What Medical Condition Do These People Have?

[Surreal]

Frequently I will see people in stores that are using motorized wheelchairs. From what I've seen, these people are almost always older folks, maybe in their late 50's or 60's. They are also almost always overweight. I think more women fit this description than men, but I'm not positive about that.

Other than the motorized scooters, there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with these people. They have all of their limbs, and their legs don't look atrophied.

Do these people suffer from the same medical condition, as I am assuming? What condition would that be??

Thanks.

[Ethilrist]

You're under 40, I bet.

There are a huge number of ailments that people fall prone to after an entire lifetime of hauling their carcasses up and down stairs.

"After 40, it's patch, patch, patch."

[Surreal]

Yes, Ethilrist, I'm in my 20's.

Is it because there is something wrong with their knees?

Thanks.

[In Conceivable]

What makes you think that they all suffer from the same medical condition?

[Duck Duck Goose]

Tell me about it. [sigh]

Could be any one of a number of things, Surreal. Heart trouble, circulation trouble, bad knees, bad ankles, emphysema, inner-ear difficulties which means problems with balance, you name it, there are lots of reasons why trudging all the way through Wal-Mart would be a Bad Idea, health-wise.

[Duck Duck Goose]

And, the reason why you probably see more women than men using these scooters is simply because more women in their 50s and 60s do the shopping than do men in their 50s and 60s.

Actually, those little scooters are a godsend. Before they were invented and came down cheap enough so that Granny could afford one, all those folks with knee trouble and back trouble and heart trouble just had to stay home.

[Scarlett67]

Many disabilities are not visible. They may have compromised heart or lung capacity, or severely weakened joints/bones/muscles, or pain with more than minimal exertion, or any of a zillion other problems, or a combination. Quite often the obesity is a result of the disability, not the cause of it.

This question (or its associated unfeeling snarky remarks) seems to come up quite frequently on the boards, usually in threads about handicapped parking. If only more people (and I'm not referring to Surreal's politely phrased question) would refrain from attempting to make judgments about other people's disabilities . . . I prefer to just mind my own business and be grateful that I can get around under my own power.