So I hoisted a couple garbage bags off the wheelchair and brought it home

[conuly]

Decided against liberating the walker - there's a limit to how many garbage bags I'm willing to move for charity, and two is that limit.

I don't know how these people can have a wheelchair in perfectly good condition and a walker in their home and not know how valuable those are to other people. Anyway, tomorrow I'll have my sister or one of the kids take pics of the wheelchair, our drafting table, and our random drum set and post those all up everywhere, see if I can move them. If I can't, I guess it's Goodwill.

I did google for charities in the NYC area that specifically take wheelchairs, but the first one I found ran "Every wheelchair donated is the opportunity for someone to experience the love and hope of Jesus Christ!" which... no. I'm not even saying that as an atheist, I'm saying that as somebody who thinks the most important reason to get a wheelchair is to move around.

Comments

[lilysea]

My best guess?

The person who uses the wheelchair/walker has died or gone into assisted residential living/a nursing home,

and the relatives emptying the house just can't be bothered [or are too burned out/exhausted]

[lilysea]

If you are prepared to join a Facebook group for a few days to give them away,

https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group/#USA

is very good at matching things with people who need them...

[gwydion]

Try Veteran's organizations or the Lion's club. Lion's Club lends them to people who need them short term and really saved my butt that time I tore a bunch of ligaments.

[wpadmirer]

I do not understand why people just dump perfectly good things - especially things that will help some who's even temporarily disabled!

[lilysea]

I do not understand why people just dump perfectly good things - especially things that will help some who's even temporarily disabled!

1. Selfishness; and/or

2. Lack of imagination; and/or

3. Don't know who to contact to get the item taken away, and don't have a car/time/physical energy/mental energy to take it somewhere like an Op Shop. [It's much easier to rehome something if you can drive it there than if you need to arrange collection]

Part of the problem is many charities need 2 weeks notice to collect items - no good if you're being evicted NOW or having your end of lease inspection to get your bond back NOW.

And, yes, some people can plan ahead, but some people are
emptying the house of someone who has died/suddenly gone into a nursing home
dealing with a sudden unexpected eviction

Groups like Buy Nothing which try to match stuff with people who need it help, but you have to
a) have internet access
b) know that the groups exist
c) have the time and energy to deal with a certain amount of faffing around - same day collection is the exception rather than the rule.

[wpadmirer]

I was thinking in this case it was probably someone elderly who had died. Some people can't deal with anything after a death. So I can see that. But it's such a waste.

[lilysea]

Yeah, my money would be on

a) a death

b) someone suddenly went into hospital/a care home/hospice.

I suspect the family just don't have the mental or emotional energy or time to deal with the wheelchair because they've used it all up on the death/hospitalisation/move into a nursing home.

I 100% agree it's such a waste.

I've been using a wheelchair since 2010, I follow a lot of wheelchair users on Dreamwidth/Twitter/Facebook,

and SO OFTEN I see people on social media talking about how they need a wheelchair but can't afford one - they are not cheap! And people often need two because if one breaks [and airlines break them ALL THE TIME] its really helpful to have a spare.

[gatheringrivers]

One of my friends donated a bunch of things to a local ambulance crew. Don't know if that would even work in your area - but they might know of non-religious agencies that would be willing to take them, though.

[lilysea]

National, apparently secular, wheelchair recyclers! https://pioc.gatech.edu/pioc/

The Pass It On Center continues to create national and state resources to foster the safe, effective and appropriate reuse of assistive technology (AT) so that people with disabilities can get the affordable AT they need in order to live, learn, work and play more independently in communities of their choice.

Our Mission

The Pass It On Center, as the National Assistive Technology Device Reutilization Coordination and Technical Assistance Center, fosters improvements in AT reuse practices and network among AT Reuse programs by:

Creating a national network to help current and emerging reuse programs share information to improve their services.

Providing technical assistance and support to current and emerging programs by conducting site visits, teleconferences and monthly webinars.

Forging relationships and working with AT vendors and manufacturers to identify areas of mutual concern and collaboration by having a presence at national AT conferences.

Identifying successful practices and quality indicators of AT reuse programs and promoting their use through an online Knowledge Base and program assessment tool, known as Indicators of Quality for AT Reuse (IQ-ATR).

Exploring collaboration with public and private organizations that are interested in effectively reutilizing AT they purchase.

Promoting public awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of AT reuse.

[marahmarie]

Are they still in the home? Possibly it was a clean-out done by a cleaner, a topic I have some history with? Not that I'd necessarily chuck them outside myself, as I know at least one person who might could use them and I'd spread the word to find others if need be, but maybe someone else would.

[conuly]

I don't know those folks really, so...

[mme-n-b.livejournal.com]

You are good people :)