Renting a Stairlift Allows a Couple to Test Drive an Aging In Place Solution
An Interview with 101 Mobility’s Joel Brenner
Rent It Today recently interviewed Joel Brenner, Marketing Director with 101 Mobility to learn more about the rental services his company provides to those facing handicap and mobility challenges. 101 Mobility rents and installs stairlifts, wheelchair lifts, ramp systems, patient lifts, and specialty patient moving devices.
Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, 101 Mobility has franchised their business model across the United States. As of this writing, 101 Mobility currently has 29 franchisees operating locations in 71 territories nationwide. The company is rapidly expanding. Learn about their Atlanta, Georgia location and their rental offerings by clicking here.
This is the first in a series of five blog posts which will feature the interview with Mr. Brenner exploring the benefits of renting mobility, accessibility, and medical equipment.
RIT: Does rental of products like stairlifts or wheelchair lifts offer any cost benefit to consumers?
JB: A stairlift rental makes a lot of economic sense for a short term period, say for example up to nine months to a year. A lot of people rent them and are not sure how long they are going to need them or simply are in a situation where the funds to purchase a stairlift are unavailable. To address this situation we do have a rent-to-own program.
The terms tend to vary a little bit depending on whether a pre-owned unit or a new one is being installed, as well as the type of installation which is required. In general there is an installation fee and the first month’s rental fee is required to get started, followed by a very reasonable monthly rental fee.
With a rent-to-own situation, the monthly fee is a bit higher and the increase is credited toward the purchase of the unit. We maintain and warranty everything we install and will remove the unit without an additional charge if the customer changes their mind about the rent to own decision.
RIT: What are examples of situations where rental should be strongly considered?
JB: In a situation where an elderly person elects to stay at home versus going into a care facility, which is termed ‘aging in place’, you might be faced with the need to purchase a product which can cost thousands of dollars.
If your loved one passes away or is hospitalized unexpectedly for an extended period, the purchaser is then faced with having invested a considerable sum of money on something which is no longer utilized. In a situation like this, renting a medical or mobility device for an unspecified period of time, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, is of great benefit.
In addition, having the rental company willing to come out and remove the rented item and restore things back to normal is something we have found customers really see as beneficial.
In this day and age care facilities tend to be extremely expensive, and the comfort afforded a patient or loved one by staying home far exceeds the comfort staying in a hospital or care facility. So if getting up and down a set of stairs to bed or negotiating a porch is the major obstacle keeping a person from the benefit of being at home or being with their family, then renting what will allow that is a huge advantage.
Finally, when one considers the costs associated with a rental versus the cost of having to stay in a hospital or care facility, the cost of the rental becomes relatively insignificant.
When it comes to your or a loved one’s mobility related needs, 101 Mobility is there to help. They provide long and short term rentals, with many items available on a rent-to-own basis. All rentals include installation and removal, if applicable. 101 Mobility also sells a wide variety of mobility aids and is a certified and factory authorized service provider for Bruno, Harmar, Invacare, Romedics, Pride and many others.
To read the second installment in this series, please click here.
images: 101 Mobility
