Chatter Chatter

I have done it again, I have waited too long, drug my feet and now I am looking down the barrel of some serious wheelchair trouble. This morning for the first time I am aware of the motors on my power wheelchair have began to “chatter”. I have been told this phenomenon happens when the motors began to fail. I guess what happens is the motor seize and release very quickly causing the chair quickly start and stop making a staccato or chattering sound. At this point the chair is still running ok, I am seeming to get everywhere I need to go but I can tell major issues are happening.

I am waiting, here at work, for my friend, Jose, who actually runs the local reutilization program. I am part of this program, a program dedicated to the reuse of good durable medical equipment. The program is not what I envisioned when we started the program but I have accepted the new direction and am trying to support the project. Essentially, the main point of the project to make this equipment available. I have never had to use the program as a consumer, as the program was designed but now I am going to see how well the program works.
What the program does is take in equipment which is no longer needed, like manual and power wheelchairs, the program fixes the equipment and check its durable. What’s great is they, the program, have literally piles of wheelchair motors and the technician feel they may have a couple which just might fit my chair and if they do, I can pick the motors up at greatly reduces cost.

Now, because there is a draw back to everything, I have to worry, if in fact I find a set of motors which will fit my chair, well the attention to my chair jeopardize the chance of my getting a brand new power wheelchair. The insurance company reasons if the old chair has new motors, batteries and controller why does the guy need a new chair if the old chair has all these new parts? But since I am getting the parts from the used parts program the insurance never needs to know.

Well, the day is now half over and the tech has not called and I have called at least three times. And what makes things really worse, when I returned from my meager lunch which was interrupted by only one homeless person who I guess did not realize that even civil servants eat lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 pm; Brent the sales guy I am working with at Magic Rest calls, the first time in weeks about showing me new chairs. I had just about given up on Brent and he shows up on the day I contemplate checking out the motors. I think I am still going to have to check out used equipment because I have to do to keep this chair going until I get something else and now that the chair is “chattering” I best be quick.