Walt Disney World with the elderly

[karebear06]

My 91 year old grandfather will be joining us on vacation this September. I have been reading a lot of the stickies in this forum, but I can't find anything specific for the elderly. He does not have a disability per se, but at 91 years old, he does not have good hearing, vision, and of course will not be able to walk or stand for long periods.
Does WDW have any kind of hearing devices to assist during shows such as Philharmagic? I have also been told to visit guest services for a guest assistance pass for him. What else do we need to know? Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

Make sure that he uses a wheelchair, or if he can still drive, an ECV. Several years ago when my mother was only 91 she came for a visit and I "forced" her to use AN ECV. Initially she argues, but after eight hours at Epcot she agreed I knew what I was rtaling about.

If he does have vision problems a GAC would help as normally wheelchair/ECV seating is at the back of a theater; with a GAC stating front seating is needed he will have a better view.

And there are assistive hearing devices available at the Guest Relations Offices in the Parks. I'll let someone else chime in about them.

 

[karebear06]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

Make sure that he uses a wheelchair, or if he can still drive, an ECV. Several years ago when my mother was only 91 she came for a visit and I "forced" her to use AN ECV. Initially she argues, but after eight hours at Epcot she agreed I knew what I was rtaling about.

If he does have vision problems a GAC would help as normally wheelchair/ECV seating is at the back of a theater; with a GAC stating front seating is needed he will have a better view.

And there are assistive hearing devices available at the Guest Relations Offices in the Parks. I'll let someone else chime in about them.

Thanks for the info. I think we are going the scooter route. We talked about a wheelchair, but he is quite adamant about not getting one. In regards to vision problems, do we get a note from the eye doctor, or just tell guest services.

That is really cool they have hearing devices. What attractions are they compatible with?

 

[karebear06]

Anyone know?

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the info. I think we are going the scooter route. We talked about a wheelchair, but he is quite adamant about not getting one. In regards to vision problems, do we get a note from the eye doctor, or just tell guest services.

That is really cool they have hearing devices. What attractions are they compatible with?

It's late so I can't write much right now, but 3 things.

1) With hearing and vision problems, you will want to get him a wheelchair rather than an ECV.
An ECV is a moving vehicle and it is important to be able to see to use one safely. They can go fairly fast and with vision problems, he will not be able to see where he is going. Kind of the rule of thumb is, if the person would not be safe driving a car, they are not safe to drive an ECV in WDW. He may not want a wheelchair, but it would be a much safer option (plus less tiring - to drive an ECV, you have to be constantly alert.
If he won't do a wheelchair, you may be able to talk him into a rollator - it's like a walker, but has wheels and a fold down seat. That way, he would be able to walk when he wants with the rollator to lean against or he can sit on it.

2) There is more information about Guest Assistance Cards in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread (near the top of this board or use the link in my signature to get there). He or you need to be able to explain his needs to the Cast Member at Guest Relations. He does not need a letter from his doctor.

3) Post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread has more information about the parks. The first links in the post are official WDW information links (including services for guests with hearing and vision disabilities. Further down in post #3, there is information about specific disabilities or concerns, listed in alphabetic order. There is some information about WDW with vision and hearing disabilities there too.

 

[Piper]

Sue is right. Scooters are NOT easy to handle. This isn't because they are hard to drive--the other people make it difficult. They dart out in front of you, suddenly stop in front of you, won't let you into the stream of traffic, veer into you----unless you are very vigilant, you will run over them. I haven't hit anyone yet, but it is very taxing to always be watching and anticipating what others will do.