Where can I find an assisting aid to help my elderly, wheelchair bound, mother get into my Ford Escape?

Thank you all. Money is a very big issue for both of us. I have come up with an idea of: use a regular walker without wheels and steps or ramp. Just need to figure out where find compatible steps or ramp. She has the walker.

Groovy,

Does her wheelchair have the removable arms, so that, once level with the seat, the left arm of the wheelchair could be removed you or someone else from inside the car, then she can scoot over on a slide board?

If so, then I'd look for just a lift, but preferably one that the wheelchair can be rolled up onto. I've seen lifts advertised in Harbor Freight ads, but they don't have sidearms.

Do you know of anyone who could fabricate them? Or have you contacted assistive device companies?

Could you use something like this?

https://www.ride-away.com/wheelchair-lifts-ramps/

Nah, we Escape drivers are pretty devoted. ;-)

Might be easier to buy a different car (LOL).

cwillie - I was thinking that too. I'd be worried she'd get tangled in the bars of the wheelchair and have a more devastating fall than trying to get in normally. Those swivel chair thingies (my first two links, and the first of cdnreader's links) look pretty spiff! But undoubtedly expensive. At least one of them uses your existing vehicle seat though, so maybe it's not so bad in price. 

I don’t have an SUV, and my car’s seat is lower, but we recently rented a Hoyer Portable Lift. It’s a Hoyer Advance 340,which means it supports up to 340 lbs. it’s a sling lift and I put the sling  around my husband and attach it to the lift. It’s a hydraulic lift which means it has to be cranked up. Wish I’d gotten the electric, but it was twice as much. (Side note: I believe if you get a script from her doctor, Medicare may pay at least part of it.) The lift is positioned at the car door and then I can swing my husband onto the car seat and lift his legs into the car. The lift folds and fits into the trunk. Since he’s about 320 lbs. it can be a little taxing on me, but at least he gets out and we don’t have to pay for the community bus.

There are a lot of lift videos on YouTube. That’s where I found this one.

I'm trying to picture a way that this would be helpful... raising the wheelchair would lift her feet off the ground so that there would not be even the slightest possibility of a pivot transfer, everything would be totally dependent on her upper body strength. Bear in mind that bringing the chair level with the car seat plus the space taken up by the car door will pretty much fill the door way and there will be no room for you to help.

(Took me some guessing, too, but apparently "elevating manual wheelchair" was finally the right search phrase.)

www.pdgmobility.com/products/elevation/index.html

www.proactiv-gmbh.com/rigid-frame-wheelchair_lift.html

How much money do you have to spend?

www.bruno.com/products/valet-seating

www.hurt-auto.com/swivel-seat

www.hurt-auto.com/lift-up-device-to-transfer-a-person

www.takealonglifts.com/

Dear GrooveyHoovey,

I'm so sorry, I know you are only trying to help your mom. I found this link, I hope it's helpful.

www.lift-aids.com/power-transfer-seats.aspx

www.arjohuntleigh.com.au/products/patient-transfer-solutions/passive-floor-lifters/maxi-lite/