THE SOLORIDER DIFFERENCE
…the social and psychological and physical impact of the SoloRider single rider vehicle…
In the golf car or modified vehicle business, the end user should be the primary consideration in engineering and design… while we carefully weigh the needs of those who acquire our car for use by their customers, SoloRider invests in its end user customers. SoloRider also invests in education… acting as a resource and providing information about the issues to those who would use our product and those who acquire our product, such as golf courses and other public access facilities, for use by their customers.
Whether it’s the negative impact of aging or the acute change brought on by an abrupt disability such as amputation or spinal cord injury, the social and psychological and physical issues can be immense. For most of these people, both the elderly and the abruptly disabled, it is the first time these folks have experienced a significant change in health or function. The very equipment provided, such as a wheel chair or walker, for help and assistance tends to be symbolic of the change and the issues. For the individuals there is a significant sense of loss, dramatic change, overwhelming, difficult to accept. The emotional response ranges from initial shock to denial to anger… and sometimes to contemplation of suicide. People do not respond or adjust in predictable or consistent ways. The time period also varies as people deal with their change and/or with therapy and treatment.
Over time, these people consider those things and activities they have “lost”… how to replace them… or how to deal with what they have until a better alternative comes along. Therapists play a tremendous role in this process, educating and helping the individual rediscover their life and the reasons to be alive. The process is on-going, and most of us cannot appreciate how difficult and emotional this process is.
Adjusting to a disability or to “sudden” aging (a time when we can’t do what we used to do!), is simply not an easy task for most people. People tend to be reluctant to try something they did well before the disability or the “sudden” aging. For this latter group of the “sudden” aged, many of these aging issues are a fractured hip or arthritis and other chronic conditions, some that seem to pop up over night. The conditions of this geriatric population are reinforced with “I’m just getting too old… “.
There is nothing more effective emotionally and psychologically than increased functional capacity, success at what one “used to do”, success at trying something again. Today’s technology if often a key factor in turning old age or an abrupt disability into something positive again… to the opportunity to enjoy activities thought lost.
The SoloRider single rider golf car is an example of technology that restores functional capacity [to play the game of golf], provides a healthful opportunity to re-enter social activities, creates self-confidence and self-esteem, and gives the person a sense of future. Suddenly the challenge of golf is back or a new undertaking… life is rediscovered. Personal lives change. Even family members respond. Mobility plays a critical role for the geriatric population. Mobility through a single rider golf car takes the geriatric population out of the house and back into sunshine and society. Older people are living longer today, and those that have a positive attitude and a sense of future are living even longer.
It is important to consider the emotional aspect of the technology; the equipment per se… as we pointed out earlier, the equipment can be symbolic of the disability or mobility impairment. No one with a disability wants to stand out in the crowd, to emphasize the disability. In recognition of this, SoloRider designed a single rider golf car that fits aesthetically and in terms of style with standard golf cars, even to details of standard colors and golf car tires. In terms of psychology, people with disabilities or older persons do not want to take risks that could cause additional injury or lack of mobility. To that end, SoloRider designed the safest golf car on the market, a car that not only looks safe [particularly in comparison to a typical scooter], but feels safe to the user, and IS safe as it has passed and exceeded all applicable American National Standards Institute safety standards “ANSI” safety tests. Disabled persons and older Americans including those who use wheelchairs are acutely aware of the problems of bruises and pressure ulcers and the pain of a rough ride on a fractured hip… suspension and seat comfort is critical. SoloRider engineered its single rider vehicle with soft automotive suspension to minimize these issues.
SoloRider never stops improving its vehicle. In order to meet the emotional and physical needs of its potential customers, SoloRider pays attention to user needs and desires. Those who have need for a single rider vehicle have a perspective that would not occur to people who do not have a need for the product, and SoloRider knows that and designs accordingly, testing product and product changes in the field with users who have a need.
Whether the SoloRider application is golf or “walking” dogs or bird watching or simple mobility on a large property or in a national park. Whether the use is for hunting, fishing, initial therapy or to address a chronic medical condition or long-endured disability, the attention to engineering detail, the unmatched quality, and understanding of social and physical and psychological issues by SoloRider is the SoloRider difference. The people of SoloRider understand the issues and they also are an integral part of the SoloRider difference.