Walking in the weeds
<p> I have recently been learning to walk again, this is not due to any physical injury but because during the years of social distancing and my destinations being closed or shutting down completely going out alone has been very difficult. When everything came back to something like normal I had lost all interest in going out even though I knew I should make an effort. One morning I decided that the day had come that I was going to go out by myself like I used to do every day, how difficult could it be and I also had a reason to go out for a walk as I had to visit the local pharmacy to get my medication. I knew the route I had to take and it was only approximately 800 metres away so I prepared myself the battle.</p>
How wrong I was, it was a disaster. I was immediately struggling to recall all of the mobility techniques I had been using confidently since 2014 until I had been grounded by the government. I recalled the layout of my route and wall surfing with the cane but the ability to spot the differences between pavement styles was making life difficult. When I got close to a road the change in wind pressure and noise was obvious but I could not find the pedestrian crossings and the different pavement styles which accompany them. Fortunately a lady notice my difficulty and helped me across the road and then all of the way to the pharmacy but as we were crossing roads I noticed I was having difficulty determining the difference between pavements and road surfaces, there did not seem to be a drop from the curb. I eventually made it to the safe haven of the pharmacy and collected my medication. The interior layout had not changed and I was guided back to the door to resume my journey home.
I was encountering more problems on the way home. I still found I could not determine pavement edges due to the build up of weeds on the kerbside until I had actually stepped into the road, which is not really safe, and I was saved again by another lady who was heading in my direction. She took me as far as the traffic lights and I cautiously completed my journey home.
On settling down in my armchair with a cup of coffee I decided to go through the problems I had just encountered in order to develop a strategy to beat them. Some of the problems were easily surmountable but dealing with the weeds and my newfound ability to not walk in a straight line would be more of a problem. I did purchase a new tip for my white cane, a new design that looks more like a hockey stick, which is supposed to be more sensitive and I have found this very useful and it also does not get trapped in the weeds as much as the tennis ball tip. I keep mentioning the weeds but this is a new county council initiative for saving money by not cutting them down.
I discussed all the problems with my carer/rehabilitation officer and we decided to start by going out once or twice a week where she would monitor and advise on walking techniques and remind me of the basics of mobility with a white cane. This has been working to a certain extent.
At the moment I cannot envisage a time when I will go out alone, primarily as I have nowhere to go unless I can find some new destinations as you can only walk up and down the promenade so many times before it either gets tedious or very suspicious. It is not that I can even do it for the view as my view never changes.
