HEARTLESS thieves have stolen an 85-year-old man's mobility scooter from outside his unit in an Ipswich retirement village.

Stan McPherson's daughter Tracy appealed for help to find her dad's wheels which are his only form of independence since he had a stroke.

"Dad's got age onset dementia, and he accidentally left his key in the scooter and the charger in the pod," she said.

"It looks like a motorbike because dad used to be a motorbike rider. Since he had a stroke, he's not allowed to drive so he got this and off he goes down to the shops every day."

The Easy Rider scooter is worth over $5000 and was stolen on Friday night from his retirement village in Cameron St, Brassall.

When Stan had his stroke, he suffered a massive brain bleed and almost didn't survive.

"He actually had palliative care so we thought he wasn't going to make it, but he has," Ms McPherson said.

"He must talk to a lot of people when he goes to the shops because so many people have said to me 'we see your dad - he stops and has a chat'."

The scooter's registration is 259R and anyone with information is urged to contact Karana Downs police on 3813 2900 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.