21 January 2022
Ever wondered what it's like working as a Wheelchair Clinician? We follow Lauren, a Wheelchair Clinician and Occupational Therapist, as she goes about her day.
Working as an Occupational Therapist for Wheelchair Services my days can be varied, depending if in clinic or doing home visits. My main base is the Hambleton area which covers a large proportion of North Yorkshire. On occasions I work from York, Scarborough and Harrogate.
6:30am Wake up to get ready for work. It’s the school holidays so life is much easier not having to sort my children out. I feed the cat, then I am ready to leave with a coffee in hand for 07.30.
8:15am Arrive at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. First client isn’t until 9:15am so I have time to refresh myself about the day ahead and ensure I am prepared.
The first client is coming in to have postural seating fitted to her power chair. As she is hoisted and a lot of work is required to make the changes, our Technical Instructor, Toby, has joined me for this handover.
9:30am Client arrives via hospital transport. Sadly, her multiple sclerosis has deteriorated during lockdown and her posture had got to a point she can no longer tolerate sitting for long periods of time in the powerchair. She relies on her chair for independence and ability to function. She had already been assessed by me and VTRAK seating ordered to meet her needs.
The client was hoisted onto the plinth whilst Toby and I worked on the chair to change the back rest and cushion. Once we were ready the client transferred back into her power chair. Straight away a significant improvement was observed and after a few minor tweaks the handover was complete. We were all delighted with the outcome. The client became quite emotional, for the first time in months she felt supported and safe and had renewed confidence to gain her independence again. With consent she agreed to the following photos where you can see the before and after:
11am My second client of the day has arrived. Toby is in demand so has now returned to York. I have cleaned the room down and reapplied fresh PPE ready for this client - I do this between all appointments.
This client is a 6-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy. He has come along with his mum in a buggy which he has outgrown.
Discussion held about the Personal Wheelchair Budget (PWB) and the choice and control this can give the family. Powered options were also discussed in line with NHS guidelines due to this little boy’s condition. At this stage mum does not want a power chair. This little boy does not have any postural concerns at this stage and wants to try a wheelchair. Self-propelling chairs were shown to him and his mum, but he was unable to try these as all too big. Mum is keen for him to have independence, especially at school and so together we completed the prescription for an Action Junior. This enabled them to both be involved with the decision making and under PWB option 2 the little boy picked a red wheelchair. His little face lit up with excitement knowing that the wheelchair would be in his favourite colour and ‘cool’ that spoke guards could be added; the latter his mum was happy to pay for.
When they left at 12pm, I wrote my clinical notes and raised relevant work orders to get his new wheelchair.
Next client is due soon, so time to clean down the room, grab a coffee and a bite to eat.
1PM Third client of the day in for assessment for an active user wheelchair. He is a 42-year-old male with a spinal cord injury. He attended in one of our basic Uni 8 self-propelling chairs which we had issued to him for hospital discharge. He is 6ft 3 which proves a challenge as the seat base is not offering enough support to his femurs and the seat to ground height is too low for his leg length.
This young male is still coming to terms with his disability, but keen to be as active as possible. We discussed his goals and how with the right wheelchair we can help him achieve this. He was happy with PWB option one and we decided an Action 5 would be the most suitable chair. It meets his clinical and environmental needs. It also has the capability for us to modify the chair to become more suitable for an active user as his abilities progress.
1430 Due to client number 4’s home being 20 minutes from the clinic, the assessment was carried out at her house. The assessment is to do the final handover of an Electronically Powered Indoor/outdoor chair (EPIOC). This client has been using the chair indoors only which has enabled her to practice and gain confidence before using it outdoors (she had anxiety and ability issues about using outdoors and we jointly agreed she was not ready). In situ ramps have now been fitted so can use the chair outdoors. The client took great delight in showing me how she was able to move freely around her property and no longer had to rely on her husband to push her.
We completed outdoor training which included using drop kerbs, crossing roads and eyesight check. She demonstrated safe control and awareness of others. A great way to end the day seeing a client who is very happy and knowing that this provision is life changing for her.
4pm Arrive back home. Now time to type up the notes from my last 2 clients and I am finished for the day.
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