In this BRAND NEW show, Theresa will connect with many healthcare heroes in our local community!
In this episode, Theresa, our Community Liaison, and La'Nette Pierre, Owner of Mobility Plus Manatee, dive into the world of portable scooters! They discuss the convenience of lightweight, automatically folding scooters, their long battery life, how they are easy to travel with and much more!
Let us know what you think!
#HealthcareHeroesUnplugged #TheresaTalksHealthcare #PortableScooters #HealthcareInnovation #ManateeCommunity #HomeHelpersHomeCareBradenton
To reach out to La'Nette Pierre or to learn more about products and services at Mobility Plus Manatee, there are a number of ways to get in touch:
Contact La'Nette Pierre
Phone: (941) 714-0068
Email: manatee@mobilityplus.com
Website: www.mobilityplus.com/manatee
Showroom Address:
1202 Gary Ave Unit 9
Ellenton, FL 34222
Transcript:
[Theresa] La’Nette?
[La’nette] Yes.
[Theresa] I’m off to the casino
[La’nette] I’m off to Disney.
[Theresa] Well, let’s chat later. All right. See you, bye.
[Theresa] Hello, everyone. This is Teresa Capuano-Scott with Home Helpers of Bradenton. I am here today with Ms. La’Nette Pierre, who owns Mobility Plus. And today, we are going to be learning about something that many, many seniors need and can certainly benefit from. Mobility Plus is a durable medical equipment company that offers a lot of different pieces of equipment and services. But today, we’re going to be learning about portable scooters.
Thank you so much, La’Nette, for allowing us to come in and talk with you today.
[La’nette] Thank you for having me.
[Theresa] So, La’Nette, how long have you folks been here? And please tell us where you’re located.
[La’nette] Yes. We are located at 1202 Gary Avenue, Ellenton, Florida. And we’re in suite number nine. We’ve been open for a little over three years now, but we’ve been in this location for about six months. Our showroom is very open to the public. So, if you ever want to come in and see what we have on the floor, you’re more than welcome. Our doors are wide open.
[Theresa] And this is a wonderful showroom. This is the first time I have been here. And I was pleasantly surprised, and I did not know that there were so many different options for equipment here. And La’Nette was very gracious to show me around and show me everything that she has to offer. We will give you folks a little bit of a tour afterward as well.
So, La’Nette, the first thing I’d like to ask you, tell me about these folding scooters.
[La’nette] Yeah. So auto-folding scooters are very popular right now. They really give a comfortability to people who are eating and traveling. They’re great for travel, they’re great for being lightweight, and for people to pick up and put in their cars so that they won’t need an actual hitch and an auto cleaner on the back of their cars. Okay. So, a lot of times, people go straight to the auto folding scooters because of that. They can travel with them; they can do whatever they want with them. And it’s so nice and lightweight.
[Theresa] They are very impressive. I’m so excited for everybody to see those.
So, who is your ideal client? Who would be the folks that would benefit the most from the pieces of equipment that you have here?
[La’nette] I would probably say seniors normally will be our top choice, our top clients for equipment like this. But anyone who has suffered an injury, anyone who has like a broken ankle or a broken leg or something like that, people who are in rehab or being discharged would be a great time for us.
[Theresa] And, of course, you have the scooters and different things here for purchase, but you also have items here to rent as well. Is that right?
[La’nette] Yes, we try to set ourselves apart from our competitors because what we understand most is the needs of the community. So we really started getting calls when we first opened about renting certain products so much to the point where we literally turned our entire fleet into a rental fleet because people kept calling.
They always say you’re in the business of what your customers are calling about or what they need. Right. So we adhere to the development of the community with that aspect of the rentals, and we just kind of made it work. And then now we have our wheelchairs, we have transport chairs, we have scooters, power chairs, stairlifts, even you can rent with us.
[Theresa] Oh my goodness.
[La’nette] Modular ramps you can rent with us. So these are things that a lot of our competitors are not doing, but we’re seeing the need in the community because sometimes people don’t want to spend thousands of dollars for something that they’re not sure they’re going to need for a really long time. And it’s actually it’s benefiting them. So it’s a great program that we have. You can rent directly online through our website. And then obviously, if you have questions, you can call, and we can talk a little bit more about, you know, the means of how to get it and how to bring it back out.
[Theresa] Great. Thank you. And then, do you folks come and perform service if the piece of equipment needs some service or tweaking? You’ll come right out and fix it?
[La’nette] Absolutely. So we just ask that you call to let us know what your issue is, and usually, we try to send someone out within 24 to 48 hours. Great. But that’s usually the lead time on our service.
[Theresa] Very good. Helpful to know. So, can you tell us a little bit about how these folding scooters work?
[La’nette] Yeah. So we like to call them the Tesla scooters because they usually have a remote control for the auto folding scooters. When you are able to press a button, if fold and then you can press another button, and then it unfolds. So once it does its cycle, you can pretty much pick it up and put it in the back of your vehicle, or in the back seat of your car, can be stored in the garage, and it can go and travel and travel with you if you need it to.
[Theresa] That’s fantastic. So folks will have a remote control. They just press the button, and it folds right up. You don’t have to do a thing.
[La’nette] It sounds like it should be more, right? Yeah, that’s literally it.
[Theresa] Oh, that’s great. I know a lot of times, even for me picking up something, you know, heavy like that, sometimes even the rolling roll later walkers is hard to fold up.
[La’nette] And when. But once it’s okay. So that’s one of the things that we also do. If you ever come here to rent or purchase from us, when you call it a consultation, we want to know or make sure that you’re very comfortable with the product that you have prior to walking out of our door. We want you to feel confident and comfortable with what you’re purchasing or renting. And then, obviously, if you have questions afterward, we’re here to answer those.
[Theresa] That’s wonderful. You have to make sure you know how to use these things cause otherwise, you hurt yourself. That’s the very important thing. We don’t want to do that.
[La’nette showing how their mobility scooters work]
[La’nette with scooter #1] Okay, so this is the module completely folded. And what I would like to show you is where the batteries are. And remember, we’ve talked about the lithium batteries earlier. This particular one has two, and they weigh about a pound and a half each. And they just go right into the sleeves of the scooter, and voila, your batteries are there.
Now, when you’re ready to unfold, what you do is pick your remote back up, which you will get to. By the way, when you order the module, you get two remotes, and then you go ahead and press the open button, and you let it do its thing. Beautiful. Now I’m ready to ride. So what am I going to do? I’m going to have a seat, and I’m going to let my right in my lap make sure there’s no traffic, and I’m going to go high.
[La’nette with scooter #2] Okay, so now we have another travel auto folding scooter called the EV Rider Transport AF+, which is an auto full, another auto folding scooter that also has a remote control. It doesn’t have the digital panel, but you’re able to put it in turtle mode, slow mode. You still have your horn there and obviously your knobs to go and stop.
Okay, so this one is auto-folding as well. I’m going to take this out, and your remote looks like it is a little different from the module. And what you’re going to do is press the red button to fold, and voila, you have yourself an auto-folding scooter that you can put in the back seat of your vehicle. This one is very popular because it only weighs 44 pounds. And once it’s folded, you can push it to where it needs to go. As you can see, it’s very easy, very simple to do that. Now, when you’re on folding it, you want to make sure it’s on it’s on its bellies, what I like to call it.
So what you want to do is just make sure you lean it back forward. But as you can see in the front here, these tires are a little closer together. They’re not on the outside. They’re more on the inside. So this particular auto folding scooter rides like a three-wheel Scooter because it has more of a driving range or turning radius for the scooter because the tires are a little closer together.
So now what I’m going to do is open it by pressing the green button, and voila, you have yourself a folding scooter. Now, this seat right here, it stays down. It’s like a safety issue. So when the whole thing folds, it won’t be in the way. So before you sit down, you have to always lift this up, which I don’t mind because I'd rather be safe than sorry when it comes to breaking a product. So then you just put in your key, and just like that, you turn it on, and you are ready to ride. See you later, alligator.
[La’nette with power chair] Okay, really quickly. This is our power chair that actually folds. And it’s not auto-folding with a remote, but it is a folding power chair. This is called the Jazzy Carbon. It’s a top favorite for people who actually like the power chairs.
Some people have a preference for chairs or scooters, but a lot of times, when you have a preference for power chairs, this one is a show stopper. It only weighs a full total of 43 pounds, and it goes 3.7 miles, and the lithium battery is also on the inside.
So the way that you will fold it, you pick up the latch in the back, and you just watch it fold, push down, and voila, it falls into something small and compact, just like a baby stroller. You pick up your battery, but you want to pull out. If you travel on an airplane, you just pull that right out, and voila, there’s your lithium battery. When you’re ready to ride, put that back in, and you literally just pull, and you give yourself a ride.
[Theresa] So what are some of the advantages of folks having these scooters? I mean, of course, you can pretty much take them anywhere, it sounds like.
[La’nette] Yeah, a lot of people don’t want to have to get all this on their vehicle. So, for instance, if you get a traditional scooter that weighs, I don’t know, like 150 pounds, a lot of times people cannot lift that. I don’t know anyone who can lift 150 pounds here, but especially when dealing with our seniors, the folding scooters are usually 40 to 50 pounds.
Sometimes, they can pick it up, and they won’t need to have or spend extra money to get the auto left on the back of their vehicle in order to drive somewhere. So that’s, I think, one of the major benefits of it, offer the travel scooters. And as well as you know, you can travel on an airplane well with the scooters. That’s another thing that people are really doing now. It’s the end of summer. And, you know, people like to get out and go to different countries and things like that. So they’re able to take their scooter with them, even on cruises, because they’re so compact, you can put them in the cabin with you, but become your little your little companion. And it’s just it’s so convenient and so convenient for them.
[Theresa] Yeah, absolutely. And then, for traveling on an airplane, they would do a gate check?
[La’nette] Yeah. So that’s a really good question because a lot of people sometimes really need help understanding the difference between the ones you can bring on a plane.
So, for the auto folding scooters, a lot of them come with lithium batteries, and then some of them don’t. The ones that come with lithium batteries, you can actually ride all the way to the gates, and you can get the scooter gate charged with that lithium battery being out of it because lithium cannot go underneath the plane. But usually, those lithium batteries weigh about 1 to 2 pounds, which is super light, and anyone can carry them with them to their seat.
[Theresa] Okay. And then the auto-folding scooter is then checked into the bottom of the airplane?
[La’nette] Okay. If you have a traditional solid battery scooter, you can still check it, but you won’t be able to ride it to the gate. You won’t be able to stay in it through, you know, going to get something through the airport. So, it’s the convenience of a lithium battery. It’s the convenience of the size that allows you to do these different things while you’re traveling in an airport. However, there are two differences, and I think that people need to understand that before purchasing.
When people are coming to look, I always ask, “Where are you going? How are you getting there? What is the form of transportation?” So, I can kind of make sure I suggest the proper product for them.
[Theresa] That’s perfect because a lot of times people don’t know what to ask.
[La’Nette] That’s true.
[Theresa] That is why I asked a lot of people, and that is your expert. So the folding scooters, I am assuming they’re suitable for outdoor use as well, traveling. And you know, of course, we’re in Florida, and we’re not too far from Orlando, so I’m sure people are going to Disney.
[La’Nette] Those are there. They have a lot of range. So, usually, it depends on which ones you get because there are a lot of different models out there. We try to carry the best, but there are some that go 10 to 20 miles per charge for the range on the scooters. Oh, that’s great. So indoor, outdoor, great. Occasionally, they ride very well, unlike some that I wouldn’t do. For now, you go to Europe and try to ride on cobblestone. I won’t suggest Anything like that. I wouldn’t even suggest like in dirt and grass. But you know, cement areas are fine, carpet is fine. Indoor on tile wood is fine, and you won’t have to worry about the tires going flat or anything like that.
And then I always hope people to, you know, you can always take your charger with you if you fail because sometimes people are like, “yeah, well, I’m going to be gone all day. I am not sure what this battery is going to do.” And I always tell people, if you absolutely feel that way, take the charger with you, charge it while you’re at dinner, charge it while you’re on an excursion where you’re actually staying and not have to use the device. You know, give it a little piece of mind.
[Theresa] So I know that a lot of our audience that’s going to be watching this, of course, are going to be people that live at home, but also a lot of folks that are living in senior living communities. I know that sometimes the apartment size does not allow for a scooter or a larger scooter to be inside the apartment while the resident is also inside the apartment.
Sometimes, they may have to put it, you know, in the hallway and charge. But I feel like from a lot of the scooters that I saw today, especially the portable ones, that would give them the space to put right into the senior living apartment, whether it’s a studio or a one-bedroom apartment, so that it’s not so much, you know, in the way and become a fall hazard and then they can still charge it that way.
[La’nette] I always tell people, if you can fit the scooter in a cabin on this ship, you can fit it anywhere. And then sometimes people worry about the safety of it because it’s so small and compact. I assure you that they’re very safe. A lot of them are four wheels, so you don’t have to worry about it being rented that you’re driving it properly and it’s good, you know. So, I think that if you are in an assisted living facility, it’s a perfect companion for you, very nearly as good.
[Theresa] That’s wonderful. So, where can folks purchase these different kinds of scooters? Please give them your address again.
[La’nette] Yes. You can purchase the scooters at Mobility Plus Manatee; we are located at 1202 Gary Avenue, suite number 9, Ellenton, Florida. You can find us online at Mobility Community. Our phone number is 9417140068. And if you are on Facebook, please find us on Mobility Plus Manatee through Facebook.
[Theresa] La’Nette, thank you so much for allowing me and Home Helpers to come in to visit you today at your beautiful showroom. I’ve learned so much about the different pieces of durable medical equipment that are available to our seniors, especially these wonderful foldable scooters. Please call La’Nette at Mobility Plus for information on services and rentals that are also available. She is happy to give education and also do free consultations with you as well. Thank you so much for having me, and we hope to see you guys soon.
HOME HELPERS OF BRADENTON
Home Helpers of Bradenton is one of the region's leading home care franchises specializing in comprehensive services for seniors. Home Helpers' sole mission is to make life easier for clients and their families. Based in Bradenton, Florida, the company serves all of Manatee County, including the communities of Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Ellenton, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Palmetto, and Parrish. For more information or to request a free in-home care assessment, contact our office at (941) 499-5946 or visit our website at www.homehelpershomecare.com/bradenton
