Elderly and frail - blue badge?

[redshoebox]

My MIL is in her early 90's and is increasingly frail. She has had a couple of falls lately and is now very unsteady and can't walk very far, she needs to hold someone's arm. Does anyone know whether she would be able to apply for a blue badge to use when we are taking her somewhere in the car? I've looked on the government website, but it doesn't mention eligibility due to sheer old age.

@MurielsBottom please see my post above. You have misunderstood how a Blue Badge should be used.

I have read your link and am not sure it is so clear.

You cannot use the badge whilst running errands for a disabled person, but the document does not necessarily seem to preclude nipping in to a chemist, say, with a prescription whilst the disabled person is in the car and within sight, on your way back from the GP. Being able to do that would make a big difference given most trips to the GP involve me coming down from London on a flying visit. And manoevering DM out of the car and onto her walker/into a wheelchair is is quite a lot of additional effort.

@needmoresleep I'd check if I were you, it would be awful if a traffic warden passed by or she was otherwise reported for abuse and she lost her badge.

If however there's something in the rules and regs that say she should be within your sightline and it's fine for her to be left in the car , then you'll definitely know what to answer with if you're challenged.

I think but am not sure that there may be some confusion about being the designated driver of a motability car. In that situation, it is possible to use the car for errands solely for the disabled person even if they are at home. Again, do check, there's too much conflicting advice and individuals' interpretations to rely on online info.

Not a motability car.

If you are correct I assume the people behind the Blue Badge scheme have no direct experience of caring for severely physically and mentally handicapped people. Getting my 89 year old mother in and out of a car is very difficult. Yet health and other services expect her to go to them not vice versa, and they expect family members to do the lions share, even if they live some distance away. Perhqaps I coud lend my mother to someone behind this scheme for a morning and let them try to cope.

BlankTimes I stand corrected. However I am in a similar situation to Needmoresleep in that sometimes we go somewhere, GP and then chemist and DH is just physically unable to get out the car. I need to be with him. The errand I am running is his (although it expressly says about this). I do feel that there should be some recognition about situations like this.

I remember reading a thread on mumsnet a year ago where a parent said they used their blue badge like this and people agreed that was ok. However, as BlankTimes rightly points out the rules do not support this kind of activity.

Saying all that we are hugely grateful for the blue badge and I will endeavour to use it according to the rules.

Yes you need to complete a form which asks about specific mobility issues.

There are an awful lot of elderly where my mum lives, and people tend to be astonishingly aware, kind and tolerant. One reason why I did not try to move my mother to London, closer to me. I doubt very much that a traffic warden would get arsey should I pop into the chemist with an 89 year old sitting in the car. So I would take the risk, and appeal if need be. Or, on a bad day, suggest they tow the car with my mother in it

We are lucky in that we could afford the occasional fine, and indeed can afford to use taxis as an alternative. Many/most people acting as carers are not in this fortunate position. It is so hard. and more to Muriel and others.

@MurielsBottom @Needmoresleep I agree with both of you, I think there should be exceptions in cases like yours when you NEED to be as close as possible to the BB holder who has as we say 'run out of legs' and needs to be able to see you if possible when the safest place for them is in the car.

I was in the supermarket carpark, had just parked in a BB space for my relative, and in the next BB bay was a white van with a very distressed elderly gentleman in it. He was waving a brick phone and saying he was calling but no-one was coming and they'd gone left him alone. He was shaking and nearly in tears.

I tried to reassure him, often phones don't work in some supermarkets, told him i was going to get help and dashed into the store and found an assistant who straightaway shot out with another staff member to see him. Minutes later there was a tannoy announcement for the white van reg. no. to contact the staff so it was sorted.

I never did find out exactly what happened - not my business, but I'd guess his carer was in similar circumstances to you.

@BlankTimes, a good example of how you never seem to be able to get it right.

5 years ago I left my mum in her new shletered flat whilst I set off with dodgy man with van to pick up more of her stuff. Get back and she was gone. Dodgy van man comes up trumps and insists on driving me around neighbouring streets. Finally we locate her in Tescos sitting on a chair happily drinking a cup of tea with a very young looking assistant manager in attendence. She had decided to go shoppng and forgotten where she lived. They added her to "their list". People in that part of the South Coast are brilliant with the elderly.

A year or so later I drop her off at the same Tescos and tell her to wait by the trolleys whilst I park the car. Get back and she is gone. After a mad sprint down the aisles I find her. She has worked out she has gone shopping but forgotten what she wanted, and that I was with her.

Her mobility has decreased so I am more likely now to leave her in the car if I need to pick up one or two things. No doubt this wont work either.

Its a five hour round trip and there are inevitably other chores, so my best has to be good enough.