A Win to Celebrate!

PARTICIPANT WIN

We love to celebrate the wins for our participants at Pathways to Care. This special win is the culmination of a year of hard work by a team comprising of Pathways to Care's dedicated Support Coordinators, working with occupational therapists, and assistive technology advisors. 

The problem

Our participant’s previous wheelchair was several years old and sustained significant wear and tear over the years. In addition to this, the wheelchair no longer met her needs – in particular, her posture and positioning, as well as her independence with mobility being impacted by the control system. 

The process

“Donna is the Support Coordinator. She has worked alongside, Better Rehab and Magic Mobility for almost a year to get this wheelchair for the participant, “ comments Tahlya who was previously the Support Coordinator before she moved into a new role. The house supervisor, Solomon, was a huge help in ensuring staff were present to assist when trials were taking place.

“Tahlya was super instrumental in fighting for our participant since day one, so I only carried on the baton after Tahlya’s great work,” says Donna.

“The Occupational Therapist (OT) is an important factor in the process,” says Tahlya. “They complete the trials and write the reports/recommendations. We essentially, assist that process where needed. Whether it’s liaising with the house, the participant’s mum or the OT, we are there to ensure it all runs smoothly and in a timely manner.

The smile says it all! 

“Once it comes to the review meeting, where the planner will review the reports etc, we are present and provide any additional follow-up that may be required, which is generally a lot!” said Tahlya.

The outcome

On Wednesday, the OT from Better Rehab and technician from Magic Mobility attend the house, where they met with our participant and delivered her chair.

“After going through a long checklist, it was time for the participant to get on to the chair and give it a whirl. There was no hesitation. The technician guided the participant through the control panel and there was no turning back,” said Tahlya.

“The technician advised that a couple of small adjustments would need to be done but would have the chair back by Friday morning.”

What this means for our participant

This wheelchair means so much! Her smile says it all. Crucially:

a. She will finally be comfortable during the day and have better posture/positioning! She now has the freedom to move safely, both, within and outside of her home, which gave her the independence she didn’t have.

b. Once her new communication device is mounted to the wheelchair, she will have the opportunity to converse with members of the community and have a voice of her own.

c. The wheelchair represents independence and many exciting adventures. For her team, it represents a lot of hard work and resilience.

Well done Team!