Mobility at Home Guide

Questions to bring to your therapist or doctor before you buy

Stores can tell you what a product does. Only someone who has examined you can tell you whether it fits you. These are the questions we would bring to that appointment.

This page is not medical advice. We are not clinicians.

For any purchase

  1. What should I not buy, given my situation? (This often saves more than the "what should I buy" answer.)
  2. Can you write down the measurements that matter for me: seat width, seat height, handle height, the doorway I need to clear?
  3. Will this need to change in a year? If so, is there something that adjusts and saves me buying twice?
  4. Who can show me how to use it safely before I take it home?
  5. Is there a place nearby I can try it first?

Scooter or power chair

  1. How well do I sit upright and steer for an hour?
  2. Where will I use it: indoors, sidewalks, stores, trails? That decides the wheel layout and the turning circle.
  3. Can I get on and off it alone?
  4. If I'm flying with it, who will help me with the battery at the airport? (Battery rules are on our flying page.)

Standing wheelchair

  1. Is standing in a chair something you would recommend for me, and how often?
  2. What would you want set up before I start, such as straps or supports?
  3. The Karman XO-505 we mention is $14,870 at its sale price. Does the cost make sense next to a regular power chair for my needs?

Toilet lift

  1. Can I stand up from the lifted seat on my own, or do I still need a hand?
  2. Is a taller toilet or grab bars a better answer for me?
  3. Should a helper be shown how to use the controls?

The numbers to take with you are on our toilet lift page.

Walker

  1. Can you set the handle height with me standing? What number should I write down?
  2. Do I need brakes, a seat, or neither?
  3. Will it fit through the doors I use at home?

For tall users, see our walker page.

If you want Medicare to help pay

Medicare.gov says it covers power wheelchairs and scooters only when they are medically necessary. You need a face-to-face exam and a written prescription from a treating provider. Your doctors and your equipment supplier both have to be enrolled in Medicare and accept assignment. After you meet the Part B deductible you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. The page also says that for some equipment you can choose whether to rent or buy.

We did not check which items Medicare covers, or whether the suppliers we link to are enrolled. Ask Medicare, and ask the supplier, before you order. The Medicare page does not show a date, and we read it on November 4, 2026.

Source: Medicare.gov, "Manual wheelchairs and power mobility devices."