Spil-Pruf Female Urinal
GoGo Ultra Travel Scooter w/Armrests
Freshette Female Urinal System

Spil-Pruf Female Urinal

Reviewed by:
Manufacturer/Retailer: Active Forever
Cost: $21.95
Reimbursement:

Pros:
This female urinal has worked very well for me. I have had few leaks since the first time I used it. We experimented and found that by reclining my wheelchair a bit, using the towel that I sit on to scoot me forward in my chair, and then placing my feet to the outer edges of the footrests, it is easy for a caregiver to position and doesn't leak. I wear open bottom slacks all the time but this would work with skirts as well. The urinal has a one-way valve in it so it can't be spilled after it is used. It comes apart easily for emptying and rinsing or washing. I used it on a recent trip and my husband prefers it to transferring me to the toilet even at home.

Cons:
The urinal with the anti-spill section and the curved cup attached is rather large. Although the odd shape and dark blue color camouflages it pretty well, my husband used a tote bag when carrying it. It takes a few tries to learn how best to position yourself, and unless you have good arm strength, you will need assitance. You have to wear a skirt or open bottom slacks (see these in the Clothing section) or possibly very stretchy loose slacks, to use it.

Summary:
 I bought it to use just when traveling but now I use it at home and take it along in the van wherever we go!

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GoGo Ultra Travel Scooter w/Armrests

Reviewed by:
Manufacturer/Retailer:  Pride Mobility Cost:  
Reimbursement:

Pros:
Lightweight, easily comes apart and fits into a car, charger changes current from 110 to 220 automatically, perfect for foreign travel, seat swivels 360 degrees, battery has a pretty long life. I bought the upgraded seat w/armrests, very comfortable. Fits through narrow bathroom doors. Can be customized in various ways.

Cons:
Not meant for constant, everyday outdoor use, because it's so lightweight it feels a bit flimsy, I go much slower in this than in my power chair because I'm a bit nervous of tipping over. It's billed as a travel scooter and for that it's ideal. The tiller is also not as easy to use as the scooters in stores. Instead of pushing the whole tiller back and forth there is a bar under the tiller that  needs a right hand push for forward and a left hand push for backward (turning is a bit clumsy too because of the tiller) so try before you buy to check if you have enough hand strength. Unfortunately, you need to be able to use both hands.

Summary:
I love this scooter. I can put it in a regular car, and easily get into friends homes. My husband loves it because it's so light he doesn't even take it fully apart, just lifts off the battery and seat, folds down the tiller, and puts it in the trunk. The ALS clinic told me a year ago not to bother getting one because it would not be usable for long. I wish I had gotten this a year ago. I've been using a manual wheelchair to go places because I did not feel like spending some $20,000 for an accessible van since I can still get in and out of a car . I was limited to public transportation in my powerchair because no one I know has an accessible van. I can still use my hands for gross motor function and it's actually easier for me to stand up out of this scooter than from my powerchair. Because of the swivel feature I can sit right up at a table. There might be other brands with a more comfortable tiller, but I bought this on line and had no where to try one out. If you can transfer, have enough upper body strength to sit, and can use the tiller, it'  worth a try. I got it for an amazing buy on Ebay. Since I visit my kids on the west coast, it cost me only twice what renting it for the 2 week trip would cost. I figure it can always be resold.

Comments From Other Users:
Mary 2: I agree with this review. Before being diagnosed we decided to go ahead and buy mine. At www.spinlife.com we found this one for $795. No shipping or taxes. It was delivered in 2 days. For free it included the upgraded seat. It is surprisingly comfortable since I spend more hours on my scooter than anything else, in the daytime. We leave off the very nice arms that are included, so it is lighter in weight when my husband pulls off the seat to put in the van. I have 1 AFO on my right leg, and since my legs are long, I have to get on the scooter from the right side. There isn't a lot of leg room to get my AFO through to the other side, but that's no problem. When I have to go to a wheelchair I'm going to miss the narrowness of my wonderful scooter.

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Freshette Female Urinal System

Reviewed by:
Manufacturer/Retailer: Wisdom King
Cost:
Reimbursement:

Pros:
I use it while sitting in my wheel chair so I don't have to get up each time. I wear a Depends pad open (if you can't button and unbutton alone) so any leakage will be absorbed. And, I wear dresses that can be easily raised.

It comes with two length hoses. I can still use my hands enough that I can manage by myself, but this also works well for caregivers. The long hose can be used to go directly into a toilet. We have an extra which I carry with me when we go out so I can use restrooms without getting up. The long hose can also be set up so that you can use your toilet at home from your wheel chair.

The short hose can be used directly into a traditional female urinal and then emptied. You can even do this while sitting in your lift chair in the raised position, again with an open pad under you as you can have some leakage.

And, there are disposal bags you can use. They did come in handy on my air line flight. We used a blanket to cover me. My hubby reached under the blanket and undid my depends, slipped in the Freshette with a bag attached, removed it again under the cover of a blanket, put in a cloth bag and carried to bathroom to dispose of. This helped me manage a thirteen hour flight to China without having to transfer and struggle with an airline bathroom.

Cons:
This is not a perfect system as if not positioned right when inserting you can get a lot of leakage. And you have to practice removing it also, keeping it tipped up to drain right. But, it has been amazingly helpful to me and the sometimes that it messes up are worth all the times it works wonderfully. I have only rarely usd the disposal bags these as they are expensive. One final note. My husband discovered gluing the hose into the pink plastic cups cuts down on some leakage you might get at this point where the pieces join. Since we actually now have three, this is not a problem for us. We keep one short hose and one long hose super glued and the final one interchangeable.

Summary:
A great investment for something you use every day, many times a day. It has really simplified life for me.

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