I am not a medical professional. View all disclaimers here
If you’ve decided you want to try a mobility aid, it can be daunting to talk to your doctor about it. Will they question your decision, or call you names? Will they tell you you’re crazy or that you don’t need it? Trust me babe, I’ve been there. I wish I could guarantee that your doctor would be accepting about the idea, but I can at least guarantee that you’ll feel more prepared after working through this guide. I even created a printable template for you to fill out while you follow along!
Step One:
- Choose your aid. Presumably, you already have one in mind, but if you’re looking for more guidance, an Occupational Therapist can help you decide what would work for you. If that’s not an option, check out my guide here for some helpful info!
- Choose your doctor, preferably one you have a good relationship with. Did you know that the person prescribing you with an aid doesn’t have to be your primary care doctor? While primary care providers are generally a good person to ask, if you have a better relationship with a specialist, you can always ask them to send in a referral to a durable medical equipment company for your aid. (Durable medical equipment companies are the people who deal with insurance covering your aid, and they’re the people who physically provide your aid) Some specialists may feel comfortable sending in a referral, while others may not, but asking is worth a shot!
- While not necessary, if you’re asking for a wheelchair, it can be helpful to research the type of wheelchair you’d like and wheelchair fitting clinics that are affiliated with that brand of chair ahead of time. Look at reviews and people’s experiences. (The r/wheelchairs subreddit has proven helpful in my own search). Depending on your insurance, you may or may not get a choice on the type of chair or what clinic you go to. However, it’s helpful to come armed with that information.
Step Two:
- List out your diagnoses/symptoms, especially those that impact your mobility. Do you get dizzy when walking? Write it down. Do your joints dislocate when walking more than five minutes? Write it down.
Step Three:
- Look at how your symptoms are impacting your quality of life. Unfortunately, the qualifications for insurance covering mobility aids can be pretty strict, and some doctors are just as strict. While you might want a mobility aid for excursions out to amusement parks or long strolls at the park, those aren’t seen as medically necessary. What are deemed necessary are the ADLS, or activities of daily living. Those are things like walking, dressing, grooming, feeding, toileting and bathing. So while on a good day you may technically be able to do all of those things, look at your worst days. What’s your quality of life like then? Do you struggle to get to the bathroom, or do you skip showering days at a time? Do you rely on food delivery because you can’t stand in the kitchen to cook? Do you struggle to make it through the grocery store because you have to sit every five minutes? Have you fallen before and injured yourself? Are you unable to work because you can’t stand? These are some examples of how your mobility may be impacting your ADLS.
Step Four:
- How would a mobility aid help you? Again, I would recommend looking at how an aid would impact your daily activities, work, and physical activity level. Unfortunately, these are the things many doctors are looking at, as opposed to activities that would improve your social life and decrease isolation. Would a mobility aid ensure you’re able to work? Would it mean you could work out again? Would it mean you could go to the grocery store for food or the pharmacy to pick up meds? Would you be able to independently walk around your house? Think about the freedom a mobility aid would bring.
- There’s a misconception among some doctors that just because you use a mobility aid-especially a wheelchair- that you are no longer able to do many things. This includes exercising. This is a reason they may be hesitant to prescribe an aide. If you are able to highlight the freedom a mobility aid would bring, and reassure them that you won’t remain sedentary, they may feel better about prescribing you an aid.
Step Five:
- What other treatments are you pursuing? While it’s not necessary you have these, it can be helpful to bring up that a mobility aid would increase your ability to access these other treatments. Would a wheelchair make it easier for you to actually get to your infusion clinic? Would a rollator help you conserve enough energy so you can do your physical therapy? It also shows that you recognize that a mobility aid won’t magically solve everything and you’re still putting effort towards other treatments.
Step Six:
Put it all together! I included an example script that lets you fill in the answers you gave above so you can talk with your doctor about all of the points you just came up with. Though, feel free to make up your own script if you prefer! Hopefully brainstorming all of those answers helped you feel better about broaching the topic.
If you’re still feeling nervous about broaching the topic with your provider, just remember, you’re so valid! You deserve the best quality of life and if a mobility aid is going to help you achieve that, then an aid is what you deserve!
