help you figure out, like, narrow this down to like the right sets of things. And maybe you can be like, had no idea that XYZ existed. That actually is the way.

I should solve this problem. I can also afford it. And then I'll save my insurance for getting the fancy power wheelchair or whatever you need to do, right? Like you're you actually have a lot more options than you think you do 'cause you just don't know about them. And it's important to have like skilled people help you do that. So yeah. So use SAMIE it's free and this it's there to help you.

Emilia Bourland
You don't have to wait for an appointment. That was actually okay, and we'll wrap up here. When when Brandy and I met many years ago, and she was just building AskSAMIE I was so excited about it, just for that reason, because it is about like democratizing access to knowledge and to good recommendations and getting people what they need. So, anyway, that said, we are gonna take this episode into a second part where we're gonna be

Brandy Archie
Two.

Emilia Bourland
answering the last two questions.

questions that you should ask before getting any kind of mobility device, y'all. if you enjoyed the episode, please take a moment to like and subscribe. Please share this with other people that you think could benefit. And please, please, please leave us a rating and a review. These are the best ways for us to expand our audience and continue to reach more people with this helpful information and the resources that we share. Thank you so much. We'll see you next time, right back here on CareLab. Bye.

Brandy Archie
Bye everybody.

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