Mobility is often said to be a sixth vital sign, just as important as other vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate, and the key to independence in our daily life. But what does mobility actually mean for people? And what happens when they experience mobility loss?
We asked several people what the importance of mobility is for them, and what the impact was when they experienced mobility loss. Here are some of their answers.
Anita slipped while walking her dog and severely injured her ankle.
“I was just in a single bed, in the living room, and we had to have Christmas around my bed. I hated having to rely on somebody else for every single thing that I had to do.” – Anita
Dankert has been experiencing problems with his left leg lately and now finds daily tasks, like going to the shop, much more challenging than before.
“I only walk short distances. I feel old.” – Dankert
A few years ago, Mark started developing a lump on his achilleas which made him unable to walk very far.
“I really felt like, you know, I was missing out on fresh air, seeing all the wildlife that’s around us, and the birdlife that’s around us, and also, I felt down because I was missing out on the social side, so I do enjoy the social walks that I do.” – Mark
These statements underline that mobility matters – and that losing it has a big impact. In that sense, mobility really is a major driver for quality of life. With an ageing population, the prevalence of mobility problems is on the rise and clinical trials are conducted all over the world to address this problem. But to unify across all these efforts, we need a validated mobility assessment that is endorsed by clinicians and regulatory bodies – which is exactly the main objective of Mobilise-D.
If you want to know more about the challenges of mobility loss and hear people’s experiences on the matter, as well as what our Mobilise-D researchers have to say about it, check our video below. If you like it, please share it within your network and give a voice to all those people who are experiencing mobility loss. Are you a person that is experiencing mobility loss and do you want to share your story with us and the world? Send us an email at info@mobilise-d.eu and we will contact you!
