Perception of needing and using a mobility scooter: a preclinically disabled non-scooter user perspective

Purpose: Older people experiencing a decline in their mobility often choose to use a mobility scooter. They are used by those with mobility impairments to enable them to travel independently and engage in activities outside the home. This project explored the perceptions of mobility scooters by older adults who experience mobility difficulties but do not use mobility scooters. It aimed to understand how scooters were perceived by this group to uncover any barriers to scooter use and to help in predicting future uptake. Materials & Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out to enable the elicitation of attitudes and perceptions about mobility decline and mobility scooters. All the interviewees were classified as preclinically disabled so that they had some mobility limitations that would indicate that a mobility scooter could be beneficial to increase their mobility. Results: Non-mobility scooter user are wary of scooter users due to negative experiences interacting with them. Potential personal scooter uptake is viewed with great reluctance and as an indication that they themselves have given up. Conclusions: Older adults with mobility impairments could benefit from using a mobility scooter by gaining an improved quality of life, engagement and social relationships. However the wish to disassociate oneself with ageing or physically decline means that large proportions of this population are unwilling to. Implications for rehabilitation Mobility scooter use can aid those with restricted mobility to increase their independence and quality of life. Stigmatization of and previous negative interaction with mobility scooter users discourage potential users from utilizing them.