Did You Know You Can Hire Mobility Aids From Chemists?

In some European countries including Spain, Italy and France, you can find mobility aids to hire from the chemist! If you are a regular traveller then you might well know this, but I'm sure there are plenty who do not. Most pharmacies in France and Spain and some in Italy have wheelchairs available for hire as a bare minimum, but many pharmacies will also offer a host of other mobility aids, so it is certainly worth investigating prior to organising any trip and lugging heavy equipment on flights, paying extra for oversized luggage, not to mention risking damaging any equipment that could be hired whilst abroad.

Using a pharmacy in Valencia, Spain as an example you can see that some pharmacies will have an online presence and you can navigate to see which products they have to rent. While sometimes you may need Google Translate to help, there are usual very clear images to make it clear which products are which. In this example, you could hire an electric hoist, electric elevating bed, scooter, and various wheelchairs among other mobility aids.

This pharmacy in Estepona, meanwhile claims to be able to provide whichever orthopaedic aid you require for hire during your holiday. The biggest challenge when it comes to renting mobility aids abroad from chemists involves researching which of them can provide the equipment you require. Having spent a substantial amount of time researching availability in different cities in Europe, it seems like mobility forums relating to the city you are visiting are your friend, here. For instance, while researching suitable pharmacies in Paris, a forum highlighted Pharmacie Paris-Charonne, which it seems is able to provide rental of wheelchairs, beds, zimmer frames among other items, but their website does not make this clear. They do, however, provide a phone number and advertise that some members of their team can communicate in English. It definitely pays to do some research and make a few calls to pharmacies near to your hotel or destination beforetravelling. Pharmacists will usually be aware of others in the areawho can provide what you need, should they not be able to do so.

Italy seems a little more hit and miss than Spain or France when it comes to renting mobility aids from chemists, but this excellent page highlighted a pharmacy in Venice that provides wheelchair rentals. It's called Farmacia Morelli (San Marco 5310) and its phone number is provided (+39 041 52 24 196).

It is certainly worth doing a little research into the pharmacies near where you are planning to stay in Spain, France or Italy (the three European countries whose pharmacies seem to have the custom of providing mobility aids to hire) prior to travelling. You may come to the conclusion that you need a specialist mobility hire company that is capable of providing the exact pieces of equipment you require instead, but it is comforting to know if there is a nearby pharmacy that can step in with some essential equipment if needs be.