Changing mobility: Rebecca Snell

When we return, you're more likely to see me accompanied by a walking stick, or some days a rollator, which is a walking frame on wheels. This is because like everything, a person’s mobility can and does change. And so does someone’s use of a mobility aid.

I started using a walking stick a few years ago, at first just in situations where I knew I'd be walking a lot. Over time, I started using it more and more, until the only place I didn't was when I was at home.

Towards the end of summer when the rain started, I realised I was becoming reluctant to go for a walk alone as the wet ground felt like an ice rink to me.

It was time for a change.

Occupational therapy got me to try a few different things, and to keep me moving safely, I eventually settled on a rollator. I remember thinking to myself: “how often do you see someone under 70 with a walking frame?!” To me, a walking stick, crutches, or a wheelchair, all seemed to be more "accepted" as walking aids for younger people while a rollator seemed more unusual. Despite having used my walking stick for a few years, I can still get self-conscious when using my aids.

The first time I went out for a walk using my rollator, I sat in the car for 10 minutes working up the nerve to get it out. But I did it and I haven't been for a walk alone without it since. I do get stares, which isn’t a nice feeling - but on the positive side I’ve also had someone stop and ask where I got it as they’ve had trouble finding a suitable one for themselves! I'm still learning to accept the changes, and I’m apprehensive as to what I'll need in the future but using my rollator has given me the confidence to go out alone and has allowed me to continue doing things independently and to "be myself".

People can sometimes avoid using mobility aids, seeing it as giving in or letting their condition "win".

In fact, mobility aids can add to a person’s life, giving them back some of the freedoms they’d lost. Phrases like "confined to a wheelchair" are often used to describe people who use mobility aids, but that kind of language isn’t accurate. A mobility aid doesn’t confine a person - it allows them the freedom and independence to live their lives as they wish. The true limits a person faces are access to spaces, and the misguided perceptions of others in society.

What a person needs can change day-to-day, and different activities can require different help. Not everyone in a wheelchair is paralysed, and you aren’t witnessing a miracle if you see them stand and move around! It’s just that they have evaluated what they need to do that day, and they know how and when to rely on their mobility aid to achieve it safely.