More transportation need or less?

More disabled than ever but trying to move back up the scale of assistive devices.

Like many other diseases and disabilities, Parkinson's Disease usually involves, at some point, a significant loss of mobility.  My first indication of this was actually when I tried to keep up with a grandson at the park and I discovered I wasn't coordinated enough to jog or run.  Even walking a little faster than usual made me feel more prone to stumble..  As time goes on, I've found that life has been easier through the use of mobility aids.  First it was a cane, then a really simple walker, then a more complex walker, then a power wheelchair, and finally a power scooter. Notice that I said, "Life has been made easier" not "I needed..."  Big difference.  Many insurance programs and HMO organizations fail to recognize this difference or choose to ignore it for the purpose of saving money.  But I have been so much more productive with transportation than I would have been otherwise

Actually in my case, more intensive transportation assistance has not only kept me healthier and more involved with life, but it has tended to be self-limiting and therefore cost effective.  I started using a cane sooner than I needed to.  Likewise, I was regularly using a walker when a cane was really sufficient.  But once I knew what I could do with a walker, I tried using a cane as much as possible because a cane could be more easily transported in a car, through doors, up stairs, etc.  And I always knew that the walker was available.

When a walker wasn't providing enough mobility support, we looked for and bought a power wheel chair.  Suddenly my decreasing mobility was reversed and I could go places again.  Negotiating the large Sac State campus to attend Renaissance (senior student) classes was once again possible and even enjoyable.  But the chair is cumbersome and requires special transport equipment itself.  Think that I would be using the power chair more and more, we began widening doorways in our house and installing ramps.  I had started to resign myself to the idea that there would be places I'd never visit again, especially family homes.

 

Then we discovered the Dashaway walker and my use of the power chair has decreased to almost nothing.  For the past year and a half, I have been able to reduce usage (transporting) of the heavy, cumbersome power chair.  I know that eventually I will need to go back to the chair and having it around has made it possible for me to get along with the Dashaway.  I feel that health care organizations are being short sighted by not broadening the definition of transportation equipment needs.

The future is already here with my power scooter.  We purchased it because it can be taken apart and transported in pieces.  On our upcoming cross country trip we anticipate that we'll need to do that when we have a rental car.  But already Mom and I are finding areas where it is still easier to use the Dashaway so we'll have to take it on vacation, too.