disabled parking permit

My father is 95 and uses a rollator to walk, without that he would be very unsteady and in danger of falling. Like others, I also have difficulty opening the car door wide enough to enable him to get in and out. I have to take him to an independent doctor next week for a mobility assessment. I fear he will say he's fine and can manage.
You'd think at 95 that he should qualify automatically!
What also makes me cross is that he did have blue badge, which he qualified for when he was waiting for a hip replacement 15 years ago, but he sent it back when he gave up the car when he was 90!
Parents!!!!
Parents!!!

Interestingly, we have a new Physio Therapy unit near the centre of town, due to space limitations, there is no parking at all. However they have organised parking at the local football ground and a 1/2 hourly free shuttle bus, ideal solution to lack of in-town space. If they had built it out of town, public transport would have been limited.

Thanks - I did phone the hospital and was told I do still have to pay for parking if I use a disabled space but I will check when I go

eddiecat check your hospitals policy on Blue badge parking . My local hospital demands that your BB is registered with them (at reception) otherwise you still get a parking fine . £70 in some cases ! Once you are registered you can park everytime you go without risk of fine xx

Having a badge will be a real boon for hospital parking eddie as well as taking him anywhere in town.

Good news eddiecat and well done not letting the form intimidate you.

That is excellent- his age alone would be a great help to getting the badge.

Just as an update - I applied using a form printed off from my local council website - and the badge came through in just over a week - which is brilliant as Dad has another hospital appointment on Thursday. The care home was very helpful providing a photo and a list of his medication - and on the the form I did emphasise his age and the fact that he lives in a care home and his condition is deteriorating.

My problem was opening the car door far enough to exit/enter my car.

The form from the council had more opportunity to explain the mobility problems than the on line form, and I could include xray results etc to back up my application.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519091/blue-badge-scheme-local-authority-guidance-paper.pdf

This is what you need- esp p25. The real issues are about how to define considerable difficulty in walking which involves how far, speed and any associated pain and/or breathlessness during or after. PM me if you want any more advice

A wheelchair is all very well and good GrandmaMoira but my biggest problem was getting the car door open wide enough to get my grandma in and out.

Exactly Elegran. I had horrendous problems with both my grandma and my mums hospital appointments. Both of whom told their social workers that they managed "fine". I used to get really angry and think "NO YOU DO NOT MANAGE FINE" . It used to half kill me getting my grandma (in particular) to and from hospital appointments and the absence of a blue badge meant that I often had to drive around for ages (or stop in some very awkward places, leaving her sat at the side of a road in her wheelchair) as I couldn't get my door open wide enough to get her in and out, in a conventional parking space.

Your father is probably disabled enough to get a blue badge. Both my husband and father had one. However, hospitals often only have a few disabled parking spaces and they are usually full quite early in the day so a blue badge does not solve that. You can contact PALS at your local hospital to ask if there's wheelchairs available for you (or a porter) to push your father to his appointment. He may also be able to get patient transport and you could go with him as a carer. This would however mean a long day picking up and dropping off other patients. If you are not too far from the hospital, a taxi is another option as they can drop you by the entrance and you don't have to find parking.

thanks very much - I have now looked at my local council form and it does look easier - just need to try and estimate how far Dad can walk. (And fit his vast array of drugs into the small space provided!)

It was the council that advised me to use the form they would send me, so I didn't argue.

The system has, it seems, been speeded up a bit because of huge back logs. You complete the form on line, giving supportive information, such as the GP, practice/specialist nurse of the applicant. Providing that's available, things seem to happen fairly quickly.

I did it online wobblybits and DH gets no other benefits, so that may not always be the case. It took me over three hours, but came through within a couple of weeks. I just wish I had done it sooner as it makes hospital appointments very much easier. Sadly disabled spaces are not always available as there are ar****les who still park in them illegally which makes me very angry.

I recently got one, did not expect to as my condition will eventually be sorted via surgery.

You need to contact your council for the paper form. This is very different from the online form and enables you to explain the situation in more detail. The online form only works if you are registered for some disability or benefit. Basically if he cannot walk far unaided, he should be able to get a badge.

I found the council very helpful.

eddiecat The days of porters are long gone , the NHS is on its knees due to underfunding ! I would think he would qualify for a blue badge and it does make life so much easier for people with mobility issues . It is not that bad to fill in and worth a go .

I got one for my mum, who has mobility problems. The form wasn't too bad at all and the BB came through very quickly. When you fill in the form, answer the questions as to how your dad would be on his very worst day, not on his best day. HTH.

Thankyou - I will look into it further.
Sadly his heart clinic is at our local hospital which doesn`t run to such luxuries as porters! There are wheel chairs available but I would have to manhandle it myself and they weigh a ton!

There should be a facility at the hospital reception desk to call a porter with a wheel chair to take your father to his clinic whilst you park the car. You should be able to wait in the drop off zone till the porter comes to your car. You have to ask of course and explain he cannot walk to the clinic.

I would do as the others have suggested and get someone to help you fill in the forms in the hope that you can get a disabled parking permit.

My dad was eighty and had heart failure, he was able to get one and kept it in his pocket so whichever one of us was taking him anywhere could use the disabled spaces. When my mother was in the same boat she had one too and just kept it in her handbag. Speak to his GP.

Yes, but get someone with experience to help you fill it in - it makes a huge difference how you word your answers. Do not use rose-coloiured spectacles on ANY aspect of his disability. Older people are inclined to answer "Yes, I can manage that" when the truth is that they can only cope when they have a lot of help.