recycling wheel chairs

[JamesAC]

I hope someone can help!

My ex-wife's mother died recently. She has been wheel-chair bound for a number of years. The family is now clearning up her house and so on, and wondered if there is a charity of some sort that would welcome a wheel chair, a special bed and other bits and pieces.

They've tried social services and Help the Aged with no success.

They have to get the stuff out by the w/e, otherwise the council will clear it out (and the council staff will flog it on ebay).

Any ideas?

Cheers

 

[trustysteed]

I hope someone can help!
(and the council staff will flog it on ebay).

Any ideas?

flog it on ebay yourself?

 

[JamesAC]

flog it on ebay yourself?

That's an option, but my daughter and so on are constrained by having to have the stuff all cleared by the w/e.

Cheers

 

[domtyler]

My father went through a similar ordeal when my nan died, he ended up dumping her stair lift and shopping mobile as he almost pulled his hair out trying to get rid of it.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

make a go-kart?

 

[Maz]

how about your local hospital?
surely it's worth giving them a buzz.

 

[PrettyboyTim]

I would suggest your local freecycle group.

http://www.freecycle.org/

I wonder how easy it would be to convert into a bike railer?

 

[Arch]

Do you have a local Freecycle Network?
http://www.freecycle.org/

Otherwise, maybe a local Charity shop? I know some can collect big items..

What a terrible waste, if it's hard to pass them on.


Otherwise, get the wheels off the wheelchair and make yourself a cargo trailer (assuming they are the big spoked sort.)

 

[dan_bo]

I was gonna say- leave it outside A&E and drive off. It'll get taken inside and re-used in no time.

 

[Maz]

I was gonna say- leave it outside A&E and drive off. It'll get taken inside and re-used in no time.

not a bad idea tbh!

 

[Danny]

Who supplied the wheel chair in the first place? If it was the local hospital or primary care trust they might well want it back.

Failing that you could try the Red Cross. In some parts of the country they keep stocks of wheel chairs to loan/hire, so you could try contacting them.

 

[radger]

I've tried to find places to take wheelchairs in the past with no success.

Freecycle is a good option, or you could try a local hospice or community transport organisation

 

[Maz]

stick a pair of cardboard wings on it and enter it in the red bull flugtag.

 

[Fnaar]

I was gonna say- leave it outside A&E and drive off. It'll get taken inside and re-used in no time.

Then write an anonymous letter to local paper about "mystery wheelchair donor" .. possibly it'll be on cctv, get played on local news, and you can have your 15 mins of fame!

 

[Speicher]

The Red Cross may be able to use it. I looked at www.redcross.org.

The site is very clever and is just giving me details for my area.
They have a "Community Equipment Services" section that gives me lots of places to give equipment but of-course you are in London.

It gives you the option to put in your post code to narrow down the area. I hope this helps. I hope that you are able to store the smaller items somewhere as it may take longer than a few days to sort this out.

I was in exactly the same situation some years ago. My relative died of old age at 94, not of some contagious disease, but still Social Services etc would not take back the equipment they had recently supplied.
Would you like to try your local Red Cross shop?