Hi I havnt been on the Forum for a long time but Ive been diagnosed 6 years and I wondered if anyone could let me know their experience of applying for a disabled badge.
I have submitted a form and I now have an appointment fir an assessment.
I do walk, sometimes quite a distance but sometimes its a struggle. Also, I need to open the car door wide to get out.
Im not sure I will be eligible for the badge.
Can anyone share their experiences please.
From what you have said there are two points to consider.
It is important to stress that most of the time it is a struggle to walk any distance and so at the supermarket it is important to park as close to the shop as possible.
The disabled parking bays have extra width and you always need that width to open the car door fully to enable you to get out safely.
Hope this helps and good luck with your assessment.
I got a Blue Badge very easily by filling in the form on my council’s website and uploading my diagnosis letter, which described how I couldn’t walk without assistance.
The badge is very useful, especially for hospital visits, and I can see why they are careful to check eligibility.
Written evidence from a doctor would be a good thing to take to the assessment.
Thank you.
Good morning Margs … I have just started the process of requesting a blue badge.
I have been told that it takes 3 months plus as there is a backlog.
I too can walk a bit. But how far I never know till I try & of course there are “bad days”
& “worse days”.
I have been advised that it important to keep walking. I find walking quite uncomfortable but not impossible. I find a walk exhausts me & have decided
I will walk last thing & that will help me sleep, which some times is difficult.
I always have my groceries delivered but the other day I did go to the supermarket
& I found the whole process difficult & will not do it again.
Online is says that a sign of Parkinson’s is “depression & anxiety” … I’m going to give that a big LOL … of course anyone with Parkinson’s is going to be blankety blank depressed. [I was tempted to use an F word there, but didn’t].
Good luck Margs.
Thanks for replying.
I have my assessment at the end of September so fingers crossed.
Depression and anxiety is made worse by the NHS sysfem. I was due for my 6 monthly check up with my Consultant next week but it has been cancelled as he is unwell. They have given me another appointment for July next year. Which will then be 17 months after my last appointment in February. Luckily Ive managed to get an appointment with my Parkinson’s nurse who I havnt seen since before covid.
Good luck to you with your application for a disabled badge. One of my reasons is so that I can open the car door wider to get out of the car as disabled spaces are not only closer but have wider spaces.
Regards
Update: I went for my blue badge assessment yesterday and I do not meet the criteria.
Good evening Margs1 … Sorry to hear you did not qualify for a Blue Badge. However in your first post in August 2023 you did say …
“I do walk, sometimes quite a distance but sometimes its a struggle. Also, I need to open the car door wide to get out. I’m not sure I will be eligible for the badge.”
I think you felt you were unlikely to get a Blue Badge because your walking is usually good.
I was successful in my application & now have a Blue Badge & what a positive difference it has made to my life. I did not need to go for an assessment.
I do go to the hospital quite often. Sometimes 3 times a week. On a week like that I would spend nearly £20 in car park charges, now free. There is also no parking close to my doctors & no parking close to my chemists. An essential once a month trip where I can now park close by on the double yellow lines. I can also visit the village baker’s & butcher’s whereas before I could not.
In my application I did highlight this need. I also made sure I had all the medical diagnosis letters / appointment letters.
As you are able to sometimes walk quite a distance maybe that was what scuppered your blue badge application.
Did you have to have an assessment because you were too fit to qualify or perhaps you were a borderline marginal case ?
Geoffrey & Lemon offered good advice.
I do know two people with Parkinson’s. Both play golf & can walk the 18 holes comfortably. I could not walk for 1/2 of 1 hole.
Of course you can apply again if your mobility gets worse. I would rather have your walking ability & no badge than my mobility problems with a badge. I do wonder how I managed without one.
Best of luck.
Steve2
Hello Margs1, my husband has had PD for over 8 years. In the last year I applied for a blue badge for him. Like you he can walk, but he really struggles getting in and out of the car. He needs the door fully open and this just isn’t possible in a normal parking bay unless of course it’s next to an empty one. I filled in the form for him (as he has early PD dementia) with his input. When the question came up about how far can you walk etc, I simply attached a yellow post it note explaining that he had PD, a complex neurological disease, the symptoms of which can fluctuate from hour to hour on any given day. Some days he may be able to walk further than others but he always struggles getting out of the car.
I wonder if your PD nurse could help you appeal their decision?
It doesn’t seem fair your application has been declined as I know how stressful it can be trying to get my husband out of the car then back into it. Disability isn’t all about how far you can walk after all…
Wishing you well with your future application. Jean
Brilliant advice Jean1.
Best wishes
Steve2
Hi Margs1 When I was first told that I had PD it was the PD nurse who told me to apply for a Blue Badge. Some times it is the way you fill o=in the form, just remeber it all about mobility. When in Q1 you are ask to identify medical conditions I wrote which is true when you have PD (after sitting all body goes stiff and it takes me a while to get going, the major joints, hips,knees along with sacroiliac joints very stiff at the end of movement, ) it looks that i no what I was talking about but I had taken some of the words from what Doc/PD Nurse had written, Your not telling lies but you can see it’s all about mobilty. Q5 Asks best describes the way you walk I ticked poor (have problems with balance which again is not a lie, your PD changes not from day to day but each hour is different. I also wrote this down, I also put that I would not get better my PD will just get worse. I also wrote that when walking i sometimes can only walk 3/6 yards then I have to rest, again not a lie sometimes i can walk further but remember they are looking at your worst moment not your good ones, so I said that day to day its changeable. I hope this helps if I was you I would speak to some one who deals with BB and just say you are finding it very difficult getting about as you have to park ??? so far from the shop ect.
Evening mary1947 … good post. Excellent advice. You are very switched on.
Steve2
HI Steve2 thanks i did have the same as Margs1 when i first ask for a BB they turned down, so i phoned them and told them all about Parkinson’s what was going to happen and what it was like and because we look ok they think that you are well, after the phone call they gave me my BB. i will always carry with me the leaflet from Parkinson’s UK Intro into Parkinson’s because most people thinks that its all about shaking/tremor. Then if any one would like to know more i just hand them the leaflet.
Thanks for all your comments.
The reason I didnt qualify was I walked too far without stopping.
I did say that it was difficult getting in and out of the car unless I opened the door wide and that was my main problem.
I found it all very stressful to be honest so I wont bother again.
Once again thanks.
Hi mary1947. I can’t see where to order intro to Parkinson’s leaflet is it on this website?
Thank you x
Hi Margs1 I think it is on the web site but I give them a phone call, let me know how you get on please.
Morning Margs1 a little bit more info!! Parkinson’s print a booklet called a Guide to our resources On the front page is a young girl holding a poster with the words on it "“RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSON’S?” In the booklet there are lots of information leaflets that you can send for order code INFOBOO15 I hope this helps if you need anything else just ask and if I can help you no probs. just found a phone number 0330 124 1250 [email protected]
Mary1947 thank you so much.
Hi Mary,
I cant find this leaflet on the website. Has it got a ref no?
Thanks x
I wasn’t going to bother appealing but I might. Im waiting for the results of my EMG first.
Regards
