Shoprider Scootie Three Wheel Compact Travel Scooter

The afternoon of my mother's funeral in June, 2004, the family was later gathered in my parents long-time home. Dad told my brother and I that he wanted to talk to us. My sister was his live-in caregiver and they had already spent many hours discussing this topic.

He wanted to purchase an electric scooter so that he could ride the four to five blocks uptown. He lived in a fairly small community where most people knew each other, and wanted to be able to go to such places as the doctor, the pharmacy, and bank on his own as well as a couple of local restaurants. At one of the restaurants, the guys he had known for a long time through the Senior Center and the Masons gathered every morning for coffee and conversation. We all knew that having his own transportation during the day while my sister was at work would open up a whole new life for him.

His main concern was how much it would cost. My brother and I knew that money was really no object compared to what he would gain. We think he just wasn't used to spending that much on himself and wanted our okay. Money had been tight while Mom was in the nursing home for a couple of years, but we all felt like he had the right to spend his money the way he wanted, especially for something that would allow him such a sense of freedom that a three-wheel electric scooter would provide.

He was legally blind from birth and only had a limited drivers license when he was very young. Having the three-wheel scooter provided great opportunity and he rode that thing almost to its death and his. There were some close calls crossing streets, but eventually he had to retire the bike due to his age and lack of eyesite. In fact, his doctor is the one that told him, "No more."

I'm just glad it wasn't one of us family members that had to tell him when to stop. Ultimately, we were very pleased with the several years he did get to travel around town on his own.