Page 16 - ATA

A13
Thursday 5 april 2018

Ride into the Future

By Linda Reijnders Donald’s business, called
ORANJESTAD - Mobil- EasyHire, rents mobil-
ity gives you freedom, ity scooters to everybody
but when your feet or legs with a walking disabil-
won’t work along as they ity. A mobility scooter is an
should, you are limited. We electrically-powered chair
may not stand still by the on wheels with a steering
fact that most of us walk, wheel or handle.
run and jump around in full “I will start with this service at
swing, while at a certain the Main Cruise Terminal in
age your scenario might Oranjestad, but I have this
become different. Active business already for years
aging however is a hot in Benidorm, Spain and
thing and seniors are not it is very successful.” The
keen to be stuck on the beach destination Beni-
couch anymore. Donald dorm is known as a favorite
Anthony Gonsalves, born in place for seniors to spend
Curacao, resident of Spain, the wintertime and escape
symbolizes active aging the cold in the Northern Eu- Care Market a form of personal trans- necessary, explains Don-
not only as a person, but ropean countries. In that
also in his business. “I see light Donald sees a parallel The recent Cruise Sym- port. Research shows that ald. “Sidewalks, marked
broadened
posium in Aruba showed almost 50% of people aged crossovers,
Aruba as a future Cruise with Aruba.
Scooter Paradise.” that this industry brought 65 and over have some passages, accessibility to
the island $85 million Dol- form of disability and mobil- the main tourist spots and
lars income last year and ity-restricting physical and so on are essential and not
the majority of this group sensory disabilities are the even that big of a project.”
of tourists are seniors. “80 most common. He has it all figured out
percent of the cruise tour- Mobility scooters provide a and written down exactly
ists are above 50, which way to facilitate an inde- where some infrastructural
means a considerable pendent lifestyle for their adaptations are needed.
number can be expected owners and promote ‘ag- “They are countable on
to have disability problems. ing in place’ and partici- one hand, I took pictures of
But, the strange phenom- pation in the community. the locations.”
enon is that this group lacks “Unfortunately this does Donald even comes up
attention on Aruba. not apply to Aruba where with four ‘mobility scoot
The media for example senior mobility just started tours’ through the city cen-
does not focus on this group to develop while infrastruc- ter, hotel zone, around the
while they are an important ture lacks when it comes to airport and a mix of all. “The
source of income, for sure if the accessibility of vehicles market is there, so why not
you consider also the aver- for the disabled.” offer them their needs?”
age age of timeshare hold-
ers”, says Donald. Mobility Scoot Tours In the photos are: ex-
“The ‘care market’ is a If Aruba wishes to fulfill the amples of areas in down-
concept that is common desire of the large group of town Oranjestad that with
in Europe for 20 years al- disabled cruise tourists to minimal work could be
ready and it is highly profit- participate in the vacation more accessible for Mobil-
able. With the huge senior movement, some serious in- ity Scooters; and Mobility
market staying over com- frastructural alterations are Scooters in practical use.q
plete winters and the short
stay tourists you have fully
booked hotels with mobility
scooters parked in front of
them.”

Aging in Place
In almost all well-devel-
oped countries the mobil-
ity scooters, or ‘powered
mobility devices’, have
become more visible on
our footpaths and in our
shopping districts in recent
years.
This reflects the growing
use of mobility scooters as
both a mobility aid and as