Hello! and Advice Needed

[khenrie]

Hi girls! It's been quite awhile since I've been in here. Our kiddos and life in general have kept us on as part-time RVers.... for awhile longer.

Anyway, I got a surprise question from my mom this morning and thought some of you might be able to help me answer.

My mother, who has never owned an RV but is a pretty resourceful traveler, has decided she wants to quit her job and full-time in an RV for awhile. She is 68 and has some health issues (heart related) and wants to travel with her 80 year old husband who has progressed Parkinson's. He uses a walker and likely should be using a wheelchair.

So, with that in mind, what should we be thinking of when helping her decide which RV and whether this is a good idea?

Thanks in advance!

xo

Kim

[JudyJB]

The biggest problem will likely be the husband's getting into and out of the RV. They do make lifts to get handicappers inside. I assume he can use a toilet by himself and get into and out of the shower, right? They will want an RV with lots of room to maneuver in, but that is doable, also.

In any case, these will be issues in choosing an RV. There is at least one blog written by a woman who is in a wheelchair and is paraplegic, but I cannot find her blog. There are also companies that make handicap accessible RVs. There are also some clubs for handicap RVers. Just do a web search. There are also a couple of women on here who have traveled with handicapped husbands--Mitch in one, but she does not check in very often. Maybe someone can get you in touch with her for advice.

As far as hooking up electric, water, and sewer, she will have to do it all, but many of us are older women who travel alone and we manage just fine. A motorhome might make it easier to use the bathroom and move around while traveling. It also is a little easier because you don't need to hookup to a truck, but that is my own bias as I have a motorhome.

[eviebooboo]

How wonderful that your mother is adventurous enough to even attempt this! I found this blog by a wheelchair-bound woman traveling in her RV with her husband:
http://rollinginarv-wheelchairtraveling.blogspot.com/

According to her "There are several manufactures that build RVs with handicapped features. Born Free has recently begun a line of class Cs for wheelchair users and will work with customers to fit their needs http://http://www.dodgenmobiletech.com/#!mobility-rvs/crpr
Winnebago makes a few different floor plans for accessible class A RVs. Another option is buying a used RV that has already been converted. These are good sites for researching" http://www.disableddealer.com/item_search.asp?category=1020

There's even a handicapped travel club site: http://www.handicappedtravelclub.com/

Best of luck to her in this journey!
Eve

[khenrie]

Thank you ladies! Wonderful resources.

I will pass on this info to her!

[carold]

Hi Kim and Randy. It has been a long time since we've heard from you. Do you remember my husband, Bob, and I visiting you two, I think, in 2009? We drove over from Colorado Springs. Hope things work out for your Mom. carold