Blue badges: share your experiences
- Thread starter HarrietD
- Start date
Got ours with our council (South west region) with no problems... OH had mobility issues following hip surgery but as badge for 3 years it was more for the Alzheimer's. In receipt of attendance allowance which maybe helps. Our Alzheimer support person helped us fill in form and had to send ID for badge online.
Very useful though don't always use specific spaces if we have folding wheelchair in boot as I can push quite far and always mindful that the wide bays are essential for some with ramps. If he is walking very short distance with stick is brilliant as can park on yellow lines where feasible so don't need to load wheelchair. Eg. Outside day centre where is only on-street parking.
Very useful though don't always use specific spaces if we have folding wheelchair in boot as I can push quite far and always mindful that the wide bays are essential for some with ramps. If he is walking very short distance with stick is brilliant as can park on yellow lines where feasible so don't need to load wheelchair. Eg. Outside day centre where is only on-street parking.
I have been entitled to the Blue Badge for nearly 20 years and it has been a godsend and never more so than now as wide bays are a must with Pauline. Previously I always renewed at out local council ‘One Stop Shop’ which has now closed down. It was with some trepidation therefor I went online and was amazed at how straightforward it was and how quickly the replacement badge turned .
I have just been declined a blue badge for my husband. I am his sole carer and with him 24/7. I have been told he does not qualify because he can walk(although I did explaine he shuffles and is in danger of falling) , I always accompany him so he has support and he is not a danger to himself or others. This is despite saying he needs to have the door wide open to exit the car as he uses it as a support so a wider space needed and if I get him to get out of the car and then park he forgets where I am and wanders off. I was informed this was not dangerouse. The fact he gets the higher attendance allowance was of no importance as I had no medical proof of his condition other than his diagnosis. But the doctors never see him. He has to have annual reviews for diabetes but nothing for the Alzheimers so the Dr has no idea of his current mental health. Meanwhile my mental health is in the pits
The blue badge has helped tremendousy,especially on hospital visits.however i wonder if there has been a noticeable increase in the supplying of them as it is now virtually impossible to find a disabled park in York City town centre.as the council have stopped most access to the town centre.Our Research and Influencing team would like to hear about your experiences (positive and negative) with accessing and using blue badges. Please see below for more details - thanks everyone
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We campaign for you to fulfil your right to travel, safely and comfortably, so that you can continue with day-to-day life activities. It is important to visit health appointments, attend leisure pursuits, and meet with friends or relatives where you can.
We were pleased when the blue badge guidance considered that people with hidden disabilities, such as dementia, may benefit from a blue badge to make parking easier.
If you've had experiences accessing or using blue badges, please feel free to share them below.
Our hospital car park for blue badge use is fairly small so when I take partner was paying and parking in main car park. I only discovered recently that if I park in the main car park I can get them to validate the ticket and get the parking free.
Dad always had a blue badge as his mobility was affected by an accident- he could walk but not very far. I remember him being shouted at by mouthy mums at Tesco because he didn't use walking aids (too proud) but he'd never have made it all the way across the car park and round the shop.
By the time h was diagnosed with dementia he was way past the point of being safe to drive: he had parked his car somewhere, forgotten where it was, hadn't been able to find it, got a taxi home and the police found his car 'abandoned ' and confiscated his keys.
In my experience dementia affects the ability to drive safely long before it affects mobility. An automatic dementia diagnosis equals blue badge policy therefore makes no sense.
Carers would or could use them more but on this forum you will see many examples of people having a lot of trouble getting their people with dementia to stop driving while clearly dangerous, and I can't recall anyone saying a blue badge would be helpful.
The problem is that dementia often (not always, as you can see from comments above) comes with the belief that there is nothing wrong with you, so why would you, the person with dementia, apply for a blue badge?
By the time h was diagnosed with dementia he was way past the point of being safe to drive: he had parked his car somewhere, forgotten where it was, hadn't been able to find it, got a taxi home and the police found his car 'abandoned ' and confiscated his keys.
In my experience dementia affects the ability to drive safely long before it affects mobility. An automatic dementia diagnosis equals blue badge policy therefore makes no sense.
Carers would or could use them more but on this forum you will see many examples of people having a lot of trouble getting their people with dementia to stop driving while clearly dangerous, and I can't recall anyone saying a blue badge would be helpful.
The problem is that dementia often (not always, as you can see from comments above) comes with the belief that there is nothing wrong with you, so why would you, the person with dementia, apply for a blue badge?
When my husband was waiting for a hip operation and couldn't get out of the car without the door being fully open he was refused a blue badge. I asked what we were supposed to do as we couldn't park in an ordinary car park space. The answer was "Park further away".?
We applied for a blue badge for my dad who can’t walk more than a few paces, and that with a stick. It was fairly straightforward but uploading the photo was a bit of a pain. Mum and dad would never have been able to fill it in online on their own. Technology can be marvellous, but it can also leave older people feeling like they can’t cope with life any more. They wouldn’t have got a blue badge if we hadn’t done it for them. Would be great to make it clear how these badges can be obtained without having to use the computer.Our Research and Influencing team would like to hear about your experiences (positive and negative) with accessing and using blue badges. Please see below for more details - thanks everyone
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We campaign for you to fulfil your right to travel, safely and comfortably, so that you can continue with day-to-day life activities. It is important to visit health appointments, attend leisure pursuits, and meet with friends or relatives where you can.
We were pleased when the blue badge guidance considered that people with hidden disabilities, such as dementia, may benefit from a blue badge to make parking easier.
If you've had experiences accessing or using blue badges, please feel free to share them below.
hello @Yanto2
a warm welcome to DTP
so sorry that the badge for your husband has been refused
I wonder whether AgeUK might be able to help with a re-application
maybe email the GP and explain how your husband, why you have been refused the badge and ask for their help
and Admiral Nurses are there to support carers so may have some ideas
www.dementiauk.org
a warm welcome to DTP
so sorry that the badge for your husband has been refused
I wonder whether AgeUK might be able to help with a re-application
maybe email the GP and explain how your husband, why you have been refused the badge and ask for their help
and Admiral Nurses are there to support carers so may have some ideas
Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline
Call or email our Dementia Helpline/Alzheimer’s Helpline for reassuring and practical advice from our specialist team of Admiral Nurses.
www.dementiauk.org
@Yanto2
Some PWds who can pass the basic walking test may automatically qualify under
Supporting evidence from a social worker or clinician should be attached to the appeal.
Some PWds who can pass the basic walking test may automatically qualify under
People who automatically get a Blue Badge
....- you receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress
People who may get a Blue Badge
....- you are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
- you struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
- you find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
- you regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
- you frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces
Supporting evidence from a social worker or clinician should be attached to the appeal.
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Update on our Blue Badge Application. It was approved today. I had a long call with them last week and they are concentrating on the Glaucoma/Blindness aspect and pretty much ignoring the dementa side of things!! as "hidden diabilities are so hard to quantify/justify". I had to send them a video of walking. Whole thing has taken rather a long time, but so grateful to actually have it
