Yesterday I went to the local library of another town to be interviewed by an 'independent physiotherapist' to see if I was unfit enough to be granted a blue badge for car parking. It was a humiliating experience. I have to use a, stick to walk at the moment as I am suffering a PMR flare due to having a second degree burn on my foot. It was hard work getting to the interview. Once there, I was made to walk round the 'large' library, amongst the readers and book choosers, while the physio recorded my timings on her stop watch. Half way round I just stood stili and wept. The interview which followed was like speaking to a call centre operator. Only single word answers were required. Anything I was saying by way of description or explanation was ignored. I have no idea if I will be granted a badge. Physio said now a natter for the council to decide.
I know this though. If I get a badge, it will not be worth the experience I had to endure in the process.
My burnt foot is healing nicely but as I say has flared everything up. I am in a lot of pain, some of which I recognise as PMR pain (hips, calves) and some of which may be due to the two bulging disks which are pressing on my spinal nerve. I am on pregabalin for nerve pain and have been on 15mg pred for PMR. I put the pred up to 16ng but I'm thinking I should go back up to 20mg to see if my back pain is PMR related
Advice would be welcome.
Thanks.
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Oxford8
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I know exactly how you feel. It made me feel like a fraud. The assessment is embarrassing, I was made to walk in a busy street with the assessor following me with a clip board. It’s bad enough being disabled, yes, having PMR is disabling, without suffering this indignation. If you are refused appeal against it. I think the whole scenario is designed to put people of applying.
I think you're right W. Sorry you had to go through it too.
Well, Jane’s took the words out of my mouth, what an appalling way to treat someone, especially when you have additional things going on.
I didn’t know you’d burnt your foot, l must have missed that, so will check back through your posts to save you explaining again.
The extra 1mg probably won’t make much of an impact so going to 20mg for a week to see how you feel may help give you a better picture & you can simply return to 15mg after a week without much impact.
I do hope you feel better soon & you get the badge you so really deserve.
I was in Minorca during heatwave. 39/40 degrees. 1 had factor 50 cream and was hardly in direct sun but my pred skin got burnt on my foot. Second degree burn which has had to be re-dressed every other day in clinic since. Be careful everyone
Wow! Christine, you are going through it! Second degree burn from sunburn?!?
What a lousy experience when being assessed for a blue badge! These doctors seem to think we 'like' being disabled!! I only hope they need treatment themselves when they are older.😏
My walking friend used to sit on appeal panels for DLA and I tell her things I have had to do to get benefits sorted and she is appalled. I was atos'd and pip'd. Had medical assessments where they have said they don't know why I have been asked to attend as my medical records support the claim....then been put in the work not support group..being to ill to appeal I had to drag myself through hell for 18mths until next assessment. Had DLA indefinite swapped for pip 3yrs so being assessed again at the end of this year. The forms then,them visiting is very stressful...then me feeling bad if I can walk 50yds (still in pain) on good days before I stop or sit. It's just constant stress. Not to mention it took 7 submissions of the same bank records by post, by hand and by another internal post before the ESA claim started....2 months with no money beside lowest DLA social care component. The people I faced to faced with were nice...but the system sucked/sucks. And I don't think my story bad compared to others!!
But honestly others have had worse experiences, at least mine were private. Walking through a library in public is an horrible thing. Terrible...a bit of respect would go far.
Hi I have been through the same experience. I was rejected at first. You then get six weeks to appeal. Then you must get doctors letters and stress the short distance you can walk. Happy to help you. I did the same walk of shame. Tried my best and then failed. I missed the appeal but reapplied six months
Later and was successful. Now I can’t walk at all and they renewed it without issue. Let me know if I can help.
Christine, that was a horrible experience. Like so many of us I’m retired now, but from a government department. When I read stories like this I feel ashamed. Yes, there is fraud and yes, everyone involved, whether local or national authorities, have to care for the taxpayer’s money in difficult times but surely to god there is a kinder way to do it than this.
I am so sorry to read your story, however it is not uncommon now. Make sure you get some help, ie your Councillor, your MP. You are not asking for money............just a 'badge' to ensure you are able to park free of charge for two hours, as near as possible to enable you to function as well as possible. Possibly the amount you would have to pay for parking would be one hours payment for the 'assessors'. A persons GP's words should be enough to rely on.
Over the last 8 years, I have heard and helped so many people that I have come to the conclusion this is not the country I was born into.
The whole of England's caring and compassion is now so sparse. What has happened to and is still happening daily is beyond my comprehension.
8 years ago, I applied for a Blue Badge, I filled in a form, gave permission for my GP to be contacted..................and got the Blue Badge within 4 weeks.
Thanks jinsac. I had filled in a multi-page application on line. Attached my GP and Rheumy diagnoses. Copies of MRI and other scan results - but the 'assessment physio' was asking me the most basic questions. Clearly didn't know what PMR was, and didn't want to know.
I rarely cry but I did on more than one occasion. As Woolyhead said, I was made to feel as if I was making a fraudulent application. I would be delighted to pay for the space. I just need to be able to park easily.
So sorry you had a bad experience. This is the opposite of my Blue Badge assessment.
I think that irrespective of whether you get a blue badge or not (you should with all your impediments) I would be complaining to the Council who engaged this physio. I think that you have a right to privacy and to carry this out in the middle of a public library is unacceptable.
The only part of my assessment carried out in public was a walk outside in the car park which was empty except for our own car! At all times I was treated respectfully. In actual fact the physio even gave me a few tips that would help me.
I understand that there had to be assessments but we as "disabled" people (I include chronic illness as disability) deserve to be respected and not treated like second class citizens. Do not worry that by complaining you risk not getting your badge, that shouldn't happen. I know it's hard to complain when you are vulnerable but I think of others that may go through the same humiliating process. The blue badge criteria changes in August to cover invisible non mobility disabilities. Can you imagine someone with bowel incontinence or anxiety being "assessed" in a public space and giving one word answers.
I do hope you get your badge and all I can say is that I understand how stressful assessments can be and hope you feel better soon xxx
Dreadful - whatever happened to confidentiality, humanity and plain decency? This way of assessing for a blue badge is inhumane and is more than likely in contravention of some policy or another!
Keep your chin up and fingers crossed for a good outcome 🌻
I am so sorry you had such a demeaning experience,l hope that it will be worth all your pain and effort and you will be given a blue badge. It is not easy to get one of these ,l know of someone who has lost his sight in one eye and whose balance is not good because of a stroke,his wife needed a badge so that she can park nearer when she drives him to shops ,she did not get one and has not tried again because of the first assessment being so demeaning .This lady has knee problems ,so it would have helped her too ! They did the first accessment in their home because her husband cannot walk far without his wife’s support ! I hope that your foot will soon heal .
Slightly different subject, but I have a friend aged 61, worked all her life until she had to have her leg amputated, deaf in one ear, blind in one eye, had her pip stopped because a young assessor deemed her fit for work. After several months, on appeal, she did get it back but the stress she suffered in the mean time was awful. They seem to think every disabled person is faking it.
That is so bad. I can empathise with the stress she must have gone through. There have been terrible stories of people dying due to their illnesses being denied pip before they die. I also wonder re ESA or whatever benefit is in place....who do they think would employ someone like me at 58 or your friend at 60? It's those hoops for people that have worked and paid their dues that really tee me off.
It is so obvious when people need help,l cannot understand how some assessors can be so heartless,and yet our benefit system can be so generous to people who have never contributed anything into it ! The older generation should not have to fight so hard to get help when they need it ,most have been contributing all their working lives.
I share your pain, I've been trying unsuccessfully to get a Blue Badge for my Step Mum who has dementia and is so frail she has to be held onto by my 84 year old dad all the time. But as she's not on any medication for pain relief she doesn't qualify as she's not in pain while walking. Meanwhile a friend of mine told me a story that he was on 'Parking duty' for his rugby club's car boot sale. He said dozens of people insisted on parking free near the top of the field because they had a Blue badge, but then he watched them walk round the car boot sale for hours no problems! I'm told the County Councils are now having to be more select because they have given out too many Badges.
Someone just had a thing on TV about not being able to get a badge for their autistic son - because he runs away it would make getting him to school safer amongst other things. It's the same thing and why the rules for invisible illnesses are tobe changed.
Never mind being more select - just identify the people missusing the badges. You get a helfty fine here.
Here in Cornwall the situation is clearly a kinder approach. But why oh why would a renewal at the age of 87 not be simpler than the original application 9 years ago. This is the situation now. It used to be the same for what they called supplementary benefits. Still applying for my mother when she was in her late 80s Crazy to think this situation with age improves. What they would save on admin. alone with a cut off point of say 80. I would suggest its a lot of loot.
Its just dreadful that you should have been exposed to such a situation. I am so sorry.
But the real point is that, although people are living longer, they are living "less well" and that is especially so for women apparently. Living longer doesn't automatically mean you are less likely to need assistance until you are older. Does that make sense?
I think "living less well" sums some of us up. We do what we can, but because we are still alive much later than our grandparents and parents were doctors often expect us to excercise the same as "middle agers" (?) did twenty years ago.
Do many of the 75/80 year olds manage to do '9/10,000' steps? I'm well pleased if I reach 1000 steps.
I was thinking of those with debilitating illnesses! I know many 80 - 100 year olds run marathons, climb high mountains, etc. etc. but they are 'mostly' rather healthy people.
Sorry - but I get annoyed when everyone one meets thinks it's just "mind over matter" if one doesn't run, cycle, swim, etc etc every day. I wish!!
The universe will identify them constance. It always teaches us something. For me , and this is totally about me, I do wonder if my health is like it is because I can cope with it (most times). Being 15yrs plus into chronic illness it would be a hard life if I didn't have ways of coping.
Thank you. I saw my Consultant Rheumatologist today (subject of a separate post tomorrow). I told her about the 'blue badge' interview and she was furious. She said I must appeal if I am refused and she would be in 'all guns blazing'.
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Blue Badge and benefits? 
Now I understand what a Flare is...! The Dragon is Back!
Not sure what to do now 
