Please Be Cautious

This entry was posted in General April 23, 2018

We have recently received reports of people posing to be from Ableworld and cold calling customers to arrange home visits.

Ableworld would like to reassure you that we DO NOT cold call our customers under any circumstances. We are an honest company that will not contact customers unless pre-arranged. If we do contact you it will be with a purpose and NOT to sell our products or services in a forceful way.

At Ableworld we often have engineers or delivery drivers visiting customers homes for home demonstration purposes or for the delivery of an item. All of our staff members are DBS checked and ALWAYS carry identification, so please ask if you feel unsafe in any way. We don’t mind at all, as we would prefer you are safe and happy in your own home.

For further comfort we suggest having a friend or family member with you for added peace of mind during pre arranged visits. 

For any person who calls you or you invite to your home – always follow these simple steps:-

• Don’t ever accept anyone into your home if you have not invited them
• Arrange for a friend or relative to be with you for your pre-arranged home visit for added peace of mind
• If you are unsure if the visitor is genuine ask them to wait while you call the company to double check
• Ask the cold caller for their telephone number so if you do have reason to doubt them, you have a number to give to the Police
  

Should you be concerned, please contact your local Ableworld store and we will be able to assist you on the matter further.

Check out www.ableworld.co.uk for more details.

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Have you seen the New, Bigger and Better Ableworld Crewe Store?

This entry was posted in General April 20, 2018

We are always looking at ways for improving the shopping experience for our customers at Ableworld and our Crewe Mobility Equipment Store has recently undergone a refreshing new facelift which includes more than doubling the size of the shop on Mill Street in Crewe, and expanding into the old HSS store. This has totally improved the store layout, bringing in more ranges and making the store much easier to shop and navigate around for customers who may already use mobility aids.

Ableworld Crewe is situated off Mill Street (opposite Wickes) and is easy and convenient to reach with ample free parking. It is in walking distance of Crewe Town Centre, Tesco Superstore and Crewe Train Station. The team at Ableworld Crewe includes Tina Edwards, the Manager, Simon Gray, Assistant Managerand Karen Preece, Assistant Manager. All of our team members are fully trained and have undergone a DBS check so you can be assured that we are here to look after you and offer the best advice available to all of our customers.

Ableworld Crewe stocks a very wide range of products including larger items such as mobility scooters, wheelchairs, adjustable beds and rise and recline chairs that can all be tried in store under the guidance of our friendly team. There is also a wide range of smaller items that can help with day to day tasks, such as organising tablets, kitchen aids, bathing and dressing aids and wide fitting slippers. We stock a large range of continence care products and can offer customers discreet advice about any incontinence issues you or a loved one may be experiencing, and can offer continence samples to help you decide if they would suit your lifestyle and needs.

Our Ableworld Crewe store also benefits from the support of local engineers that can help with installing stairlifts in your home, or servicing your mobility equipment to ensure it remains in a great condition – the whole Crewe team are on hand to look after all of our customers. Whatever the product, the aim is to help people to lead easier, more comfortable and independent lives.

We also have our new brochure and quarterly magazine available in store, as well as many other useful leaflets and information that you can take away to make a decision in your own time.

Whatever your needs, you can be assured of a range of quality products from names you can trust. Why not call in?

Open 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday, Valley Brook Business Centre, Mill Street, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 7DT. Tel: 01270 255725.

We look forward to seeing you in store soon

 

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Get Set For Spring 

This entry was posted in General March 28, 2018

Get Set for Spring

The days are growing longer, the evenings are getting brighter and the weather is becoming milder, finally! Which can only mean one thing, spring is upon us. Soon we will see daffodils blooming and this particularly cold winter will be a distant memory. So now that we are well into the month of March, here at Ableworld we wanted to offer some helpful advice for those struggling with mobility in the hope to prepare you for this highly anticipated spring.

At last, the weather is improving and we know that this means many people will begin venturing out a lot more. For some elderly people, this can be a great thing, as it is part of regaining some independence and freedom in many cases. However, it is in your best interest to ensure you are prepared to become more active, especially if you have limitations with your mobility. If you know somebody, or you yourself are aware that you may need some assistance with getting around during your everyday life, we hope this article can help you.

Be aware of your needs

Firstly, you should always be prepared to recognise signs of slowing down, whether it is yourself or your nearest and dearest. Be as willing as you can to accept the idea that you may need the help of a mobility aid. Recognising and acknowledging that this could be the case for you can be difficult and hard to come to terms with, but let us reassure you that this feeling is a lot more common than you may think. Although the initial realisation can be challenging, there are a range of mobility aid products out there that you could really benefit from. For many, it is a reality they have already faced and are dealing with, therefore it is extremely important to find the best aids to suit you and improve your quality of life.

Research

Following on from this, the next step would be to have a look around and see which products would suit your needs the most. Because everyone is different, it is vital that you find something that works for you. The severity of your mobility condition will determine the type of aid that you will require/benefit from.

Walking Sticks

If your mobility is relatively good and you are just looking for some extra stability to reinforce your confidence, you may only require the use of a walking stick. We supply a wide variety of walking sticks in store and online to best suit your specific requirements, along with a number of additional mobility aid extras, such as ferrules and walking stick straps.

Walkers, Rollators and Walking Frames

Another mobility aid that is used widely for those who struggle to walk is rollators and walking frames. These products are available in many different sizes, some bigger than others depending on what you require or prefer. Walking frames can be really useful for individuals who struggle to walk independently, particularly for indoor use. Walking rollators are fit for a very similar purpose, but can come with a few additional benefits. For example, you can purchase walkers or rollators that are lightweight and can be easily folded down; this is ideal for travel, in particular those who travel on buses regularly and will be outside more during Spring. You can opt for ones that have built in storage space which also doubles up into a seat.

Wheelchairs and Mobility Scooters

If you have a disability that requires a wheelchair or mobility scooter, it is crucial to find the right design and style for you. One option is transit wheelchairs that require somebody else to push, these come in a variety of different designs with different weight and material options. Another option is the self propel wheelchairs, which allows you to navigate the wheelchair yourself, often providing more independence and freedom. The right option for you is all depending on your own needs and personal taste, finding the best option for you is a priority.

Mobility scooters are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes including boot scooters, ideal for family days out, or road scooters if you are using it as a mode of transport. Our friendly team can assess your needs and provide advice on what would suit you best.

The products mentioned can be beneficial to many individuals; it could be that mobility aids give more independence to people, or just help maintain the independence they already have. No matter what, we encourage those who may be struggling with their mobility following the winter months to research and find out if an aid would improve their quality of life.

At Ableworld we offer a wide range of mobility aids that provide caring solutions for our customers, enabling them to enjoy more comfortable and active lives. Feel free to browse our website and use our store locator to find your closest store. If you would like additional advice or information, then please do not hesitate to contact us directly or pop into your local store.

 

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Ableworld Easter Egg Appeal

This entry was posted in General March 5, 2018

Almost half of all older people in care homes are depressed and most believe that the condition is now a "normal part of ageing” according to a report commissioned a few years ago by NHS England. Here at Ableworld our primary aim is to make a positive impact on a person’s life, whether it be supplying them with our quality products, or engaging through local community events.

Following on from our highly successful ‘Ableworld Elderly Shoebox appeal’ at Christmas, which resulted in staff, customers and local charities donating shoeboxes full of gifts to Royal Stoke & County Hospital, Ableworld have decided once again to launch an uplifting public appeal. Our aim this Easter time is to make a small difference to Elderly people in care, many of whom are without family members who are able to visit them. 

We are appealing to the local public to make a small gesture and purchase an extra Easter egg when shopping, which will then be collated and donated to many elderly people in local nursing and residental homes. We believe that a small token, like an Easter egg, will make such a big impact on a number of elderly people’s lives this Easter time. The eggs can be donated in your local Ableworld store and will be given out to residents at local Nursing or Residential Homes in numerous locations close to our 34 UK stores. With your help, together we can make an elderly persons Easter extra special this year.

How Can You Help?

We are appealing for all types of chocolate Easter Eggs, big or small, to be dropped off at your local Ableworld store any time before Wednesday 28th March. Our friendly store staff will ensure they are hand delivered to a number of local Homes to be given out before Easter.

We would love to involve as many people as possible in this great initiative, so please encourage your friends and relatives to get involved. Feel free to share our post on Social Media and we would love to see any pictures of you getting involved by adding them to our Facebook page @ableworld, if you are donating an Easter egg this year.

We look forward to updating you with our grand total and some pictures of donating your generous Easter gifts to local care homes. 

Ableworld stores include; Burton, Chester, Congleton, Crewe, Hanley, Llandudno, Nantwich, Newport, Northwich, Oswestry, Reading, Rhyl, Shrewsbury, Stockport and Wrexham. 

For a full list of store addresses and opening information please visit www.ableworld.co.uk or call Freephone 0800 096 5440.

 

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A Guide to Stairlifts

This entry was posted in General March 2, 2018

Stairlifts can improve many people’s quality of living, however, sometimes those in need of one either do not realise it or may not want to accept that they require more assistance. If you are unsure as to whether a stairlift is the right option for you, or know somebody that you believe could benefit from the assistance of a stairlift, this guide will hopefully make the process of opting for a stairlift, a little easier.

Knowing when you need a stairlift

A stairlift is designed for those with limited mobility and/or those who struggle walking up and down stairs. For example, stairlifts can benefit people suffering from conditions such as MS, arthritis and even those with hip replacements. However, stairlifts are not strictly for those with medical conditions, they are also great aids for anybody who may have significantly reduced strength and flexibility that may have been caused by old age or following a procedure. Stairlifts help anybody living on more than one floor, giving people with reduced mobility more independence and confidence in their day-to-day life.

In many cases, those who do choose to have a stairlift installed tend to regret not getting one sooner because of how much it improves their circumstances. Of course, not all homes are suitable for stairlifts, however, there are a variety of stairlifts on offer, so more likely than not, you can find one suitable for you.

Different types of stairlifts

There is a wide range of different stairlifts available; this is simply so that as many people as possible have the option of a stairlift. However, there are two main types of stairlifts: straight or curved. As their names suggest, straight stairlifts are suitable for straight staircases and curved stairlifts are more suitable for staircases that have any bends, curves or landings. In addition to the stairlift track there are a variety of options including different seats, adjustable track options, powered footplates and more to ensure you find a stairlift as suitable to your personal needs as they can be. Outdoor stairlifts are also available to purchase. They work in the same way as indoor stairlifts do, they are fit for purpose and durable to outdoor conditions.

Buying a stairlift

Buying a stairlift doesn’t have to be a costly investment. It is reassuring to know that there are many options available for those who are in need.

Many retailers, for example, offer reconditioned stairlifts as a more affordable option, significantly reducing the cost of the investment. Another option for a more low-cost stairlift would be to hire one. This can be the perfect solution for those who require a stairlift for a set period of time, rather than permanently. For example, if you have just had an operation or are recovering from an accident, choosing to rent a stairlift can be the best temporary solution.

If you are looking for extra peace of mind with your stairlift, many stairlifts come with the option of service packages that act as a guarantee on your lift over a period of time, depending on which you opt for. Although this comes at extra cost, it may put you at ease to know that you are covered for a number of years.

Maintaining your stairlift

Once you have had your stairlift installed by a professional engineer, the stairlift aftercare is important in order to maintain the product. Most domestic types of stairlifts are fairly simple to use and maintain but it is important to note that regular servicing of the equipment is vital to prolong the life of your stairlift. Ableworld do provide these professional services to customers and also have a dedicated repair centre that are able to carry out servicing and repairs on the full range of stairlifts we offer.

If you have been considering a stairlift and want more information, you can request a free no obligation home visit from a trained engineer from us at Ableworld. Or, if you have any specific questions, you can come visit us in store or contact us and a member of our team would be happy to help.

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Ableworld are pleased to have offered Random Acts of Kindness to unsuspecting Customers

This entry was posted in General February 22, 2018

 Ableworld are pleased to have offered Random Acts of Kindness to unsuspecting Customers

Over the past few weeks at Ableworld we have been surprising some of our lovely customers with unexpected gestures, to tie in with Random Acts of Kindness day on Saturday 17th February. Across the UK we planned a variety of organised surprises, and also praised the everyday assistance that we give to our customers  daily. Customer service is fundamental to our aim at Ableworld, which is to provide caring solutions for our customers, enabling them to enjoy greater independence and more comfortable and active lives. We do this by providing quality products and services at value for money prices. The random gestures we have made recently also reflect the caring solutions that we aim to fulfil on a day to day basis. We wanted to share some of our Random Acts of Kindness, and congratulate our loyal customers from the bottom of our hearts.

Mr Rowlands from Wrexham

Store Manager Bev from our Wrexham store was adamant she wanted to surprise Mr Rowlands, a highly loyal customer who has been shopping at the Wrexham store since 2005. Over the years Mr Rowlands has always supported Ableworld at events and even took leaflets round town on his scooter to help promote an event we held in Wrexham store. Bev and Mark, one of our engineers, visited Mr Rowlands to present him with a Free Scooter Service.

Mrs Jackson from Crewe

Mrs Jackson from Crewe was extremely surprised when Tina, Crewe Store Manager, arrived at her door last week. Mrs Jackson is a valued customer at our Crewe store and often attends events  we have been at in the area. As a kind gesture Tina presented Mrs Jackson with a free scooter service, which was carried out by Trevor one of our engineers. Mrs Jackson was really grateful and  couldn’t  believe that we were giving her the service for free.

 Mrs Melaney from Bournemouth

In our Bournemouth Store Niki nominated Mrs Melaney for a Random act of Kindness as she is a repeatedly valued customer in store. Niki visited Mrs Melaney at her home to present her a lovely bouquet of flowers and a heart-felt Thank you from everyone in store. Mrs Melaney was in total shock and was overjoyed by the gesture.

Lady given a helping hand, in Hanley  

A normal day of mobility equipment deliveries turned into a Random Act of Kindness for Darren and Mike as they went above and beyond to help an elderly lady near Hanley last week. The lady was walking home with her walker and her shopping when she slipped   and fell on the pavement. Luckily Darren, our Hanley Store Manager and Mike, one of our friendly drivers, were driving between jobs when they spotted her struggling, they stopped the van to help her back on her feet and even carried her shopping home for her.   Unfortunately the lady is not yet a customer of ours and hasn’t provided her name but she called into our Head Office to pass on her thanks to the kind gentleman who stopped to help she said she “Wouldn’t have known what to do if Mike and Darren were not there to   help.” It was our pleasure to be able to help.   

Mr Owens from Oswestry

Mike from our Oswestry store surprised one of our regular customers, Mr Owens, with a bunch of flowers for him and his wife. Mr Owens commented "Lovely store, very obliging staff, always have a laugh and joke, my partner will appreciate the flowers lots". 

Mrs Guy from Northwich

Thomas, one of our Stairlift Engineers, has visited Mrs Guy in Northwich on a few occasions over the past few years. Mrs Guy always has a service on both her stairlift and scooter from Ableworld every year and is always so pleasant when she calls in our Northwich store. Thomas wanted to surprise Mrs Guy for being such a loyal customer with us, since 2005, so he called in with a lovely bouquet of flowers, to say Thank you.

A helping hand for Shopmobility

Our Head Office teams were also eager to help with a Random Act of Kindness, and gave Shopmobility in Wrexham a total surprise. The Shopmobility service in Wrexham is run by AVOW, Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham. They operate a fleet of manual and electrically powered wheelchairs and scooters for use by anyone with mobility problems. After we heard sad news about their Scooter tiller covers going missing recently we knew we could be of assistance. During the Kindness week we kindly donated ten tiller covers to Shopmobility, hoping that the scooters and users will  benefit greatly from. We received a lovely message back on Facebook from them: “A massive thank you to Ableworld for your donation. Our customers and our scooters will benefit greatly from your kindness".

Our Reading store were also able to surprise one of our loyal customers with a box of chocolates. The gentleman was very grateful and didn’t expect such a lovely surprise on a Friday afternoon! 

As always at Ableworld we get lots of stories like these sent to us every week as we thrive off making every customer experience with us special. We highly appreciate all the feedback we get from each store and we love sharing our customer’s experiences with you all.

If you would like to leave us some feedback about your experience with Ableworld please feel free to email us: [email protected]

To keep up to date with the latest Ableworld news, you can follow us on Facebook or Twitter

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Ableworld Reach New Heights with First TV Advert in Stockport

This entry was posted in General February 14, 2018

Ableworld are proud to announce that we have undertaken our first TV advert which goes live in the Stockport, Greater Manchester area today!

Ableworld has continued to expand since it was founded in 2001 and we now have 34 stores across the UK to ensure we can help as many customers as possible to find the right mobility aids so they can maintain their independence. We put our customers at the heart of everything we do and are really pleased that our first TV advert can show more customers that not only do we care about each and every customer, we can also provide free advice and mobility aids at value for money prices.

Ableworld are proud to be recognised as an ethical trader, endorsed by Which Trusted Traders, to give our customers the confidence that we are here to help. We provide a wide range of mobility aids with the aim of helping our customers maintain their independence. We do not pressure sell to our customers and are available to offer free advice about all of our mobility aids to ensure you can make an informed decision that is right for you.

Michelle Mossford, Senior Marketing Manager said “We are really pleased with the advert, which has allowed Ableworld to take our marketing activity to a whole new level. We have been fully supported by a TV production company and Digital Marketing Agency in creating our first advert for Sky TV.” 

The advert is targeted to customers in Stockport, as we have a local store at 315 Buxton Road, Stockport, SK2 7NL. Our store team consisting of Carol, Kay and Jake are all very excited to greet any new customers who see the advert. The advert features prices from our Winter Sale which is Now On in Stockport store and finishes 25th March 2018.

If you have any questions about any of the mobility equipment or services we can provide please call us on Freephone 0800 470 1587

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