Guides
Part of Home mobility equipment reviewed for 2027
What to measure before buying a home mobility aid in 2027
Measure, weigh and plan before anything is ordered: doorways, turns, charging, storage, floor loading, service cover and which coverage category the item sits in.
Equipment gets returned, abandoned or resold because of things that could have been checked in half an hour. Does it fit through the door. Where does it charge. Who fixes it. Work through this checklist before you place an order, ideally with the supplier on the phone answering as you go.
What to take away
- Measure the narrowest point of the route, not the widest, and measure with the door open.
- Charging is a design decision. A device that charges in the wrong room gets used flat.
- Confirm the weight capacity against the person's actual weight plus what they carry.
- Ask which coverage category the item falls into before you pay for it.
Measure the house
- Every doorway on the route, clear opening with the door at 90 degrees
- The narrowest hallway point, and anything projecting into it
- Turning space at each place the device must change direction
- Threshold heights, including the exterior door
- Where the device will live when not in use, and whether that spot is on the route
- Where it charges, and whether that outlet is already in use
Measure the equipment and the person
- Overall width, length and folded dimensions
- Weight of the device, and whether anybody has to lift it into a car
- Weight capacity, and the manufacturer's method for stating it
- Seat width and depth, and how they are adjusted
- Turning radius, which is rarely what the marketing suggests
- Whether it folds, and whether the person can fold it themselves
Take the person's own measurements honestly. Seat width should suit the body, not the roomiest showroom option. A too-wide chair is harder to propel and harder to get through a door.
Put hand strength, reach and stamina on the same sheet. They decide whether a brake or fold mechanism is usable at all.
Measure device and person
Device
- Width
- overall width
- Length
- overall and folded
- Weight
- device weight
- Capacity
- stated capacity
- Seat
- seat width and depth
- Folding
- folds or not
Person
- Width
- body width
- Length
- reach
- Weight
- lifting ability
- Capacity
- user weight
- Seat
- seat width fit
- Folding
- hand strength
Get the assessment before the purchase
The highest value step is having someone qualified assess the person in the house rather than in a clinic. Programs built around geriatrics and extended care, such as the services described by the Boston VA geriatrics and extended care program, exist because function is best judged where somebody lives. Whoever performs it, ask for written recommendations with dimensions.
Check the coverage category
An item's classification can change how it is handled. Braces and supports are a separate category with their own rules, as Medicare's page on arm, leg, back and neck braces shows.
That category affects the prescription, the supplier, and the price. Ask first which category applies, whether the supplier is enrolled, and what you will owe before anything is ordered.
Service and warranty
Ask for the service interval, the response time for a breakdown, whether a loan device is available, and where repairs are carried out. Write those answers next to the model number, along with the warranty length and what voids it. A missed service is the usual reason a claim is refused.
The categories and routes behind all of this are explained in our beginner's guide to home mobility equipment, and the bathroom-specific measurements sit in our homeowner checklist for accessible bathrooms.
