Blue badge

Use it when you need it and just don't use it when/if having a good day! I wish I had one as I have neck and spine arthritis and can't carry stuff or push trolley far but because I can walk ok I can't get one.

Good for you for making your life a little easier. You are not old and knackered but sensible!

Now, could you let my stubborn bil know how brilliant is is!

Oh please don't feel 'old and knackered' they are not prerequisites for a blue badge - just enjoy the new freedoms it may provide

Go for it! We are not eligible for one, in spite of OH's PD and my mobility limitations - so if they are offering it, grab it with both hands! They make life so much easier in so many settings.

Thank you, lovely people. I've just sent off all the documentation and I'll wait for it with bated breath. I live in a holiday town so it'll be useful once the season gets into full swing, that's for sure.
The assessment wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated; the questions were generally common sense and the assessor walked me through the car park to my car. I was quite taken aback to get it first time though

I wish there was a temporary blue badge as my mobility is currently compromised and getting in and out of the car from an 'ordinary' car parking space isn't easy and its painful. No doubt if it were on offer for temporary problems then some idiot would misuse it and it would be withdrawn. It's amazing how small and restricted the world becomes when mobility is a problem - and there's a lack of loos as well!

I have had a blue badge since I was 48 - owing to an accident and permanent disability caused by the tendency of my joints to dislocate and generally by hypermobile. It has meant a huge amount to my ability to get out and about as the bigger spaces mean that I can get a wheelchair or walker alongside the car.

I've just ordered a RADAR key, too. And requested a parking bay outside my house.
In for a penny and all that

Good for you kezia it has nothing to do with age. D had a blue badge for GS when he was small as he had heart problems. Touch wood at 5 yrs he no longer needs it.

My 93 yr old Mil has dementia and difficulty walking ( the dementia shuffle)
she finds being out side very disorienting
Taking her for medical check ups is a two man job
One to wait with her as she cant be left by herself and the other to park the car.
I had considered applying for a blue badge on her behalf
but after reading your post luckygirl I think it would be unlikely that she would be eligible.

I was asked questions about going up and down stairs, walking round a supermarket, whether I got breathless ( I don't ) and other everyday things. It really wasn't too bad. You've got nothing to lose by applying on her behalf.

I would contact her GP, Cherrytree. If I remember correctly - from when my mother was issued with one, they can help with the application process.

My daughter is 38 and has had a blue badge for four years now. It has been invaluable in allowing her freedom to do shopping and also to have a dedicated parking space where she works. She has mobility issues and, without the blue badge, would not be able to get out and about - she really values the independence it brings. I would like to see the blue badge scheme devolved from having to be in receipt of PIP - Councils should be able to allocate them on a GP's recommendation. It really had made a huge difference to her day to day life.

when I applied for my blue badge it made me feel old and decrepit (70), but when it arrived I felt all my Christmases had come at once. It has made my life so much easier knowing I can park my car near to my destination. It has changed my life. I encourage anyone to apply if they think they need one. They can only say no.

DH helps people apply for Blue Badges via the Age Concern locally. He has yet to have a refusal.
Our DGD has had a blue badge since she was 3 as her mobility is compromised. I don't think that she considers herself "old and Knackered". It is useful when you need it.
What I hate are those people who are able--bodied and borrow a blue badge. It makes my blood boil!
Good luck kesia and only use the Blue Badge when you feel you need it; no-one needs know when you are feeling well!

Kezia, I know how you feel, having had arthritis in my hip and leg for years to the point where I could not walk at times and could not handle a supermarket shopping trolley at all! I failed the blue badge assessment as I could walk with a stick! Not once have I felt old however, just "disabled", which does not make you old"! Cheer up and accept the Blue Badge and get on with your life! Best wishes.

The condition you have, is as you say, chronic, and nothing to do with getting old. And the badges are given for a range of reasons-simply getting older isn't one of them(nor should it be in my view). I'd use the badge when I really needed to. It may feel depressing at first but the benefits will outweigh that after a bit.

Cheerytree59, my 93 year old mum has a badge and it's invaluable when we take her anywhere. She is very, very, slow with walking and is crippled by arthritis. She's had a badge for some years (renewed every three). I urge you to seek one for your mum. Kezia, please don't feel old! As you cans see from these posts, it's a badge to help all sorts of people!

I have just succumbed to acquiring a blue badge as I cannot walk far without getting breathless. I also, at 73, consider myself has old and knackered, having got it. Although it will give me access to all those lovely NT houses and estates with car parks a long distance from the house. Because I hadn't fully read the booklet about double yellow line restrictions, I almost get a parking ticket me first time out!

It's worth remembering that disability is not necessarily a sign of ageing. In these days of extreme sports, modern medical care for very serious illnesses, and modern warfare, disability affects more young people than perhaps ever before. They too will have applied for blue badges and other aids.

Years ago I used to do assessments for blue badges. I gave one to a teenage girl who walked out of the office quite happily. One of the admin staff complained, said she shouldn't have been awarded one because she could walk fine.
The young girl had lost her leg in a fairground accident and good for her that she looked as though 'she could walk fine' .... fine but not far!

My OH has one as he in receipt of the Mobility award of PIPS so it was just a case of applying for one. We both appreciate it as he had a knee replacement last year and is now waiting to get the other one done, so his ability to walk is not very good.

Ten years ago I applied for one on the grounds of having agoraphobia and being unable to walk any distance from a car to a shop or any other place that I was going to. I was amazed when my application was successful and for 3yrs my life was so much easier. I could actually get to places I had never been able to go to for years and I was really upset when after 3yrs they told me that 'psychological' conditions were not covered under the scheme, which is odd as I had obviously been considered eligible before.

I am still agoraphobic, although not as bad as I was years ago, so my OH having his Blue Badge is actually a great help to both of us!

If it makes a difference to your life, grasp it with both hands and appreciate that it will make so much more of life accessible to you. Then as others have said, get busy enjoying the NT parking benefits etc. My father has let his pride get in the way of using a mobility scooter which he should have done 10 years ago. This has meant that he has missed out on a lot of opportunities as he really cannot walk any distance. For myself, should the need arise I would take the blue card and get the scooter and keep partaking in life as long as I can. No prizes for struggling by and then not wanting to do stuff because its too much of a struggle

I'm sure that you're not old and knackered. As you're lucky enough to actually get one of these badges I'd say make the most of it - park nearer to the supermarket doors, etc. It'll make life easier and on those bad days you'll really appreciate it.