The rates of mobility scooter ownership and use are on the rise in New Zealand as the ageing population continues to boom and people turn to cheaper and more mobile forms of transportation than the traditional car.
According to new research from the University of Otago, New Zealand's population aged 65-plus is rapidly increasing and will account for 23% of the population by 2036.
With almost 50% of those over 65 experiencing some form of disability, it is likely increasing numbers of people will turn to mobility scooters as a solution to transport and mobility issues in their twilight years.
''Mobility scooters provide an economical and convenient means of local transportation,'' Prof John Sullivan, of the University of Otago School of Physiotherapy, said.
''As more and more mobility scooters are seen in the community there is the potential for them to be seen as a mainstream form of transport.''
Prof Sullivan conducted a study into mobility scooters earlier in the year which found the primary reason people bought a scooter was because they had difficulty walking (80%), followed by losing their licence, or because they had seen others using them.
About half of those in the study bought their scooters of their own accord, while 33% did so on the recommendation of a family member or friend and only 17% on the advice of a health professional.
Tony McCarthy, who has owned Otago Mobility Scooters in South Dunedin for 16 years, said he supplied a wide range of scooters for a variety of needs - from scooters that could navigate crowded supermarket aisles to vehicles with grunt that could climb Baldwin St.
''When I first got involved with mobility scooters they were mainly used for inside use and for going out to the letter box. Then people just wanted them to go further and further.''
According to Prof Sullivan's study the average trip length for a mobility scooter is 7.2km.
''A mobility scooter is now just a form of transport,'' Mr McCarthy said.
''Without the aid of mobility scooters there would be a huge amount of people that would have to go into rest-homes as there would be no way they could survive on their own. This takes a lot of pressure off the family and gives the person independence and the person knows if they want to go out at any time they can.''
John Beel (83) was suffering from serious ''blues'' three years ago when he contacted Mr McCarthy at Otago Mobility Scooters. Mr Beel, a war veteran, received a grant to buy the scooter from the RSA and said the purchase had improved his life ''immeasurably''.
''All I wanted to do was die. I was so down and thought 'bugger, there's no life and nothing going for me'. Then Tony [McCarthy] took me under his wing and taught me everything I wanted to know about the scooter.''
Mr Beel said if the weather was fine he used his scooter every day for trips to the supermarket, the pub and all the way across town to the hospital - a round trip of nearly 10km.
''I have emphysema. I can't walk far without running out of air. But I can hop on that thing and I am off like Scat the Cat.''
The only drawback to owning a scooter was the verbal abuse he copped from people in the street, who routinely swore at him or ignored him as he sounded his horn on the footpath to let them know he was coming.
''But young kids love it - and dogs - toot toot! I always give people a wave when they've let me through.''
- by Eleanor Ainge Roy
