Any ideas to make this easier? Disabled mobility scooter assembly

My mother-in-law has MS, and just got a mobility scooter and a lift for it into her car. She can do everything except put the seat on--well, she can do that, but it is difficult and I'm afraid she's going to fall while doing it. Unfortunately there is no way to leave the seat on the scooter and get it in the car, at least until someone convinces her that it is ok to be seen in a minivan.

So anyways, the seat is fairly heavy--maybe 5lbs. It is large and bulky--it looks like this one:

The seat goes in easily--just a round peg in a round hole, no problem, and it seats flush with the hole. Any ideas on how to make this easier to put in for someone with extremely little strength and balance? Her way of doing it now is to swing it up and hope it goes in, then try again, and again... It won't work for very long, I can tell you.

Convince her that minivans are not the devil?

What about a smaller seat? I was looking at one for traveling with my wife that had a large bicycle type seat.

Wall-e wrote: What about a smaller seat? I was looking at one for traveling with my wife that had a large bicycle type seat.

Nope. Not enough balance to use one without a back or armrests.

Duke wrote: Convince her that minivans are not the devil?

Hahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see a LOT of mobility scooters on hitch mounted racks behind the car. Scooter stays assembled (and out in the weather). Racks either have a ramp to drive up or electric motor raises and lowers the whole thing to the ground.

A funnel type piece added to help guide it in?

In reply to RossD:

That or a taper on the peg portion of the equation.

In reply to mtn:

Not sure it will help now, but I know someone a couple hours south of you selling a new handicap-accessible Town & Country. She got it for her husband last summer, who passed away 3-weeks later. Last I spoke to her, I think the price was only ~$30k.

petegossett wrote: In reply to mtn: Not sure it will help now, but I know someone a couple hours south of you selling a new handicap-accessible Town & Country. She got it for her husband last summer, who passed away 3-weeks later. Last I spoke to her, I think the price was only ~$30k.

Not going to help, unfortunately. Thanks for the info though.

SWMBO uses a mobility scooter, as she is a paraplegic. To the point where even the concept of breaking down the scooter to put it in the car is unfathomable. She has a hitch-mounted lift on her 2010 Accord.

$200 for the hitch, ~$1200 for the lift. Problem solved.

Form the seat and mounting hardware from CF and Kevlar or less heavy materials (like aluminum, etc.) to reduce the weight.

Bonus: it could be formed to fit her exactly and could therefore be more comfortable.

Make the arms and seat back removeable using quick release pins/hardware to reduce the weight.

Get a slightly larger car or a hitch mounted carrier for the scooter.

I am having a hard time comprehending the idea that it is ok to be seen riding a mobility scooter, but not ok to be seen in a Minivan. That is humorous. If a reasonable vehicle for her needs is not a viable option, then maybe the hitch mounted lift/rack is the way to go.

T.J. wrote: I am having a hard time comprehending the idea that it is ok to be seen riding a mobility scooter, but not ok to be seen in a Minivan. That is humorous. If a reasonable vehicle for her needs is not a viable option, then maybe the hitch mounted lift/rack is the way to go.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I don't understand why they bought the vehicle they did (Lexus RX) other than it was what MIL wanted, even if it wasn't what she needed. I don't understand why they got the chair that they did, there was another that was better.

But they didn't consult me on any of it. And when they consulted my wife, they didn't listen to her.

T.J. wrote: I am having a hard time comprehending the idea that it is ok to be seen riding a mobility scooter, but not ok to be seen in a Minivan. That is humorous. If a reasonable vehicle for her needs is not a viable option, then maybe the hitch mounted lift/rack is the way to go.

Its an emotional response to moving away from her chosen vehicle, so it doesn't make logical sense by definition, but is it any different than the types of car decisions some of us have made and continue to make?

mtn wrote:

T.J. wrote: I am having a hard time comprehending the idea that it is ok to be seen riding a mobility scooter, but not ok to be seen in a Minivan. That is humorous. If a reasonable vehicle for her needs is not a viable option, then maybe the hitch mounted lift/rack is the way to go.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I don't understand why they bought the vehicle they did (Lexus RX) other than it was what MIL wanted, even if it wasn't what she needed. I don't understand why they got the chair that they did, there was another that was better. But they didn't consult me on any of it. And when they consulted my wife, they didn't listen to her.

Then let them suffer. Often people have to get into uncomfortable situations before they change their positions or decisions.

The solution is simple:

Trade the RX for a vehicle that can handle the scooter (it doesn't have to be a minivan)

Get the better scooter and keep the RX.

You've got the recommendations and you've just admitted they don't make reasonable decisions or listen to you or your wife. Your chances of doing anything except frustrate you further are rather high.

Drop it and move on. Love them where they are and live yours.

I don't understand why the seat has to come off for her to get into the car.

Perhaps this is really the part that needs to be looked at.

foxtrapper wrote: I don't understand why the seat has to come off for her to get into the car. Perhaps this is really the part that needs to be looked at.

The way that the lift attaches to the scooter requires the seat to come off; it attaches underneath the seat. If you leave the seat on and try to lift it, the front wheels come off the ground while the back wheels stay down until it nearly flips.

mtn wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: I don't understand why the seat has to come off for her to get into the car. Perhaps this is really the part that needs to be looked at.

The way that the lift attaches to the scooter requires the seat to come off; it attaches underneath the seat. If you leave the seat on and try to lift it, the front wheels come off the ground while the back wheels stay down until it nearly flips.

OK, so is this something like a Midi Hoist? Where it helps put the scooter into the trunk of the car? Or perhaps a roof box? Though I haven't seen one of those for a motorized scooter.

In any case, if it's requiring the seat to be removed to hoist, sounds like the hoist isn't installed correctly.

Usually they have two mounting points on the scooter, which allows the seat to stay in place. A double hooked strap connects to the two mounting points and away you lift.

How plausible is it to redesign the mounts and lifting to facilitate this, leaving the seat in place?

See what you can do with the hoist like foxtrapper said. There isn't much to do beyond that.

Sometimes the answer is time. 
 

My mother is 87, and her mobility is deteriorating in every way. 
 

She fights the changes, even when her limitations are  painfully obvious to everyone else. 
 

Cane, walker, wheelchair, every step of the way. 
 

There isn't a chance in hell she will ever be able to drive again, but her car sits in her driveway. Gassed up, registered, and ready to go. There is no way she will EVER consider using the mobility scooter in the garage.

These are things she needs.  They define her independence.  I just have to understand. 
 

She has eventually resigned to each change. Sometimes it's after something bad, like a fall. 
 

This is really hard. I totally understand wanted to help, and to "fix it". Sometimes you can't. 

Hard to fathom that June 2016 is 4.5 years ago.  That seemed like yesterday.

And it's also forever, as it's the year my FIL passed.