Problem Solvers

Ensuring Senior Mobility

What providers should know about PMDs for the senior population.

• By Joseph Duffy
• Feb 01, 2014

Today’s wired senior population is arguably more informed than ever before. Armed with smartphones, tablets and computers, seniors are often educated shoppers who want the best value for their money. But even when clients think they know what’s best, a tactful approach to the big picture is a good way to proceed so senior clients end up with the right PMD for their situation.

“In assisting a consumer with a power mobility device (PMD) purchase, a provider needs to fully understand a day in the life of the individual,” says Cy Corgan, Director of Strategic Accounts, Pride Mobility Products. “Providers need to ask the questions that will help seniors find products that best fit their needs.”

Corgan suggests that providers need to understand their senior clients’ medical condition; conduct a home evaluation to ensure the product will let them perform their ADLs safely and navigate throughout the home, and know how often they will travel with the product and how they will transport it.

“Seniors want products with style and curb appeal,” Corgan says. “They want feature-rich products that fit their active lifestyles. They don’t want products that look like medical devices or that indicate they have a medical condition.”

Narrowing Down Solutions

George Turturiello ATP, CRTS, is a Mobility Specialist with Northeast Med-Equip/Northeast Accessibility, an HME provider located in Pennsylvania. About 30 percent of his PMD clients are seniors. He says the majority of seniors he deals with know they have a need but often cannot explain exactly what they are looking for.

“They might be looking for a scooter and really need a power wheelchair,” Turturiello says. While some seniors will do due diligence before shopping for products, he finds that many get their information from commercials and literature and develop a perception of a PMD solution that may be off base. But like Corgan, Turturiello says that one of the biggest commonalities among seniors looking for PMDs is the desire to be active and as unrestrained as possible.

“I have seen a generational change over the last 20 years,” he says. “It used to be that people using PMDs were satisfied with being at home and now people want the ability to travel and get out. They want more from life.

“They feel that just being in the house and going from the bedroom to the living room and then the kitchen is just ‘surviving’ and not living,” Turturiello continues. “Seniors now come in looking for something to go fishing in or to go through the grass trails.”

When Turturiello first sees seniors with PMD needs, he asks a few questions about their health and, if applicable, their spouses’ health.

“I ask about the physical limitations these customers have and the obstacles they want to go around, whether they are figurative or actual,” says Turturiello. “Sometimes their limitations are put in front of them by family members. I try to be gentle about family members and their suggestions. Sometimes the seniors’ children are too overprotective and don’t understand their parent’s frustrations. Seniors are a lot like teenagers: Allow them enough space to see their limits and accept their request for freedom. The difference being using the car or going outside in a scooter or power chair.”

Turturiello points out that all new clients have a wishlist, be it going outside, maneuvering inside, or having a particular power function. Therefore, he carries more than a dozen different models. This, he says, gives seniors a choice for capability, function and price.

“A very active senior may live in a larger community and would like a more robust outdoor scooter,” Corgan explains. “On the other hand, someone who is going to use a power chair in the home and on vacation may be more comfortable with one that’s more compact.”

Sizing

Turturiello says most of his senior clients are average sizes, usually 18-inches to 20-inches wide and 16-inches to 20-inches deep. Most of the bases on the PMDs he carries accept different seating types. Turturiello gives every client the ability to try several models indoors and outdoors and then questions the home situation regarding space to maneuver and doorway sizes. This helps narrow the choices.

By refurbishing power wheel chairs, Turturiello gives other alternative to PMDs acquired through government programs.

“Most of the seniors I speak to need something different than what the program allows or covers,” says Turturiello.

Accessories

Corgan suggest that when discussing PMD accessory options, include cup holders, O2 holders, cane and crutch holders, and rear baskets for scooters and power chairs. He also reminds providers to ask about transportation of the PMD. Seniors may need a vehicle lift to use their PMD when traveling. In addition ramps may be needed for ease of access to the home or various rooms within the home. Turturiello adds to recommend side bags and backpacks for the wheel chairs.

Senior Mobility Checklist

Bearing Turturiello’s and Corgan’s points in mind, here is a checklist that will help you give your senior clients the PMD that best supports their needs:

• Understand their expectations.
• Ask about their physical condition.
• Talk to family members to get insight into the situation.
• Give your clients options.
• Never talk down to your clients. Be honest about the equipment’s limitations for everyone’s safety.
• Understand a day in the life of your client.
• Research the layout of the home.
• Discuss helpful accessories.
• Help them understand funding availability.

Remember, seniors are sophisticate buyers with a wealth of information at their fingertips. Moreover, they seek individualized products and services that are tailored to their lifestyles. The HME business that can deliver on these needs will become a trusted provider and ally to the senior population it serves.

This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of HME Business.