Angela Lansbury on the electric wheelchair borrowed from the conference centre.
In the blog post I shall tell you about the delights and near disasters of walking frames, bathroom aids, walking sticks, manually operated wheelchairs, and exciting electric wheelchairs.
The Walking Frame
I had been given a walking frame to take home by the NHS A & E department where I had sat up all night in a reclining chair after two x-rays revealed a hairline crack in my lower spine (called an obscure fracture). They had also diagnosed rather than bone, a muscular/ligament problem or tear.
I had two sets of advice from the visitng physios on successive days. The first one was, move everything, as much as you can. The second one was, rest everything, as much as you can.
I also took on holiday my narrow walking frame given to me by the NHS after my discharge from Hospital.
The Walking Stick
We looked for a walking stick. We wanted a pair so I could get into narrow spaces. Unfortunately, I could not find a walking stick I had saved from when my late mother-in-law used one.
My husband found a walking stick used on climbing holidays. Instead of a flat rubber slip-on cover at the base, it had a metal spike. Not ideal for carpet, polished wood floors, synthetic kitchen floor tiles. And the risk of stabbing your toes ir you slip or are looking forward rather than downwards. I abandoned that and went back to the walking frame.
The Home Bath/Shower Bar
The Physio department had sent help the next day. They gave me a bar on the wall above the bath so I could get help hoisitn myself up. Also something to handg onto to avoid slipping. One of their concerns was that I had osteoporosis, which I had known I had for years, since menopause. But at this first time I had broken a bone, albeit a tiny crack, which made me unable to walk, or even turn over in bed, so they were concerned that I should not fall and have a major bone break such as a cracked hip. About half the peole who crack their hips do not survive beyond dix months. I presume that's more than the average per year of the elderly of that age group, taking into account a control group of the same age group of elderly people who would die of other causes at that age.
The Walking Frame
Naturally, I think we could all see that the NHS would be better off lending you or giving you a walking frame, rather than risking the huge cost of hospital stays, x rays, carers, painkilling pills, whatever. And the depression and time off work for other members of the family, friends and neighbours.
A Folding Wheelchair
We packed in the car a folding wheelchair I was given by a neighbour. (I had appealed for help with buying or borrowing or begging a wheelchair on my street's whatsApp group.)
The folding wheelchair fits into a car.
The wheelchair can also be made smaller so you can get around the bedroom.. And corridors, Everywhere you need it.
The Electric Wheelchair
I had considered cancelling my week away at the Hayes Conference Centre. But a member of the committee, saintly Sarah, encouraged me to come along and told me that the Hayes had a motorised scooter which I could use whilst there. Sarah told me I should have travel insurance, and third party insurance. Why?
Travel Insurance And Third Party Insurance
I checked with my husband. I found that we had travel insurance provided by one of our bank cards. (Natwest in the UK.) I thought that it was no longer avialable as we were both over seventy. It turned out that it was no longer free, but if you paid a premium you could have it, and my husband had taken it out. Even though he had often said that the NHS in the UK would be our best bet for most things.
Hospital Aftercare
An important point to note is that if you are in an NHS hospital, the local authority will send you follow-up home care and aids.
But if you go into hospital privately, you cannot get help at home afterwards. My late father went into hospital privately and came home with no help, even paying for it, not for him.
But a week later he was walking in the street and collapsed. He was taken to the nearest central London Hospital, NHS. Then he came hom and the local authoirty appeared with offers of help.
The Motorised Scooter
First I had to sign a form abosling the centre for any financial cost to themselves or third parties. That seemed like a remote possibilty. Until I tried to take my electric wheelchair into the bedroom.
The Heavy Bedroom Door
On arrival I was helped by staff. They had a pass key. So they opened the door, stood inside and to one side, holding the door, as I manoevred through.
When I tried to get out again, I found that the door was heavy. It's a fire door and has to close. The staff have trinagular rubbery door wedges to hold doors open briefly. They did not give me one. I later saw several more by or under doors near the dining room. I could either have brought one from home or asked to borrow one. Or even borrowed one from a distant room which was not in use during the concerence and returned it later to the room where I found it or to the front desk at reception.
However, in the evneing, I reached my bedroom door on my own late at night. I called a passing lady and asked her to hold the door open.
She stood in front of me. I turned the wheel and accelerated. I did not think to turn the speed to the lowest. Maybe I did. But I still shot forward and nearly pinned her to the door's archway. Horrors.
I backed off. That was extremely dangerous, frieghtening. I could have killed her. Insured her. Now I knew why I had third party insurance. Not just for running somebody over as I speeded down the hill and the person with the walking stick ahead, who was deaf or hard of hearing, did not move, or jumped int the direction I was turning attempting to avoid them. But this point, somebody standing in front of you holding open a door whilst you try to go backwards and forwards to turn right or left into the door, when the corridor doesn't allow much movemnt.
After that I left the wheelchair outside the door. I took the key with me.
Sarah later said the other wheelchair should be moved inside, so as not to block the corridor. You have to consider the dangers of theft, and the dangers of blocking the corridor, and complication of moving the wheelchair in the bedroom.
Moving A Big Motorised Wheelchair Inside The Small Bedroom
The bedroom looked quite roomy. But I did not think to ask for my suitcase to be lifted onto the folding suitcase support. So the suitase was on the floor, open or shut. I acceleratedforwad. I was then stuck unter the window at the bottom of the bed. No room to turn. I had to reverse out of the bedroom.
All in all, a wonderful wheelchair experience.
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