I have a question. My husband has SCA6 and we have coped with it many years. He was using a walker (unsteadily) until his most recent fall. He is now in PT and believes he will use a walker again. I believe he needs a wheelchair. He has already broken an arm and hurt his knee. Is there any way to get him to accept getting a wheelchair before he has a head injury?
What does the doctor say? Tell him that the wheelchair is only temporary. When he sees how much more secure he feels in it regarding mobility, he’ll feel more comfortable using it fulltime. Just my opinion.
Hi
I can only manage with a rollator (walker) for very short distances . I use a mobility scooter for local outings which is quite
heavy. For holidays and any journeys involving a car I have a folding power chair.
I am a very independent person who enjoys going out alone sometimes and hate being pushed!!
For using a powerchair the user needs good fine motor skills to use a joystick type control, altho I know that it is possible to purchase chairs which have the controls on the back of the chair so a second person can operate it whichout actually having to push.
I
There are so many alternatives now I am sure
Sorry - caught finger on send!!!.
There are so many mobility aids now . I am sure your husband will fiind what is right for him. The important thing is to be able to continue to live our lives as independently as possible My aids are certainly doing that for me.
Best wishes
I have a walker but still hit the wheels with my gait and a walking stick which I haven’t mastered as arms and legs aren’t coordinated. I’m sick of trying so just stagger about like a drunk which is ironic as my Ataxia was diagnosed as alcohol related. Getting older is the pits too. Can’t blame the depression and anxiety for Ataxia as developed it when I was in my teens.
It can be tricky…mastering a walking stick, or poles. I’m generally ok with my stick…but I just can’t coordinate poles…I trip myself up.
Sometimes I kick against the wheels of my rollator.
I’ve wondered if I don’t leave enough space between me and the rollator…by this I mean ‘maybe I stand too close’ and that’s why I kick the wheels 
On the other hand…some people have a wider spaced gait. It is possible to buy a wider rollator to accommodate this but…then there could be a problem negotiating tight spaces.
I’m older myself (73)…and I had hoped I age gracefully 
I’ve also coped with longterm depression …also going back to my teens…and I’m now wondering if it’s basically part of my genetic makeup.
Staggering-swaying-dizziness-eye issues-stiffness-pain etc …does tend to weigh me down.
Thankfully I do have times when I’m more ‘upbeat’…and that’s what gets me through…
I have something happening that is really bothering me. My friends know that I have a neurological problem but although I’ve told them that cold weather really affects my legs and stiffens them.They don’t understand it and give me a hard time about that. They are not trying to be rude but they can ONLY understand what they know and experience. This also goes for other things they can do and I have a hard time doing them. They are not bad people but how do I make them understand!?
My husband is empathic, he has a ‘basic knowledge’ of ataxia and can often anticipate what I’ll have difficulty with but…sometimes I wonder how much he has actually grasped and understood. It does lead to frustration and irritation…I often need to ‘bite my tongue’…and exercise a lot of patience.
You can only expect other people to understand the basics…stuff like …poor balance-poor speech-poor eye sight. After that, any other symptoms and difficulties can be hard to remember for most people.
Thanks for the reply. I guess what I’m saying is that healthy folks when they have a muscle pull or something to that effect, see that as the same thing we are experiencing. It’s not even in the same ballpark! That’s why I say they only know what they know. 
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