2 minute read
DIRECTIONS CANADA
GOING BEYOND TO MEET A CLIENT’S POWER MOBILITY GOAL
Written by: ROB FUZESI, RRTS® AND NICOLE SAXVIK, RRTS®
One day is not enough. That was the mantra we followed to enable a young man’s goal of power mobility. Tristan, a young client living with cerebral palsy in a remote First Nations Community in British Columbia, had never had the opportunity to trial power mobility primarily because of his location.
We set out working with Tristan’s therapist to find a way to make his goals a reality. We were able to source a donated power wheelchair that could be shipped on a long-term loan to Tristan to initiate the trial process. Given that Tristan never had the opportunity to utilize power mobility and with the strict funding ability requirements of his funding source, we arranged for an extended trial/training period of six months. During this time, he was able to practice his driving skills. This period provided his occupational therapist ample time to gather enough justification of Tristan’s skills to fulfill the funder’s requirements.
Team Photo Photographed from left to right are Tristan’s Occupational Therapist, Tristan and his family, and Rob Fuzesi.
We, along with Tristan’s occupational therapist, setup the trial power wheelchair for his unique needs, and we provided Tristan and his family with education on the chair’s operations. We also assisted in driving training sessions with Tristan to help him feel more comfortable with the chair.
We traveled back to the community to continue training sessions with Tristan, utilizing the Dalhousie Wheelchair Skills Program to provide evidence based practice. The extended trial period and skills-building work done with the client led to him being able to demonstrate the abilities required to be eligible for power mobility.
Once the funding application was approved, a new power wheelchair was ordered specifically for Tristan and delivered to him. This success story highlights the incredible, positive client outcomes when families, clients, clinicians and suppliers work together using evidence-based training to enable a client’s goals to be met.
Tristan is all smiles showing off his continuous power chair training
Tristan trying out his new powered wheelchair
Back view of Tristan in his new powered wheelchair
CONTACT THE AUTHOR Rob may be reached at ROBERT.FUZESI@HMEBC.COM
Rob Fuzesi, RRTS®, is a senior sales team member with HME Mobility & Accessibility in Richmond, British Columbia. With nearly 30 years of experience in the medical equipment field, he is skilled in providing clients with the correct long-term care and rehab equipment to meet their medical needs. Fuzesi has been a NRRTS Registrant since January 2021.
CONTACT THE AUTHOR Nicole may be reached at NICOLE.SAXVIK@HMEBC.COM
Nicole Saxvik, B. Kin, RRTS®, is a senior sales team member with HME Mobility & Accessibility in Richmond, British Columbia. Saxvik’s background includes kinesiology and more than three and a half years of experience in the medical field. Saxvik is qualified in all aspects of rehab medical equipment. She works with a diverse group of clients ranging from pediatric to geriatric.. Saxvik has been a NRRTS Registrant since January 2021.
