Dear all
After Mum's death last year in August I spent some of the legacy on a Motorhome.
With CA it is difficult and we hope to get rid of it in two years time and get a disabled one as my Ataxia getss worse.
In the meantime the main
problem is getting in it up the steps.We have looked at the Powerstep option but does anyone know anymore?We don't want to make too many adaptions as we don't want to devaalue a lot.
sorry to hear about Mum Marie. My sister in law has MS and they have powered step for her to get in. I dont think that would devalue the vehicle... quite the reverse in fact.
xx Patsy
Also sorry to hear about your Mother Marie. I am also thinking about an RV and have many of the same concerns. I want to make sure that I can get in & out as easy as possible along with being able to maneuver around ok inside. My thoughts are that the service department may know more possibilities than the sales dept due to exposure to issues such as this. please keep us up to date with your decisions. Pictures are welcome too. Great topic.
Hi Marie - I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I agree with Patsy regarding a lift; not only will it allow you access, I would think that it would be beneficial for resale with an aging population of baby boomers.
I know that my wife stays right behind me going up the stairs, and I have a couple extra rails to hang onto. Going down the steps I use my cane and step a bit sideways and my wife is there at the bottom. It's exhausting so I do as little as I can. We have always dreamed of traveling around in the motor home, but after the SCA got real bad, my wife is the driver, and I ride shotgun.
I recently visited my cousin in her caravan. She has rheumatoid arthritis and her mobility is very limited but she managed to get in and out of her caravan. She has a very sturdy set of steps with a handle for safety. Not sure if this would be right for you. It gave me the encouragement that I need to do things because she doesn't let things stop her from enjoying life. There are so many safety devices available now and special shops who can give advice.
I hope you enjoy your motorhome - my cousin calls it her home from home
We had a 40ft diesel pusher with 3 slides. Very nice. Got to travel for 7 years, lived in it 7 years. I was the main driver. I found that after my Ataxia progressed that driving was problematic.
Not only getting in and out of the rig challenging moving around in the rig an issue. If the rig as not perfectly level that was a problem. There was other issue of moving about in the rig as well. Getting in and out of the shower was an issue. While in the shower nothing to hold on to -- attempt to put bars in the shower -- well no good way to secure the bars.
I do think that a power step in to the rig can be a plus and a minus. They are expensive. Having the power step and the issue of resale 'may' limit options. Some buyers will see it as a plus others will not. Seasoned RV'ers may view the power step as just another amenity to go wrong, another expense to have to possibly deal with.
Traveling in a MH does offer many pluses. Keep in mind that most parks are not suited for those with mobility issues.
One of the things on my bucket list has been to get an RV , by the time I was 5 I had lived in most of europe's major cities and visited nations that don't exist today , But I have never really seen the good ol USA , I dont want to go to the typical tourist traps , but want to travel the not so main roads , Rt 66 is an example , stop where i want , when I want . I cant stand the hassle of meeting a hotels schedule . My friend has 40' pusher and its way too much rv for me , but they live n it full time so it work for that .
That being said I just got a scooter and went to harbor freight and bought a set of folding ramps , they work very well getting the thing in and out of a subaru forester , my wife is able to unfold them and steer the scooter up and down , and if I dont need them the just go in the garage . Nothing permanent and wont hurt your value .
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.It is good to hear about your experiences.
The idea behind the Motorhome was to distract me from trying and getting frustrated about the things I can no longer do.
My old hobbies were walking and gardening-mobile things I got frustrated at. My one remaining interest was travelling.
I did a lot of caravanning when my children were small.I keep going back to the past and thinking I can do the same things.
So we got the Motorhome as finding disabled and dog friendly accommodation was difficult and required a lot of research.
Besides I liked mountains not beaches so finding the right place that suited was not easy.
I had the idea of reading and touring in the sun.The trouble with a large rv is that in the UK the roads are small and overcrowded.We like going up passes and tracks.The idea of pulling something large fills me with horror.
I thought a caravan was scary over those gorges.in France.
I wanted something that is good for touring so that I can just about see the sights and a place I could get into.
I think maybe I overestimated my ability which is partly not wanting to accept my immobility and wanting to make sure I didn't fritter away my legacy.I have got plans but I have still got the prooblem of accessibility.