My wife has had MS for about 15 years now. For the first few years she managed quite well. She had problems walking, but a walking stick was all she needed. In the house she puts her hands on the furniture to steady herself. She calls it ‘just her way of dusting!’

Over the past couple of years I have seen her walking get slowly worse. It is terrible to watch her struggle. Sometimes when we were walking to the shops, she had to sit down half way there. She said, that her legs just stop. I must admit I didn’t really understand it. I tried, but I couldn’t imagine not being able to just put one foot in front of the other. I don’t mean to sound cruel. I would watch her grab hold of things to help her not fall over.

She started not wanting to go out as much. Then she didn’t want to go out at all, unless we took the car. I tried to tell her the exercise would do her good, but she said it didn’t work like that.

We started to argue more……….

Then I suppose I started listening properly to what she was saying. She wasn’t just getting lazier. She really couldn’t walk like she used to. She said her legs felt a cross between concrete and jelly. That made no sense to me but I know it would be hard to walk if your legs felt like that.

I wanted to help her. What she missed the most was going to the local shops, and going round to her sister’s house. We were never blessed with children but we have two young nephews whom she adores and she just loves spending time with them.

She needed to be independently mobile again. The solution was staring us in the face. A mobility scooter.

I did some research. She needed the seat to swivel, to help her get in and out of the scooter. The controls weren’t too important as her hands were fine. Her favourite colour is red, and I knew she would love a scooter in red. (I wasn’t complaining at this either as my football team wears red!) I found out that you can add a walking stick holder to the back of the scooter and this sounded ideal. My essentials list was not very long, so I had plenty of scooters to choose from.

She knew what I was planning on buying for her. But when it arrived she was totally stunned and amazed. She was pleased with how easy it was to drive. Most importantly though, she was delighted at how much more confident she felt going outside. She was equally delighted that she was not completely exhausted when she got back to the house. MS ‘fatigue’ can be totally debilitating, and using the scooter minimised amount of time she spent totally exhausted.

I am so glad I finally started to understand my wife’s condition, and could do something practical to help. It is an added bonus that I have got back some points in being a good husband, and my wife is so much happier.

A year ago my world turned upside down. My husband had a stroke and was hospitalized for months. Every day I visited him in hospital. He wasn’t the man I married. Even though I knew him so well, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He couldn’t walk, eat by himself, or dress himself. It was so demoralising for him, I could see it in his face. I could barely watch him.

I never thought that he would make the recovery that he has. Intensive physiotherapy has helped so much. Everyday it looked like he was being tortured, but in reality the wonderful staff were helping him regain his life back.

Today, he has been home for a couple of months. He can walk a little. I can understand what he is trying to tell me. He still has huge problems, but he is so much better than I thought he could ever be.

I am glad it is getting warmer. I bought him a mobility scooter, which he loves. He tends to just go to the park, which is only about a mile away. He sits and watches the world go by. He says he prefers it to his electric wheelchair. He says he feels safer and more in control. He says he feels more like it is a vehicle that he is riding and not an extension of him, which is what the wheelchair made him feel like. I go with him sometimes, and can easily walk beside him. I would get on my bicycle and go with him but to be honest there is a hill on the way to the park. It’s easy in his scooter, but I don’t fancy cycling up it!

Things at home are not easy. He has a carer that comes in to help twice a day. She helps him get washed, dressed and up for the day. Our house now has more mobility aids than I care to count. All of them help him do the everyday things that he and I used to just take for granted. From beakers with lids to drink out of, and cutlery that is specially designed to help him not to drop and actually eat his food. We have a bath lift for the bath and he relies on the grab rail on our bed for help getting in and out. His tablet dispenser is simple but it helps him take his own medication instead of me always having to remember what pill to take when.

All in all life is totally and completely different to a year ago. Our priorities have changed. Now we live for every precious moment. My only worry now is that he doesn’t use his scooter to go to the pub to watch the World Cup!

Sometimes life is easy. I have MS, so – like with lots of illnesses – I have good days and bad days. Today is a good day, so I am writing this article about a day last month.

It was Tuesday, and I was struggling to do so many things. The co-ordination, strength and control my right hand was next to useless. I am right-handed so I knew things would be difficult.

It started with getting dressed. I had to find my shoes that just slip-on and have no laces or buckles. Tying up laces would have been a joke, I’m glad I didn’t attempt that one. I didn’t put any make-up on, I like to when I go out, but with one hand that didn’t quite go where I told it to go, I didn’t want to look like a clown!

Breakfast was next. Everything was fine, until I was putting spread on my toast. I dropped the knife twice. My grip just didn’t hold on right. I’ve seen knives that have special grips, that I know would help. But have I got around to getting some? I’ll let you answer that one!

I should have put jam on my toast; I have a gadget that would have helped with that. Well, I have two gadgets actually. The first is a cone shape and is corrugated on the inside. It is made out of a bendy rubber. You hold it over the jar grip and turn. Hey presto, the jar opens easily. This one would not have been right for me on that day. But the other one I have would have been perfect. It is a handle with a strap on one end. You tighten the strap around the lid, then twist. The lid opens.

I made do with my toast and coffee. I only spilt a few coffee granules off the spoon.

I had planned to go to the supermarket that day, and wasn’t going to let my wonky right hand stop me. It is in walking distance, so I set off. No incidents on the way there – phew! I didn’t really have any problems in the store either.

Getting home is always difficult. I use a walking stick to help my balance, but had to hold my stick in the ‘wrong’ hand. Holding it in my right hand just felt awkward and didn’t feel secure at all. My shopping goes on my back in a ruck sack. I find this is the best way, as it keeps me balanced evenly, and leaves my hands free.

Once home with the shopping put away, it was time for a cup of coffee. Yes, you guessed; I poured boiling water on to the floor. I didn’t think. I just grabbed the kettle with my right hand as usual. My hand wasn’t co-ordinated enough to get the water in the cup. I have now bought a kettle tipper. It is just not worth any more near misses. It is great. The best way to describe it is that the kettle fits into a wire cage, that allows you to tip it forward safely.

After a few days, my ‘bad day’ got better and became a good day. I’ve yet to find a decent corkscrew that I can use on those bad days!

Blue badges have been in the news recently – and not for good reasons. The blue badge scheme is a lifeline for many people. It enables people with serious mobility issues to park closer to where they need to go. They can also park free of charge in some cases, and park longer than more able-bodied people are allowed to do.

This makes sense as someone who has problems with their mobility, will often take longer to do tasks like shopping, and by the very nature of having a mobility problem cannot walk as far as other more able bodied people.

Recently it was reported that Welwyn Hatfield Council has decided to charge disabled motorists for parking in Welwyn Garden City.

We are not aware of any other councils who have taken this shocking decision. It could mean that in this case the council is breach of the Disability Discrimination Act, by placing blue badge holders at a disadvantage.

City Mobility will be very interested to see how this case unfolds. We understands that Councils sometimes have to make cuts, but this should surely not be at the expense of disabled people who – to be honest – have enough to contend with.

Most people use their blue badges honestly and considerately. They appreciate the benefits that owning one can have.

The BBC reported on 20th May that there has been a crackdown on fraudulent use of blue badges in Gloucestershire.

Fraudulent use of blue badges can mean that a stolen badge is used. Estimates state the 6000 blue badges are stolen every year, usually by people trying to avoid parking fees. This can be particularly lucrative where parking fees are high. There is even a black market in selling stolen blue badges.

The other very common way of blue badges being misused is when someone lends their blue badge to someone who is not entitled to use it.

We have all seen this happen – someone parks up in a disabled bay, then jumps out of the car, and rushes into a shop. It is annoying, and simply wrong. It is also illegal.

Some people do not care that their action could mean that another person cannot legitimately park, in a space designated for them.

You can report fraudulent use of blue badges to the local councils parking department. You can often do this anonymously. I use a walking stick and walking is very difficult for me. My Blue Badge is very important to me and I would never misuse it and agree the law needs to be tightened up but not at the expense of disabled people.

Just like with a car; your mobility scooter will stay in good working order longer if you keep it well maintained and get it serviced regularly. Please look at your manual that comes with the scooter to find out what areas are required for maintenance and servicing.

It is wise to have your scooter serviced by a qualified engineer. Especially if it is used on the road, class 3. Once a year is usual, but your scooter’s manual will tell you how regular a proper service should be for your model.

Every scooter is different so it best important to follow the instructions in your scooter’s manual.
We provide a copy of the manual to dowload before making a purchase so you have all the information you need.

Here are some general maintenance tips for your scooter:

Weather protection

• Covers will not only protect you but also the scooter from bad weather.
• Seats sometimes have fabric covers – if so; don’t forget to keep them dry.

Cleaning

• Wash off any dirt and dust as soon as you can.
• Keep you scooter as dry as possible – this will keep rust at bay for the longest time.
• Have you added any scooter accessories that need cleaning, or can dirt or dust build up?

Battery

• Over time you will find you have to charge your battery more and more often. Your battery’s ability to hold charge will gradually decrease.
• Sometimes you need to charge your battery after every trip, sometimes when the battery indicator tells you that it is time. Your scooter manual will tell you which kind of you have.
• Always make sure you have enough battery power for your trip. Don’t forget that lights and whether you are travelling up any hills will use up battery power too.
• Mobility scooter batteries tend to last 1 or 2 years before you need to replace them. This of course will depend on how much your scooter is used.

Tyres

All tyres will wear and tear, inspect them regularly to check they are still safe.

There are 3 types of mobility scooter tyre:

Pneumatic: These are pumped up with air, and can be punctured. They offer the smoothest ride. If you travel on uneven ground – this could be a very important consideration.

If you are using pneumatic tyres, regularly inspect them for punctures and wear and tear. Punctures can sometimes be repaired without needing a whole new tyre.

Solid: These cannot be punctured, but often mean that you feel the ride is harder. E.g. you may feel more jolts as you go over stones or kerbs. This may not be the best option for you if your condition or disability would suffer if you use solid tyres.

Filled: These tyres are puncture-proof. In terms of the ride they produce they are in between pneumatic and solid. The ride will be smoother than solid and harder than pneumatic.

Ask yourself questions like:  Do you use a lightweight mobility scooter or a  heavy duty mobility scooter ?

Do you travel on the road, pavement or in shopping precincts?

Find out which tyre is most suitable for the journeys you most often do on your scooter, and which is best for the model you own.

On 18th May 2010 the BBC reported that a disabled pensioner had been ordered to pay £13,000 in compensation after she hit and injured a shop worker on her mobility scooter.

More details of the case:

The BBC report states that a shop worker was hit by Mrs Brown’s mobility scooter and her knee was injured. In January this year the County Court in Denbighshire found Mrs Brown liable and ordered her to pay compensation and legal costs.

As the £13,000 is a very large amount of money, the Court agreed this week that Mrs Brown can pay the debt at £100 per month over the next 12 years. This will mean she does not have to sell her home in order to pay the compensation.

We understand Mrs Brown will appeal against the Court’s original decision.

This story really adds weight to the argument for having insurance when you are using your scooter.

If a scooter user has suitable insurance, then any accidents that they cause whilst using the scooter are covered and the insurance company pays any compensation awarded. Likewise if anything should happen to your scooter, be it where someone else is at fault or even if it is damage caused by bad weather, then you could be covered as well.

It is certainly food for thought, and too many cases are happening where someone is left seriously out of pocket after an accident. At City Mobility we always recommend that people take out suitable mobility scooter insurance.

This morning I cut my finger nails!

This time last year it was a simple task I could not carry out. It sounds crazy but nail clippers are small, shiny, slippery objects and very difficult to hold, combined with a lack of co-ordination it became a risk to either cutting my fingers off, losing the nail clippers or getting somebody else to cut them for me. I ended up referring to the latter much to my disappointment.

Most people take a simple tasks like cutting their finger nails for granted and I was one of them until I could not do it. I would hold the clippers in one hand, rest against a table and insert the nail to be cut, Missed! As the clippers shot out my hand, no nail was cut and I had to look to find where the clippers had ended up!

The bureaucracy had gone mad as my carer was unable to cut my nails, due to health and safety! So my nails got longer and longer. I was thinking of entering the Guiness book of records, I had nails the length a young woman would love but not a young man. I was still stuck with the problem of how to cut my own nails!

I then discovered the best mobility aids I had seen, it was simple. A pair of nail clippers mounted on a sturdy board, you place your finger in and press down, click that was one finger done and in 5 minutes I had cut all my own fingernails! An incredible little gadget that ensured I was able to look after my own personal grooming without the need for somebody else or a carer to tell me a list of reasons why they could not cut my nails.

There is actually a wide range of gadgets especially designed for people with different needs and it was not until I started looking did I see how many variations there are available. Nail clippers for people witha arthritis, desk mounted nail clippers, extra large nail clippers. You name it, it was there somebody else had the same problem as me and a company created a solution to the problem.

On this website I think you will find a lot of solutions to problems and gadgets you never thought existed!

This article is written by a carer and is a lesson for us all.

When you suffer from an illness or condition, be it Parkinsons, arthritis, MS, a stroke – to name but a few, or you are just getting older and less able, it is everyone around you that has to make adjustments in their life as well.

A partner’s role changes, so does that of a parent, sibling, or child. Sometimes the carer gets forgotten amongst all the things that are happening to their loved one. Your husband or wife may find they are doing more and more for you, likewise anyone else whom you live with. Children can be confused or frightened at what is happening to their mum or dad. Just as life has changed for you, everyone around you is making adjustments and changes too.

Remember disability does not just affect you but everybody around you that loves and cares for you.

Sometimes you can make things easier for your carer, and in turn help yourself too.

Think about how life has changed for your carer. They probably just do things without ever thinking about it. They love you so they just get on with it.
But are they?

• Taking you to more visits to the doctor, physio or hospital?
• Helping you more with your personal care
• Spending more time lifting and fetching things for you?

If they are, there is no need at all for you to feel guilty about this. They love you and would do anything to help you,  just as you would if the tables were turned. My husband needs much more help than he did 5 years ago, much of my time is spent helping him get the quality of life he deserves, and I don’t mind at all. He does as much for himself as he can, which helps him mentally, as it helps me physically.

There are things you can do to make their lives as easy as possible though.

There are some things that become impossible, or just too difficult or painful. Other things can be achieved with a little helping hand. Have a look at our mobility aids, they can take some pressure off your carer and help you keep as much of your independence as possible.

• If you can’t reach the floor, a grabber can mean you can get something you have dropped yourself.
• If you can’t get into the bath on your own, a bath seat might mean your carer is not lifting you as much,
  so placing less strain on their back.
• If you want to visit the doctor and not ask someone else to drive you, a mobility scooter might solve your problems.

The more you do the more in control of your illness or disability you become.

I have had MS for 8 years now. Looking back I was very scared when I first got diagnosed. I didn’t really know what would happen to me in the future, I felt like I couldn’t plan anything and started living day to day. Life changed forever.

My eyes saw double. My legs would stumble and I looked like I was drunk wherever I went. My hands didn’t do what I told them to do. I felt like I couldn’t cope with one more thing going wrong with my body.

Then I looked around me. Things could be a lot worse. I still had my friends and family. I saw people with MS that were in wheelchairs and using scooters. I saw this as a bad thing then. It was a sign that they had lost their mobility. I didn’t see that they were actually doing the best thing for them, and by using wheelchairs and scooters they were reversing what the MS was doing to them. They were mobile again.

My MS got slowly worse and my mobility really began to suffer. I was still one of the lucky ones; I just had to readjust to what my body was telling me. I needed to slow down and take stock of my life. I let go of preconceptions that I had about disability. I found that just by using simple mobility equipment helped me do the things that I used to take for granted.

Journeys to the shops were no longer a chore by using my mobility scooter.  My walking was made easier by using a walking stick.  Thanks to my bathboard I no longer dreaded getting in and out of the bath.

In the days when I drove a car; it had a 2 litre engine, and did 0-60 in seconds. I would drive about about hundreds of miles in a week, and I thought driving a mobility scooter would be easy!

I hadn’t driven for several years thanks to my disability,  so the increase in traffic was the first thing I noticed. As a passenger in a car I hadn’t really noticed this. The next thing I noticed unfortunately was how vulnerable I felt.

My scooter only did 8mph on the road, but at first  it felt really fast. That said; other traffic whizzing past me made feel dizzy! I felt the annoyance of car drivers as they passed me. I felt they were annoyed and frustrated with me in my slow scooter using the road. I suppose I had little patience with scooter users when I drove a car, so maybe it was my just desserts!

In time I realised that I was just as entitled to use the road as everyone else. Maybe even more so. I have little choice – use my scooter or stay in the house. Other people have the luxury of walking miles or taking the bus, car, train – you name it. I don’t feel in the way anymore, but I do take precautions when I drive my mobility scooter on the road.

These are the things that I think are essential and make you feel safer when using your mobility scooter on the road:

• Make sure you have enough battery power for your journey and to get back home (You wouldn’t drive you car without having enough petrol in the tank)
• Make sure your scooter is well maintained
• Make sure you have planned your journey well, especially if it is a new place that you are going. You don’t want to find that you are almost there and your scooter just can’t make the 3 steps that are in your way! (I find a couple of phone calls to the place you are going often solves this one quickly.)

Once these are done, I feel much more confident about my journey. Now I don’t feel so vulnerable, I feel freedom and independence!