The population of people with disabilities continues to grow. Not only is the Baby Boom generation starting to swell the ranks of seniors who require mobility aids, but new drugs and treatments are allowing people with chronic illnesses, such as muscular dystrophy, to live longer.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, life expectancy for the US population reached a record high of 76.9 years in 2000.
This trend could be behind some of the findings in our ninth annual wheelchair and scooter survey, theorizes W.B. Mick, a member of the American Association for Homecare Re/hab and Assistive Technology Council and vice president of rehab sales for Sunrise Medical, Longmont, Colo.
Compared to last year, persons who responded to the survey reported a significant rise (24.6%) in the portion of scooter customers who are long-term physically challenged clients, and a slight rise in the percentage of wheelchair customers who have permanent physical disabilies.
This year the survey also showed a slight decrease in the portion of scooter sales that is reimbursable, matched by a slight increase in scooter sales that are private pay. Time will tell if this could be related to an increase in the number of seniors or to a change in the public’s perception of scooters as lifestyle convenience items rather than medical items.
Finally, could recession and competitive bidding concerns be behind the fact that fewer companies than last year reported advertising their services to the public?
To see how your company stacks up against the rest of the industry, study our survey results on the following pages.
Who Responded:
The survey was sent by email to Home Health Care Dealer/ Provider subscribers and faxed to a selected number of readers in July and August 2002.
| Job title by percentage of survey respondents 
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| Primary business by percentage of survey respondents. 
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| Number of retail and/or rental locations operated by survey respondents’ companies. 
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| Annual sales of survey respondents’ companies. 
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| Area of the country where survey respondents’ stores are located. 
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| 55% of people who responded to the survey reported that at least one person within their company belonged to a national and/or state supplier association. The most popular association was the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare). Among the 55% of companies that belonged to a supplier association, 19.8% belonged to AAHomecare. The most popular state association was the Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services (OAMES) with 7.1% of the 55%. |
Wheelchair Statistics by Percentage of Survey Respondents:
* multiple responses allowed, italic answers were written in
** multiple responses allowed
| Types of wheelchairs carried.* 
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| Types of power wheelchairs carried.* 
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| Types of manual wheelchairs carried.* 
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| Portion of wheelchair customers who are short-term users (less than 6 months). 
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| Types of sport/ recreational wheelchairs carried. ** 
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| Number of wheelchair brands carried. 
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| Portion of wheelchair customers who are long-term users (more than 6 months). 
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| Portion of wheelchair users who have permanent physical disabilities. 
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| Portion of wheelchair sales paid by insurance or other third-party payors. 
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| Portion of total company sales that consists of wheelchair sales. 
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| Portion of wheelchair sales/rentals that is generated from referral sources. 
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| Portion of total company sales that consists of wheelchair rentals. 
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Scooter Statistics by Percentage of Survey Respondents:
* multiple responses allowed
| Types of scooters carried.* 
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| Number of scooter brands carried. 
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| Portion of scooter customers who are long-term users. 
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| Portion of scooter customers who are long-term physically challenged clients. 
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| Portion of scooter customers who are geriatric/elderly clients. 
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| Portion of total company sales that consists of scooter sales. 
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| Portion of total company sales that consists of scooter rentals. 
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| Portion of scooter sales that is reimbursable. 
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| Portion of scooter sales that is private pay. 
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| Portion of scooter sales/ rentals that is generated from referral sources. 
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Marketing, Promotion, and Service Statistics by Percentage of Survey Respondents:
* multiple responses allowed
| 89.1% of companies carry wheelchair/ scooter accessories. Of those companies, the following accessories were the most popular.* 
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| Companies that employ any of the following credentialed personnel on a part-time or full-time basis.* 
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