DAS for Elderly

[epicot]

Hello, I will be taking my 90+ year old grandpa to Disney World in August this year. We took him a few years ago when he turned 90, and he did not need the DAS back then. Obviously, he is a bit more frail than before, so I think the DAS may be helpful for him since we can’t use FP+. He is able to walk absolutely fine, but I think standing in long line may be a problem for him now, especially when the extended queues are outside in the sun. We may get him a wheelchair, though he would greatly prefer not to as he has never needed one before. Would he be eligible to use DAS?

 

[JenBush]

They would most likely suggest using a wheelchair. If there was another reason other than mobility issues that would prevent him from standing in lines then he would have a better chance at qualifying for DAS.

 

[sparky68]

Hello, I will be taking my 90+ year old grandpa to Disney World in August this year. We took him a few years ago when he turned 90, and he did not need the DAS back then. Obviously, he is a bit more frail than before, so I think the DAS may be helpful for him since we can’t use FP+. He is able to walk absolutely fine, but I think standing in long line may be a problem for him now, especially when the extended queues are outside in the sun. We may get him a wheelchair, though he would greatly prefer not to as he has never needed one before. Would he be eligible to use DAS?

I expect fast pass will be back up by August.

 

[Fangorn]

As mentioned, Disney will most likely not allow the DAS and recommend a wheelchair. In reality, it will be best for everyone, in all likelihood, to go that route.

I highly encourage you to go with a wheelchair. Try approaching the topic of the wheelchair to your grandpa not as a necessary aid for him specifically, but as a help to you. With the wheelchair, you won't be worrying about him, and how tired he may be getting and thus missing out on all the fun. You all will be able to enjoy the time together a lot more. He doesn't have to stay in the chair all the time.

DW uses a wheelchair when we're at Disney. Yes, it can be tough on the one pushing. But we both rather do that than not be able to go at all.

Just my 2 cents.

Steve

 

[mamabunny]

Hello, I will be taking my 90+ year old grandpa to Disney World in August this year. We took him a few years ago when he turned 90, and he did not need the DAS back then. Obviously, he is a bit more frail than before, so I think the DAS may be helpful for him since we can’t use FP+. He is able to walk absolutely fine, but I think standing in long line may be a problem for him now, especially when the extended queues are outside in the sun. We may get him a wheelchair, though he would greatly prefer not to as he has never needed one before. Would he be eligible to use DAS?

In August, make sure that he stays hydrated - older folks can easily get dehydrated, and can also get silent UTIs very easily. You can get free ice water at every QS.

If he balks at using a wheelchair, just tell him that it's only a *tool* for him - and everyone in your travel party - to use to make sure that everyone has the best trip possible. Remind him that the *average* WDW Guest will walk between 3 & 10 miles *per day*, so it's OK to use a tool (like a wheelchair) to help get a job done (like being able to have a great day, all day, every day at Disney World!) He can definitely walk behind it, and push it (kind of like a walker) to give extra support if he wants to. (Just don't allow people to pile stuff up in the seat - it's a mobility device, not a pack mule).

You may want to grab a cheap pair of bike gloves or golf gloves at Walmart, or Amazon; just something to help protect the hands of the folks who will be "pushers" on the chair.

 

[epicot]

Thank you all for your kind suggestions. I am going to discuss a wheelchair with him this time, but I'm not sure how it will go. It may end up being something he realizes he needs once we get there. 3 years ago he did park open-to-close 4 days in a row (and rode every ride except RnR!) without a hitch, so he probably thinks he can do it again. He has a lot of stamina still, but not at that level anymore. I'll probably still check in with guest relations about the DAS just to see if it's a possibility.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

I expect fast pass will be back up by August.

Really? Where did you get your information?

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you all for your kind suggestions. I am going to discuss a wheelchair with him this time, but I'm not sure how it will go. It may end up being something he realizes he needs once we get there. 3 years ago he did park open-to-close 4 days in a row (and rode every ride except RnR!) without a hitch, so he probably thinks he can do it again. He has a lot of stamina still, but not at that level anymore. I'll probably still check in with guest relations about the DAS just to see if it's a possibility.

DAS provides a way to decrease standing in line, but doesn’t eliminate it entirely. Most lines are slowly moving, so may not involve that much standing still. And some things, like shows, still involve standing in line to wait for the last show to end and/or so you can enter.
DAS also doesn’t shorten the distance walked that much. Guests still have to walk between attractions with no guarantee that there will be a place to sit if they need one. There also are still places where DAS doesn’t apply - waiting in line for buses, restaurants and even restrooms.
Plus walking around your resort adds distance people may forget about, as well as walking from where you park to get in (trams are not running right now, but even if they are, there is an amount of walking to get to the tram and from the tram stop to the park entrance.

One suggestion I’ve made that people have reported worked well for them:
- think of a place he’s familiar with that is about 2.5 miles away from his home
- ask if he thinks he could walk there. He’s likely to look at you like you’ve said something totally crazy and say no
- if he says he thinks he could, ask if he could walk there and back. At that point he’s likely to say no and you can remind him that a day at WDW involves that much walking every park day. If he still says he could, ask whether he could do it 4 times in a week.
Let him know that you want the trip to be a good and comfortable one for everyone and that you would feel more comfortable knowing he won’t get too tired from walking. As was pointed out, just because he has a wheelchair doesn’t mean he needs to sit in it every minute.

Hope you all have a good trip

 

[DisneyOma]

If he can't stand in line, what is he going to do while waiting for the DAS time to be available? Seating is very limited at WDW right now (even more so with COVID restrictions) so there's no guarantee he'd have a place to rest. About the only guarantee for a seat would be to bring a mobility device that has a seat with you. And if you have a mobility device with a seat with you, the standing in line issue has been solved.

 

[JLTraveling]

Talk to him about an ECV. My dad used one for years starting in his 40s due to arthritis in his spine from a car accident. Totally healthy otherwise, rode everything, just couldn't stand in lines or do a ton of walking because of the pain. He started with rentals at places like Disney and ended up buying his own travel version, which went all over the world with him. Thanks to lots of medical procedures and physical therapy, he no longer needs one now in his 60s (still uses a cane when lots of walking is involved).

But the ECV was absolutely the right choice for my super active dad when the standing and walking got to be too much. It let him be independent (we tried a wheelchair at first and it make him feel "old"), he found it fun to drive, and he did a ton of parking it with the strollers and walking around a land or a couple of lands, and then going back to retrieve it....and to be perfectly honest, the rest of us had no problem with taking turns driving it when Dad wanted to walk for awhile. If your grandpa's anything like my dad, you can probably sell him on a fun set of his own wheels easier than an "old man" wheelchair, and he's extremely unlikely to qualify for a DAS (and may not want to use one anyway).

 

[Selket]

We may get him a wheelchair, though he would greatly prefer not to as he has never needed one before. Would he be eligible to use DAS?

I think you've gotten several good responses on the DAS ... as for renting an ECV (if you're considering it) or wheelchair - you could let him know that he is not obligated to use it all day. When my knees were not so bad I would use it for longer distances and park it for awhile and walk. Another (adult) member of your party could also drive an ECV on and off the bus if he doesn't want to deal with that part but use it from the bus through the waits at security, ticketing, etc. I used it more at Epcot because the distances there are so much greater between attractions than the MK - for example. Same goes for the WC. Even if you just pushed it with you he'd have it if he wanted it - otherwise you could joke with him you got it just to haul your souvenirs.

 

[SueM in MN]

With an ECV, keep in mind that even though it will help with physical tiredness, it can still be exhausting to use. The driver needs to be constantly alert and ready to stop quickly. People do tend to step out suddenly in front of ECVs and wheelchairs.
Most queues are both wheelchair and ECV accessible, but some queues are more challenging than others because of turns.

If he chooses to use an ECV, have him take some time to drive it before venturing out into the parks. He should be able to confidently start, stop, turn in both directions, back and turn in both directions when backing.