localmatters.co.nz
December 1, 2018
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Inside this issue New business case for Penlink page 3
Coast Christmas feature Steve Caines of Orewa says ACC’s decision not to give him a ReWalk leaves him back on a wheelchair or scooter. Right, Steve spent three years learning to walk in this ReWalk exoskeleton. Inset photo, Cheril Clarke
pages 19 to 27
ACC decision robs Orewa man’s independence
Steve Caines of Orewa, who is paralysed from the chest down, is locked in a battle with ACC over its refusal to provide a piece of equipment that enables him to walk independently. ACC funded Steve to learn to use the ReWalk equipment – a battery powered exoskeleton – which he did successfully over a three-year period.
Towards the end of the training, he applied to ACC to obtain a ReWalk, and says he was gutted to be turned down. “What is the point of funding three years of training, paying for me to be in a position where I can walk again, and then taking away that option?” Steve says. “ACC clearly don’t want me to walk again – they say that my callipers
and crutches, or a wheelchair or scooter are enough. Find me anyone who wants to spend life in a wheelchair – there is no one. I have had a taste of an independent life that puts less demand on my body and the health system, and now it has been snatched away.” Thirteen years ago, a motorcycle accident left the 50-year-old engineer paralysed from the chest down. Ever
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since he has been fighting to get back on his feet. The health professionals he works closely with, including a number of doctors, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, support him in his desire for a ReWalk, saying the benefits to a person’s physical and mental health of standing upright are significant. continued page 2
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