Thursday 25 July 2013

The Merry-Go-Round Roller Coaster

Oops- I haven't blogged for a while have I!
I have done a fun guest post  for Livability though - you can find it here

I don't think I will be doing much for a few weeks either as it's the season of children's camps and clubs. There's much to do!

Do pray for me and my lovely hubby though - two of the camps we do are not very accessible. I normally find them difficult and this year is going to be just as hard with the added complication of an arm that isn't working very well!
Neither of my wheelchairs will work on this camp site as they are not 'All terrain' chairs.

We have started the process of trying to get help towards an all terrain chair with the help of 'Access to Work' who have been very helpful - their system is great. But.... I understandably have to have an extra assessment to get the 'official line' on what I need to make life easier. This is done through the NHS where I'm told I have to start from scratch all over again because my last assessment was more than 2 years ago. So.... Two weeks to get a doctors appointment so I can get a referral to occupational therapy - then a possible three week wait to be assessed. They will then refer me to the wheelchair services dept where there is a possible nine week wait for assessment.
They will then suggest a wheelchair that won't really do what I need - so I then have to request a voucher as part payment towards one that will do what I need - and then go back to Access to Work to see if they will agree to fund the rest.

Exhausting isn't it!

This is one of the reasons why I independently got a cheap second hand lightweight electric chair for indoor conferences and trips to London - it's great, but it has become obvious I need a more robust one that is water proof, can go further on one charge, has suspension (Bumps REALLY hurt) and can cope with camps, but at £4000-£5000 I need help to do that. To take you back to the start of this story - this is why I have approached Access to Work.

There is no guarantee it will all come together as either agency could decide not to help - Access to work because they don't see my work as valid self employment, or the NHS because they can't afford to help and feel being pushed around by my husband is adequate independence.

Could you pray with me that this would work - and won't take three months to achieve!
But also that the camps would be an amazing life changing experience for all who come.