Reasons/causes for wheelchair use

There are many diagnosis that can cause a person to become a ‘full time’ wheelchair user. Short term or long term, congenital or acquired after birth, the repercussions are tremendous and life changing. Some causes are:

Degenerative diseases, for example:

- Muscular dystrophy

- Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy

 - Cerebral Palsy

- Spina Bifida

- Multiple Sclerosis

- Huntington’s disease

- Chronic arthritic conditions

Physical disabilities, for example:

- Birth defects

- Accidents causing paralysis (being paralysed)

- Spinal injuries

- Strokes

- Amputation

Whilst on my fieldwork placement at Mobility Solutions, a wheelchair and seating specialised setting I came across and worked with many clients with a broad range of these disabilities which therefore caused them to require a wheelchair for mobility. 
Some people had been users for a majority of their life time and for some it had been a gradual onset.


Mobility Solutions have a great mission statement I would like to share with you all as I believe it fits well with the key values and beliefs of occupational therapy:

“Making sure people with disability achieve autonomy, quality of life, and their chosen level of participation in society, because their mobility is maximised regardless of their motor function”.

                        


Healthpoint. (2012). Mobility Solutions: Wheelchair and seating assessment service. Retrieved 17 July from: http://www.healthpoint.co.nz/default,107493.sm