Blue Badge : good news

[Nextoneplease]

Hi, thought I’d just share that as my mobility has got very poor , I applied recently for a Blue Badge (which enables parking in spaces for the disabled, on some yellow lines etc). I applied more in hope than expectation, but…..I received an email this week to say the badge is on its way !!

I applied because difficulty in parking has increasingly confined me to the house, which was certainly not good for either my physical or mental health. I doubt that PMR alone would have qualified me for the badge, but along with other conditions such as arthritis and macular degeneration, thankfully, I qualify! Obviously I’d rather be able to walk effectively, but this at least will enable me to get out more.

I said on an earlier thread that I would let people know how I got on, and I’m posting this in case it helps anyone else with mobility problems. The criteria are pretty tight, but it’s worth a try if you have difficulty getting out and about 🚘xx

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Good to hear…

[Nextoneplease in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you DL 😊

I know that probably most people won’t qualify, but if anyone is really struggling to mobilise, it’s worth considering x

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Nextoneplease]

Certainly is… I applied and got one for my osteoarthritis and dodgy back..

[Stills]

I’m just trying to complete the form for my 87 year old Mum who doesn’t drive and has AS, OA, PN, recovering g from broken hip and is in a lot of pain. I’m not hopeful though as she can manage a few 100 metres with me and the rollator. Trouble is I can’t lift her wheel chair into my car or push her so we’re abut restricted.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Stills]

I’m not hopeful though as she can manage a few 100 metres with me and the rollator.

Maybe she can, but what could she manage on her own? You need state what she can do on a bad day and on her own. ..and ‘managing’ doesn’t sound very positive overall.

[Stills in reply to DorsetLady]

Right,so she can manage nothing on her own, I’m still doing personal care for her and she can’t leave tge house without us both to help. I will get input from GP who is helpful and even visits her at home. My win GP had been working from home ….. ha ha

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Stills]

It isn't what she can do with someone helping - it is what she can manage alone.

[Stills in reply to PMRpro]

Nothing much so I’m on the case

[51-60 in reply to Stills]

Can she walk a few hundred meters without stopping to catch her breath or Pain or whatever? I could walk a bit but not without a stop and this helped to get approved(OT said it is important to mention this) as your application may be declined.Good luck to you & your Mum 🍀😉

[Countrykitten in reply to Stills]

Your mother does, most definitely, need a Blue Badge. It doesn't matter than she can manage with a rollator and you helping. It's how far she can walk Unaided, which is obviously not very far. Make sure you emphasise this in the form. Even if she only goes out with you helping her occasionally she is getting out. Otherwise she will become housebound and that is very depressing. Very best of luck with your application, and if it's turned down, appeal!!!

[Stills in reply to Countrykitten]

Thanks Countrykitten

[Nextoneplease]

Hi Stills 😊

I don’t drive either due to poor sight (AMD). I hear what you say about managing to fit the criteria. Perhaps look at bad days and describe those ( if you’re like me you prefer to look at good days, or on the bright side).

Can you take yourself out of the picture? How far could your mum safely walk without you? Is she at risk of trips and falls? Poor stamina? Breathlessness? Pain?

Remember the badge would be for her, not the two of you, even if you are often together 😊

Good luck xx

[Stills in reply to Nextoneplease]

She can’t leave house without us

[Nextoneplease in reply to Stills]

I’m sorry to hear that Stills. Definitely fill in the application as though she were alone, surely then she should get a blue badge.

Also have you thought about Attendance Allowance for her (just wondering,,in case it’s helpful) x

[Stills in reply to Nextoneplease]

I will thank you. TBH I’m not sure how useful the badge would be anyway as I’ll be the one driving her around and I can’t lift or fold the wheelchair in and out of the car anyway so at the moment she uses the stick and me for support ( luckily she only weighs 6 stone) but she can only manage that for about 20 minutes before pain gets too much. She has all the right meds but pain persists and the risk of fall is great as she can’t feel her feet due to PN similar. It’s unfair as she cared for my step dad at home with progressive dementia for years then this happens 15 months after he died and she’s now housebound…..again. Mysterious ways…….

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Stills]

It can be used in any vehicle in which she is a passenger, not just yours… so it could be used in a taxi or a friend’s. Might just as well apply…

[Stills in reply to DorsetLady]

Good point thank you, I’ve started the form.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Stills]

As DL says, it is valid for the PERSON as long as they are in the vehicle. It means YOU can drive right to where she wants to go and park there so the distance is minimal and you don't have to leave her alone to park. Many supermarkets have wheelchairs or scooters for customers to use - you don't have to get anything out of the car, If you take someone with you, they can manage the chair too. There are a lot of advantages - free parking in many cases - which at hospitals is a major plus!!!!!

[Stills in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you pro

[RoomsonFire]

👏🏻👏🏻 Well if you don’t ask or make a request you might never know ! So pleased that you have your Blue Badge dear 🌟 x

[Nextoneplease in reply to RoomsonFire]

Thank you RoomsonFire, so am I xx

[Pixix]

I had one for one year,when I went to renew they refused to give me one. I suffer from Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Fibromyalgia, Raynauds Syndrome, Osteoarthritis, Hypermobility, Essential Tremor, Asthma, Vertigo, Trochanteric Bursitis, Haemangioma - spinal, Sciatica, Orthostatic Hypertension, Blepharitis & macular Degeneration. I waited 2 years. I didn’t go anywhere, except the forest where we live, really. I didn’t go to any shops, pubs etc. I can only get in& out of the car without significant pain if I can open the door really wide. After 2 years I tried again. They said if you can walk, I think it was 50 metres, then you don’t meet the criteria. I wrote them a long letter…& managed to get one, but now I have to renew it again!! I am registered disabled from the above medical selection. Not being negative, just adding my experiences.

[Nextoneplease in reply to Pixix]

Hi Pixix 😊

I’m sorry to hear this - I have to say that I expected something like your experience which was partly why I was so delighted to hear that I’d been approved.

As to the 50 yard rule, the guidance does say that a combination of difficulties/disabilities can be taken into account, which I’m sure helped me.

I know what it feels like to be effectively housebound, so I really hope that you apply again and are successful. Will be thinking of you 😊Let us know how you get on? 💐x

[Pixix in reply to Nextoneplease]

Thanks, that’s kind of you. I hasten to add that we never use a disabled space if we can find an ‘end’ space in a car park, so I can get out. We have to shield due to issues which both of us have with our lungs, so Christmas & New Year is always without pubs, shops, parties, restaurants or get togethers! Sometimes we do an outside market…but with masks on!! Hoping to escape to warmer weather in January!!

[Nextoneplease in reply to Pixix]

My OH has for several years always dropped me off as near as possible to our destination, then driven round in circles to park while I wait for him (often in wind and rain, and feeling unsteady). Hopefully we will now more often be able to find a convenient space 🤞

Hope you get away to warmer climes xx

[Pixix in reply to Nextoneplease]

Thanks, doubtful now I have to wait another month to see my Dr (making it 4 months!) At the moment I am unfit to travel! S x

[Nextoneplease in reply to Pixix]

Oh Pixix 😟

Is there anywhere you could go in this country (once you’ve seen your GP)? Sounds like you need a break. Hugs 🤗

[Pixix in reply to Nextoneplease]

Not really…weather’s too damp, wet, rainy, for our lungs! Plus the shielding!! Thanks for the kind thought. Once I’ve seen theGP I will have to wait for him to give the steroid injections that I need. He kind of promised them 2 weeks ago, but I guess the four days of injection clinics were full up.

[Bedwell]

My blue badge is one of the top of my Gratitude lists!!!

[Nextoneplease in reply to Bedwell]

Think mine will be too ! Can’t wait for it to actually arrive!

[jayemmemm]

I was granted a Blue badge 3 yers ago and it was a godsend, enabling me to get out and meet other people once or twice a week which is essential to QOL if you live alone. Sadly, aged 90, I no longer drive, but the badge is still useful when my son drives me to the shops or to my increasingly numerous medical appointments. Best thing since sliced bread!

[Nextoneplease in reply to jayemmemm]

Excellent jayemmemm 😊

Great to hear it’s so useful x

[Eatsfruitsandleaves]

I have just had to re-apply for my blue badge and I was very worried when it asked for the £10 payment without me filling in any questions, apart from those that identify you and check where you live etc. I phoned the council's Blue Badge Unit to ask what had gone wrong and the lady said that 3 years ago, when I last applied, the person assessing my claim had marked my records to say that my various conditions would not improve so I am automatically granted a new badge" no questions asked". I am so very grateful. My advice to those wondering if it's worth applying.. Get help completing the form either from Citizens Advice or online from various charities . Answer all the questions with lots of information and don t give up.

[Nextoneplease]

Excellent news Eatsfruitsandleaves 😊

So glad you got the badge and I 100% agree with your advice to others about applying. I found the AgeUK website particularly helpful 😊