Mobility - wheelchair hire

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Frederick"]

   Only last year I spent some time trying to assist a friend who wanted to go on holiday in Normandy and she had mobility problems and was hoping to " Hire " a wheelchair to take in their car when getting about in France as travelling with friends  they did not have room to take one ...Could not find anyone who did it ...in the UK she would have been spoilt for choice  ..My friend had to miss a visit to Mont St Michelle ...mobility problems ?   you can not get in the place ...

[/quote]

For wheelchair hire, ask at the main pharmacy in the nearest

reasonably-large town or, if they either don't do wheelchair hire or

don't know of anywhere that does, ask at the local cabinet infirmière.

During my parents' recent visit, we hired a very good wheelchair from a

specialist shop adjacent to one of the central pharmacies in Vire,

Calvados. Very efficient service, not expensive, wheelchair was late coming in

from a previous hire so the shop delivered it out to us FOC. 

We also tried to hire a electric "recline / sit / rise" type of chair but that wasn't possible.

As for Mont St Michel, we too found that access was limited and

difficult but in that particular instance accepted that the Mont is what is and short

of major restructuring / rebuilding, I don't think there's much Mont St

Michel can do to become more accessible. The focus should surely be on ensuring more modern buildings and certainly anything newly built or renovated includes good accessibility as a required standard.

[Christine Animal]

In the Charente Maritime amongst other places some beaches have disabled access and even floating wheelchairs are provided

http://www.handicap-charente-maritime.com/plages-charente-maritime/plage-acces-handicapes.htm

 

There are plenty of sites for the disabled if you do a search, just found this one trying to see what a floating wheelchair looked like

http://handimobility.over-blog.com/article-128448.html

 

Here's a good site        Autonomia

 

[Scooby]

[quote user="Catalpa"]

As for Mont St Michel, we too found that access was limited and

difficult but in that particular instance accepted that the Mont is what is and short

of major restructuring / rebuilding, I don't think there's much Mont St

Michel can do to become more accessible.

[/quote]

Mont St Michel would be better if there were occassional seats for the disabled.  We were there in the summer with a disabled person, who had the temerity to sit on a seat at a cafe - and was promptly told to move on.  When we pointed out that she was disabled and needed to sit for a few minutes we were told tough - if you want to sit down you buy something.

As an aside we queued for over two hours to get off the car park - never, ever again!

[Sunday Driver]

My mother-in-law is getting quite frail now, so I asked our local small pharmacy about hiring a wheelchair for when she comes over on her annual holiday visit.  They said no bother at all, and if we gave them a week's notice or so, they'd order one in from the rental company they normally use.  When I went to pick up the chair, it was virtually brand new and it cost me 13€ for the week.

As far as good service is concerned, back in the summer after our road accident when Mrs Sunday needed a wheelchair and I was confined to bed, one of the pharmacy girls brought it round in her car during her lunch break....[:D]

They also supplied her with a 'deambulateur' which is a sort of mini walking frame with a padded knee rest on it so she could shuffle around the house, eg into the bedroom and loo, without putting any weight on her broken ankle - much easier than manouvering a wheelchair in small spaces.  The prescription had specified the deambulateur as an outright supply rather than a hire item, so the pharmacy said, no keep it - it's yours now.  We suggested they 'put it into stock' and pass it one to anyone else who might need one.

 

 

 

[Frederick]

  Thanks for the information on wheelchairs  S.D   Might have known if anybody would have the answer it would be you......an lot of people will find this useful ..a great help to them ...it crossed my mind though  " will the pharmacy be willing to arrange  "hire " for  a visitor who does not have an address in France  ?.....Huge deposit for holiday makers and I suspect theft insurance is the answer ?