Blue badge?

Spendless

Wonder if anyone can help me here?

My Grandmother is 88.5 and following a spell of her acting 'bizarrely' early this year ended up sectioned under the MH Act. Her GP has told my Mum (her daughter) that Nan has vascular dementia, but no-one said anything to us when she was discharged from psychiatric ward, and Nan hasn't said what she was told (if anything). Since coming out of hospital Nan has been barely able to walk, which I put down to a side-effect of her tablets, but her GP says it's co-incidence and arthritis. Cortisone injections haven't really helped.

Here is my problem, it is getting more and more difficult to park somewhere that she can walk to and from. The other week I left her at a coffee bar near to a small shopping arcade with my other gran, thinking they'd be ok. just over an hour later I got a phone call from one of the shops, nan had fallen outside, slipped either on a leaf or uneven slabs. I went to pick her up but the closest parking spaces to get her were assigned for disabled. She is unable to walk to the nearest shops as they are too far, so someone (usually me) has to take her and it has to be somewhere familiar otherwise she gets confused and doesn't know what to do (as I discovered when I took her someone different last week).


So we have applied and got the forms for a blue badge. On reading thru she's asked what benefits she's claiming. She isn't on any. Prior to going into hospital she was relatively healthy for her age. I have looked up Attendance Allowance but it says it's not awarded for mobility just for care and though she certainly needs keeping an eye on, she lives interdependently, and doesn't require help washing/dressing. It also asks about medical conditions but she (as far as we know) doesn't know about the dementia, so she isn't going to put it down and we'd have to get the forms from her and make sure she doesn't see what we've put if we fill it in.

can anyone advise please?

Torry_Quine

To answer the question raised. The blue badge form will have had asked about her GP as they will be contacted about her mobility issues and so that should help her get it. She may also be eligible for AA though as her dementia may mean she needs someone with her to for instance remind her of things.

Ignore MS they have nothing of any worth to say.

Cuckooclock

Going back onto Spendless original post, I had a blue badge when I had kidney failure and I was still working. It made it so much easier to do shopping get into work etc.
Have you tried the CAB for your Grandmother, they have been a great help to me. I had no idea where to turn when it was decided to file my sick notes in archives & refused to get them out.

BobQ

Torry_Quine wrote: »

To answer the question raised. The blue badge form will have had asked about her GP as they will be contacted about her mobility issues and so that should help her get it. She may also be eligible for AA though as her dementia may mean she needs someone with her to for instance remind her of things.

Ignore MS they have nothing of any worth to say.

Torry, your information is out of date. They do not necessaraily contact the GP anymore in most cases.

OP, As she does not automatically qualify for a BB (DLA etc) you have to fill in the form. (You can fill the form in yourself on her behalf) and explain the situation with dementia. The issue is not what her medical condition is or is not (although clearly this will provide evidence in some cases). She will qualify or not on the basis of her inability to walk or because she has substantial difficulties in doing so.

This assessment will independent, not by her GP. In this case they will most likely require her to attend an assessment by an Occupational Therapist or similar to assess how much difficulty she has in walking. Assuming she is prepared to attend, the emphasis will not be about her medical condition as such but on what she is capable of doing in terms of walking. They will assess how far she can walk, how breathless she gets, how balanced is her gait, whether she needs a stick to keep her balance, how painful her arthritis is etc.

You may find Age UK can give some useful advice in this case.

Torry_Quine

BobQ wrote: »

Torry, your information is out of date. They do not necessaraily contact the GP anymore in most cases.

OP, As she does not automatically qualify for a BB (DLA etc) you have to fill in the form. (You can fill the form in yourself on her behalf) and explain the situation with dementia. The issue is not what her medical condition is or is not (although clearly this will provide evidence in some cases). She will qualify or not on the basis of her inability to walk or because she has substantial difficulties in doing so.

This assessment will independent, not by her GP. In this case they will most likely require her to attend an assessment by an Occupational Therapist or similar to assess how much difficulty she has in walking. Assuming she is prepared to attend, the emphasis will not be about her medical condition as such but on what she is capable of doing in terms of walking. They will assess how far she can walk, how breathless she gets, how balanced is her gait, whether she needs a stick to keep her balance, how painful her arthritis is etc.

You may find Age UK can give some useful advice in this case.

It must have changed recently as whenever I've filled in a form it asked for GP name and that was sufficient for my rleative to get it.

Poppie68

When i got my BB they never contacted my GP or sent me for an assesment with the OT. Maybe i was just lucky.
I also work in a gp surgery and it is a long time since we recieved any form requesting info on a patient applying for a BB.

BobQ

Torry_Quine wrote: »

It must have changed recently as whenever I've filled in a form it asked for GP name and that was sufficient for my rleative to get it.

Yes it changed earlier this year.The official reason for the change is that the new tests are independent and the GP is not put in a position where they do not like to refuse to support the patient.

A more plausible reason it that paying the GP a fee for completing the assessment costs more than paying an Occupational Therapist.

The form still asks for your GP's name and the assessor could contact the GP for information but in most cases they do not.