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A growing senior population and health conditions affecting bone density are increasing demand for wheelchairs, walkers and other mobility equipment across Northern Virginia.

Bennet Helfgot, owner of Mobility City of Northern Virginia, opened the franchise in 2019 and recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. The business offers mobility products fitted to customers’ individual needs, along with ongoing maintenance and repairs.

“There’s a growing need out there,” Helfgot said. He added that Medicare does not always provide enough assistance for people seeking mobility equipment. “I help people on a daily basis, the system fails people,” he said.

Helfgot recently joined the Mount Vernon-Springfield Chamber of Commerce to raise the company’s profile among the area’s large senior population. Although his location is closer to Old Town Alexandria, he praised the organization’s work.

“This chamber does a lot,” he said.

Demand is expected to continue as the country’s population ages. Social Security Administration figures cited in the article indicate that people 65 and older account for 12 percent of the population, with that share projected to reach 23 percent by 2080.

Mobility City began with founder Vinny Baratta in Long Island, New York. Raised in a family that included several doctors, Baratta began repairing wheelchairs used by the family medical practice.

His wife, Diane, later experienced the urgency of equipment trouble when she was caught in a summer downpour with a wheelchair user and placed an emergency call to Mobility City. A technician responded.

“I understand what millions of people go through every day when their mobility equipment breaks down,” she said. Diane now serves as the company’s CEO.