A rock and a hard place

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MikeB4

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#107370 10-Aug-2012 11:16

I need a Ramp for my home however due to the interesting and unique way things are funded for disabilities in New Zealand I don't qualify for help. to qualify I need to be disabled to the point where I could not use the Ramp.

My condition is such that due to fusion of the vertebra I am unable to look down when I try to walk up and down steps and cannot see where I am stepping, because of this I fall off the steps a lot. When I am too sore and need to use my wheelchair like now, I am unable to get out of the home myself.
My spine is a at a very high risk of fracture due to the fusion and a simple trip in the steps could fracture my spine leaving me paralysed .

So in order to prevent becoming paralysed I need to be permanently wheelchair bound, a catch 22 and something that will be self professing as I will eventually fall and seriously damage my spine. If this occurs the cost to the Government in medical bills will far exceed the cost of assisting with a ramp, however our interesting health and disabilities assistance does not consider that.

So I have options, stay indoors or go out when I can and risk serious injury. I think I see a rock and a very hard place, the hard place being the concrete at the bottom of our steps.

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#670511 10-Aug-2012 11:43

I'm trying to remember the name .. but there is a website where people list their services free to the community (for the cost of just asking nicely), hopefully someone else can remember it's name and if they can then it would be a good place for you to look!

For someone with the skills, tools and time a ramp should be simple

I'll continue beating my head on the keyboard if you like and see if the website name falls out ...

gzt

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#670512 10-Aug-2012 11:45

Have a chat with a local MP. Pick a government one. They often exert the required leverage to make edge cases fit to criteria.

lokhor

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#670520 10-Aug-2012 11:57

Damn this sounds really bad. There must be disability advocacy groups out there that help deal with this sort of thing?

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

MikeB4

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#670523 10-Aug-2012 12:01

Since ending up like this I have become very aware of the challenges faced by the disabled. Unfortunately when you are not well it is hard to fight.

Jaxson

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#670526 10-Aug-2012 12:07

lokhor: Damn this sounds really bad. There must be disability advocacy groups out there that help deal with this sort of thing?

Many in NZ would be surprised at the hoops you have to go through for support in this country. It's not that popular with the news and most able bodied people don't have to deal with it.

We're going through something similar with an elderly relative who has very poor eyesight. To get assistance you have to be really blind, anything short of that and you just have to put up with being very close to blind until you actually are blind. This includes, as the OP mentions, all the falls and injuries associated with the condition.

In fact this reminds me of another close relative who has a cataract that won't be operated on until it gets really bad. Basically you're right because it's only in one eye and you have the other eye to see with.

It's very much user pays here, in health & dentistry, schooling, disability assistance etc.

MikeB4

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#670539 10-Aug-2012 12:32

I find myself not going outside during the day, I am at home alone while my wife is at work and I have a fear of falling and being unable to get help for a long time.

stevenz

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#670667 10-Aug-2012 16:41

Say it's a rugby injury and watch how fast the ACC writes you a cheque. For anything else, it's a waiting game, if anything ever eventuates.

Would something as "simple" as this require resource consent? (Given how small-minded some councils are, I wouldn't be surprised).

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sleemanj

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#670728 10-Aug-2012 18:22

KiwiNZ: I am unable to look down when I try to walk up and down steps and cannot see where I am stepping,

Thinking laterally, what about a mirror angled so you can see where you put your feet. Sure a ramp is better, but you still got to play the hand you're dealt in the mean time.

Building on this a bit... if you put a couple of small mirrors, say 15mm high on the underside the peak of a cap angled just right, you could just move your eyes to switch between looking at your feet in the mirror, and the way ahead.

Motorcycle helmets are available that work in a similar way but in reverse, they have a mirror just above your eyeline that provides a "rear view" right through the helmet, just look up with your eyes and you can see behind you.

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MikeB4

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#670735 10-Aug-2012 18:39

The inability to look down is only part of the problem, use a wheel chair a lot or short arm crutches.

TheUngeek

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#670791 10-Aug-2012 21:01

Was a letter in the local paper recently, can't remember the full details but some one (elderly or disabled) need to move house and had no way to do it. They called the rotary club and they showed up with vans and trailers.
Could try calling them?

SATTV

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#670814 10-Aug-2012 22:23

Hi Kiwinz,
We are in a similar boat to you, my wife has a very rare medical condition and brain surgery has caused balance issues, also her medication is causing lose of power in her arms and legs.
We are lucky she can use a walking frame but with 20 steps at the front of the house.
Basically as I am able bodied, under 65 and we have no children we are not entitled to diddly squat. In december my wife fell and broke her ankle, she spent a week in hospital and 2 weeks in rehab plus, we have had outpatients at rehab plus. You need to find an occupational therapist to do a home assesment. You are entitled to a grant of $9000 or so to make saftey and access modifications,
anything over $1000 has to be approved. This is a one off grant to last your entire life.
To be honest, you are better off falling over at home and then ACC will pay for modifications to keep you safe ( so I am told ) however we got nothing but the run around from ACC, they promised to put in a chair lift and rails but we got nothing and now they refuse to talk to us.
I wanted to put in a wheelchar ramp at the back but OT said no, my wife needs 1:20 gradient or better, I wanted to put a lift at the front but they said no as we could not turn a wheelchair around.
My wife was basically housebound from beginning of December to end of March. we know how it feels and I hope you find an OT and they give you the money you are entitled to.

Regards
John

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qwerty7

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#671217 11-Aug-2012 22:22

Maybe close-up or something if you are ok with it

I hate hearing stories like this, of the tax pool not been distributed to the people who actually need it when so many $$$ are wasted elsewhere.

mattwnz

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#671222 11-Aug-2012 22:33

qwerty7: I hate hearing stories like this, of the tax pool not been distributed to the people who actually need it when so many $$$ are wasted elsewhere.

So true. So much tax/rate payer money is wasted, yet this is the sort of thing that that money should be going on. I am a firm believer in paying tax to cover the cost of funding people in this situation. If it had been an accident, you are likely to be covered ACC, yet if you develop a medical problem, you are treated differently, which doesn't make sense, as medical conditions are also often 'bad luck' and out of the persons control too, which is what an accident is. Hope it gets sorted. Often going to the media can be a good option in this type of situation.

lokhor

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#671325 12-Aug-2012 10:48

mattwnz:
qwerty7: I hate hearing stories like this, of the tax pool not been distributed to the people who actually need it when so many $$$ are wasted elsewhere.

So true. So much tax/rate payer money is wasted, yet this is the sort of thing that that money should be going on. I am a firm believer in paying tax to cover the cost of funding people in this situation. If it had been an accident, you are likely to be covered ACC, yet if you develop a medical problem, you are treated differently, which doesn't make sense, as medical conditions are also often 'bad luck' and out of the persons control too, which is what an accident is. Hope it gets sorted. Often going to the media can be a good option in this type of situation.

To be honest a lot of accidents are more the person's fault than any sort of medical issue that is usually genetic.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

networkn

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#671354 12-Aug-2012 11:13

It's really unfortunate. Have you contacted a local rotary or similar? Do you have part of the cash to contribute? IE are you short by a particular amount, or is the whole amount unreachable for you?

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