Message Forums

Hi all!  Wonder if you can help! 

My partner and I are thinking of purchasing either a motor home or caravan to tour the UK / Europe in this year.  Unfortunately, my significant other is disabled.

Purchasing a brand new disabled friendly caravan/motor home is at a cost we can not justify at the moment, but secondhand homes/caravans which have already been adapted are as rare as the DoDo!!  This being the case, we wondered if we could purchase a second hand one and convert it ourselves.

Does anyone know / recommend a business who specialises in converting caravans or motor homes so to make it accessable for a wheelchair user?

If anyone could help in any way we would very much apreciate it!

Thanks all!

NM

Hi and welcome to UKCS.

There are disabled campers on this site, and I'm certain that somebody will be able to help you with your queries.

I'm one of those 'walking -(hobbling)- disabled' affectionately known as a certified decrepit BUT......... I do remember seeing a thread about this a-g-e-s ago, so perhaps if you go into the message boards, (might be under Caravan or Equipment section), and search the archives, you might strike lucky?

Of course, one thing would be just to have a lightweight ramp over the step to enable wheelchair access, (if that's what's needed), to the van itself. Once in, everything is pretty easily accessible coz it's all on one level anyway.

I do hope you can find that thread and at least now I've got rid of your sad blue face

Thanks both!

I will try to hunt out that old thread!  Maybe even catch up with some disabled users and their carers/partners to get the pitfalls first hand!

NM

http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk/sg/detail.asp?Recno=26739386

have a look here.

i typed camping for the disabled in google and i got loads of results.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=camping+for+the+disabled&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

like that!

good luck.

hope you can find the info you need.

Quote: Originally posted by jenhug on 17/5/2006

---

http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk/sg/detail.asp?Recno=26739386

have a look here.

i typed camping for the disabled in google and i got loads of results.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=camping+for+the+disabled&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

like that!

good luck.

hope you can find the info you need.

---

Ohhhh jenhug...you're so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o clebber!

Quote: Originally posted by jenhug on 17/5/2006

---

i typed camping for the disabled in google and i got loads of results.

 

Thanks jenhug! Strangely, I found this site via google too!  Good eh?

Your first link looks promising.  But my reason for posting here is in the hope that I will be able to talk to real people who have gone through this before, rather than cold-calling companies without first receiving a recommendation from someone who has dealt with them in the past.  Unfortunately the latter carries with it a higher risk of being ripped off (sadly something that is inclined to happen quite a lot as soon as the word 'disabled' is mentioned)!

 

My mother is virtually wheelchair bound and still caravans. Just to give you an idea she can stand for a few moments, with support and assistance,  but can't walk more than the odd step.

The caravan is a 14' Swift with only very minor modifications. It has an end kitchen and quite a small toilet compartment in one back corner.

Parents had a few small grab handles fitted by the dealer when they bought the 'van. This could easily be doen yourself, but does mean finding where the studding is behinds walls and also may mean removing appliances to add extra support.

Major purchase was a PowerStep - see...

http://www.unwin-safety.com/pages/powerstep.htm

for details. As mother can stand briefly they have a stand on model. We use it free standing, and didn't have the bracket to fit it to the van, but I did wire it to the caravan battery (a reasonably easy task).

She uses a small office chair on wheels with the back removed as a "wheely stool" to get about. As it's height adjustable she can transfer reasonably easily to the caravan seats.

Mother managed to find a hand rail that just sits on the surround of the cassette toilet to lever herself up by, which seems to work well. She also uses the shower by just sitting on the toilet lid - she made a padded top to make this more comfortable.

Biggest problem is the step over the door jamb into the toilet - it's there to help seal the shower tray but if they continue much longer we're going to have to remove it!

Although the front seats can be made up into a double bed my parents find it easier to use them as two singles, it's much easier for mother getting in and out of bed.

Only other thing is that they only use sites with electric hookup! It's handy that the 'van has an outside socket for plugging the electric wheelchair in for charging, plus the PowerStep would eat the battery fairly quickly.

I hope this is a little bit of help. Pleae feel free to ask anything else if I can possibly help.

Glen

Tent is easier especially a frame tent.

But if you like the motorhome idea and don't mind doing some graft and be able to plan the way you want everything a friend of ours has just converted an old ambulance. Cost him under £1500 at the auctions and had most of the access equipment still on it including the strtcher lift which he didn't need. But for someone who uses a wheelchair it would be ideal, use the lift to get in and transfer to normal seat and fold up chair & stow.

Our daughter is wheelchair bound and can not stand while we would love the convenience it just won't work for us we could not get her in & out of the door. She would be confined to any awning we had.

Unwin Saftey equipment are good, for lifts and vechile access you may want to try Ricon they come up on Google.

Thanks Paul and Glen (love that gif.!) for such helpful suggestions. 

I admit, we had not thought of a tent as an option - mainly due to the sleeping arrangements.  My partner is proned to bed sores so requires a specialist mattress - an essential - which may be the main obstical for using a tent.  We will give it some serious thought though because, being on a financial budget, there are certainly plenty of benefits to using a tent instead of a caravan/motorhome.  Especially if pitching on a 'disabled friendly' site where there are suitable toilets and wet rooms available!    

We have been toying with the idea of converting a vehicle such as an ambulance, but didn't really know where to start.  Any conversions would have to be done up to spec for safety reasons.  In my view, having such work done should be left to competent professionals!  

As my other half is dependent on the wheelchair the doors would have to be wide enough, as well as an internal layout to give enough space for a turning circle and access to toilet/shower room, bed etc!  Ledges would also be a problem, as Glen has found out regards his mum and the ledge into the shower.  There is just so much to think about .......

Its thanks to all the great suggestions and pointers made by people on this site so far that we have been able to do some serious research regards to internal layouts on purpose built campers/caravans.  I like this forum ...

Nomantes,

In your partners situation I think you may be better off with a frame tent or maybe trailer tent. Frame tent as the inner tents are at floor level a TT tends to be raised sleeping area.

The special matress is no problem. Get a camp bed the aluminium raised type and put the matress on top of that. Raised so it's easier to transfer from chair and keeps his own matress. My wife uses one of these beds with an airbed on top for her bad back.

With a frame tent of a decent size there is room enough in the inner tents to wheel the chair in and for the bed a helper etc and to stand up fully.

As for showers etc well your kind of limited to what the site has in place. But what about a solar shower? then your OH could have a shower sat in a chair outside the tent. Get a decent size windbreak and install in a square shape to form a qubicle.

Don't let the shower worries stop you. He can always rough it and just have a strip wash while your away...lol Sure he won't mind too much.

I would suggest that you go and take a look at some tent displays with your OH and wheel him in and out. Also ask the assistant to grab a camp bed and stick it in one of the inner tents so he can assess the prospects of transfering from his chair to it.

I know one family on here who have a wheelchair dependant daughter who they have to hoist and they take the hoist with them camping in their tent.

Camping can be barrier free you just have to adapt it to your needs.

Oh nearly forgot. Inner tents have a tub like sewn in ground sheet so the front entrance usuall has a bit of material to step over. These easily squash down for a chair to roll over but could also be adapted by putting longer or more stretchy rubbers on the top of the inner tent so as not to rip anything when he rolls over it.

Hope this helps.

Quote: Originally posted by Flagpole on 18/5/2006

---

Don't let the shower worries stop you. He can always rough it and just have a strip wash while your away...lol Sure he won't mind too much.

---

WHAT.??? And miss out on all the fun parts ??? 

The more I think about it, the more I think trailer tent might be the way to go!  We have specialist 'matting' which I roll out on to the lawn in the summer (if its still a bit damp underfoot) so the wheelchair doesn't sink!  This could be easily adapted for camping purposes!  A 'disabled' friendly porta-loo can be placed inside the tent - again for wheelchair manovability as well as privacy, and I'm just loving the solar powered shower al-fresco idea!!!

Thank you so much for giving me all this info and idea's.  This has been a real help!

Have a look here

http://www.drivelodge.co.uk/Mobility.htm

Jules

Thanks Jules - I had a look on there yesterday after you kindly pointed me in that direction via another thread, and was planning on phoning them up for a chat today.  There are some great idea's - I paricularly like the access and design of the shower cubical, and the hoist in roof idea where the 2nd bed can be pulled out once the disabled person is in the top bed sounds great! Space saving too!

We don't want to purchase a brand new motor home/caravan but, if they have adapted second hand homes, or can convert a vehicle purchased by us to make it 100% suitable for my OH then that would be brilliant! 

The mobility site was extremely useful too! Thanks for that!

Mind you, I'm still liking the idea of Flagpoles al-fresco solar shower though ...  (not sure my respective other will be too keen, but hey ...)