Mobility and Its Impact on Your Mental and Physical Health

Let’s face it, no one likes being told they now require a mobility aid. It’s an unfortunate time in a person’s life, the realisation that your mobility is no longer your own. That we will no longer be in complete and total control of our functions. 

Mental Health Impact of Mobility Loss

In an article with Forbes last year, Mia Grigg, vice president of Integrated Care Services at San Francisco’s Institute on Ageing, said: “Any loss of mobility can take a toll on a person’s mental health. When someone experiences a loss of mobility and the subsequent loss of independence, they can experience frustration, concern, guilt, anger and grief.”

The loss of our faculties is something that concerns us all, but many look no further. The potential knock-on impact of a person’s mental health can be even greater still. Isolation. Disengagement. Mortality salience. The list goes on and on of the potential impacts.

The Importance of Social Connections

As we grow older, the bonds and friendships we’ve formed over the years are more important than ever before. The famous saying “a laugh is the best cure” has never been more true.

Isolation breeds many mental health issues and long-term health problems. In fact, in a report from the Alzheimer’s society about social isolation and dementia risk, social isolation can increase a person’s risk of dementia by as much as 60%.

When we’re alone, we’re more likely to slip into unhealthy habits, both mentally and physically, that increase our risk of dementia.

How Mobility Aids Improve Mental Health

Opportunities for Social Interaction

Armed with your new mobility aid, be it a wheelchair, powerchair, mobility scooter or anything else, the world becomes your oyster. Suddenly, the world of social interaction feels eminently possible.

The chance to hang out with friends, going to the park or visiting friends and family goes from “a nice idea” to a date in the diary.

With a mobility aid, you are able to get to these places far easier than before. You are no longer confined to remaining in your house.

Boosted Confidence

As Helen Keller once said, “Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”. For many, the arrival of mobility issues and reduced faculties has meant that all hope and confidence has long since evaporated.

As mobility issues begin to take hold, many become withdrawn, embarrassed or even ashamed by their condition. These last two are the most important of all. Embarrassment or shame can force people to avoid social interaction at all costs, and that leads to withdrawal.

Mobility aids, be it a mobility scooter, walking sticks or wheelchairs, are the first tentative steps towards regaining some of that long-dormant confidence. Mobility aids give you the confidence to maintain your own independence.

Your friends are meeting for a coffee down the road? Before, it might have been an activity you chose to skip. Now, it's one you can relish.

The confidence to be able to make your way to the café, to go to the shops or to simply get out and get some exercise is more important for your mental health than you could possibly imagine!

Reduced Fatigue

Fatigue is, alas, a part of life as we get older. People generally associate fatigue with doing too much, but you would be surprised how doing too little can have the same effect. It seems a paradoxical phenomenon, the idea that doing nothing can make you more tired, but it's the body’s way of telling you to get active! It’s no wonder that it's called isolation fatigue.

There is actual science behind this, too. If you are inactive, or if you stay in the same positions for long periods of time, then your body’s ability to take in oxygen takes a noticeable dip. As you become more fatigued, it can bring about tiredness, which in itself opens you up to headaches, muscular weakness or dizziness.

Being able to get out and be active can have a massive impact on reducing feelings of fatigue. Your joints will feel a bit more free, your muscles are getting stretched and, most importantly of all, you’re getting a change of scenery.

Improve Fitness and Balance

Another useful by-product of mobility products is the way they can help you to improve fitness, strength and balance. As you begin to move around, even with the help of a mobility aid, you’ll start to notice small changes in your physique. The results won’t be drastic to begin with, but steadily, you’ll start to see your physique improve, as well as a general loosening of your joints.

Even sitting down can still help you to burn calories. Self-propelled wheelchairs still help users to burn off calories as they turn the wheels and propel the chair forward. While, before, a walk in the park would likely fill you with dread, now it’s a… well… walk in the park.

While the transition to using a mobility aid can be daunting, it can also be a gateway to improved mental and physical well-being. The loss of mobility and independence is a significant challenge, and usually ends up, however subtly, influencing negative emotions and social isolation. However, mobility aids offer a tangible solution to counter these impacts, providing opportunities for social interaction, boosting confidence, reducing fatigue, and even helping with weight loss! These tools can transform a sense of limitation into newfound freedom, helping you to reconnect with the world around you and enhance your quality of life.