hi! i was wondering, what kind of things qualify you for a mobility aid? i have pots and a whole plethora of diagnosed physical+mental conditions, and lately flare ups have been much more severe and frequent. i often have trouble getting out of bed because of fainting after standing, and throughout the day will have lots of difficulty sinply existing; standing, walking up/down stairs, etc., and its gotten to the point where i've began to consider using a mobility aid. however, there's a few questions/setbacks.
i'm not sure how to pick the mobility aid i need. how do i go about figuring out whats best for my disability/life style?
unfortunately, i am under 18 so i'm still living with my parents, and they don't like the idea of a mobility aid. i've been diagnosed with a number of conditions, and all they seem to do is tell me to drink more water. how would i convince them that this is a worthwhile alternative to days of pain, especially if that pain isn't cared for or acknowledged by them?
many of the places i go often are not very accessible/disability friendly, any tips for getting around more smoothly?
and 4, how do i get over the anxiety surrounding using a mobility aid? i fear that showing up to school with a mobility aid would attract a lot of unwanted attention, especially considering the fact that i would be thr only person with one in the ~2000 kid school. especially with my social anxiety, i worry about being a burden for others and i often put my own health at risk for social comfort, and i'm not sure how to stop that.
Hey! I can totally relate!
I have dizzy spells all the time, and even after the initial dizziness goes away I can feel awful for hours, often lose all feeling in my leg for a period of time if I sit for too long or in a weird position, to the point where I've had to drag my leg behind me or use a wall for support to walk with lots of pain, and I have bad hip issues that cause pain sometimes. So I've been considering getting a cane. (or crutches if I need to take a lot of pressure off, but I don't know if I would need that much help.)
I feel like I don't deserve it though, it's not that bad and I can walk pretty well unassisted most of the time, so I don't know how much it would even help. Plus my parents aren't really supportive of that kind of stuff either.
I totally get the anxiety, I would feel so awful is someone got mad at me because of it, especially because I don't have any diagnosis's.
First of all, you don't have to "qualify" to get a mobility aid, rather if you think it might help then you get one. Most people who are even considering mobility aids, especially young people, are past the point of needing them and should have gotten one earlier.
Now to answer your questions:
Choosing a mobility aid is largely common sense just compare your needs with what the aid provides e.g. walking sticks and crutches provide support when walking and standing and something to lean on for balance; rollators and walkers do the same but also have a seat and wheelchairs allow you to get around without standing or walking. If you're unsure I'd usually recommend getting a walking stick first as they are by far the cheapest option. I get my sticks from this website: https://www.walkingsticks.co.uk/
Unfortunately, I can't help you much here as my dad was pretty supportive but my general advice for convincing people about this is to compare what you can do now to what you could do with the aid. This might not work for you but it's worth a shot if you haven't already.
In my experience walking sticks and crutches can get in basically almost all places an able bodied person could. Wheeled mobility aids would be more difficult but you might be able to find workarounds especially since you're ambulatory and can stand/walk if necessary, I don't have experience with this yet though so I can't give any specific advice.
I have anxiety too and started using a walking stick at 16. I was scared out of my mind but it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The best advice is to just do it but if you don't want to dive in at the deep end try using the aid in public but not at school first as, in my experience, strangers are far less likely to comment and even if they do you don't have to see them again. As for feeling like a burden, that's a difficult one that I'm still working through myself, it seems to get better with time though, but using aids and taking care of yourself will actually make you less inconvenient to others, trust me.