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Treatment :: Health
:: Coping :: Goals
:: Career :: Life in
ruins? :: They don't understand
Learning to Cope with Disability
What can you lose by
learning to cope as you are today? Accepting your disability and
using aids doesn't mean you have given up. If future treatment helps,
you can pass the aids on to someone else. Meanwhile you can enjoy
greater freedom and independence.
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Adapt
to your disability.
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Which
equipment / aid is best?
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The equipment
/ aids I need are too expensive.
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No-one
sells the type of equipment I need to …
- Accept your
disability
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Being angry about your disability
or denying it are natural reactions on the road to acceptance.
Asking for help in accepting your disability might save you
from being angry for the rest of your life.
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Disability isn't all negative,
there are advantages too. What have you gained? I've gained
a new perspective on life, am more patient, calm and caring.
And have been heartened by the kindness and support of friends
and strangers.
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Adapt to
your disability.
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Everyone has some restriction
on their life, for most it is too little time. For me it is
pain - no-one can do everything they want. You have the choice
of fretting about your limitations or finding ways to make
life enjoyable and worthwhile.
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List the everyday activities
you'd like to do again. Try to find ways of doing them. It
may mean an unusual technique, the use of aids or doing it
in small instalments.
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Occupational therapists can
suggest aids and alternative ways of doing everyday tasks. You
might have to overcome your pride - buying a wheelchair felt
like defeat until I realised just how far it extended my horizons.
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The NHS,
charities and other organisations run courses to help people
cope with particular disabilities.
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Long-term pain can be physically,
mentally and spiritually debilitating - even a tiny pain can
eventually drive you bonkers. Pain-management
courses can help you to laugh again and put you back in
control of your life. Just like learning to drive, it can be
more effective to have tuition than trying to learn from a book.
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Enjoy your
abilities. Focus on
what you can do and develop your hidden talents.
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Accept your limitations and keep
testing your boundaries.
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List 10 things you would love
to do - today, this week or in 5 years. If you really want to
do something, you will find a way of doing it - that's how I
had a fabulous holiday in Australia. That's how the para-olympians
win their medals. It may not happen overnight, it may not be
easy but realistic goals can give a
purpose to your life.
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Which equipment
/ aid is best?
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Occupational therapists can
provide assessments, and recommend appropriate aids and alternative
ways of doing everyday tasks, to help people live independently
in their own home.
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There are plenty of aids and
equipment out there. Subtle differences in design can make
a huge difference in ease of use or comfort - like a gel-filled
handle on a folding walking stick. My sprung Leki trekking
poles enable me to walk much further than with a walking stick
or crutches.
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Do your research, seek advice
and ideally try aids out before buying. Some of the best advice
comes from users of the equipment - like the wheelchair-users
who run the EPC
wheelchair shop.
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The equipment
/ aids I need are too expensive.
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Many aids and adaptations are
very expensive. Some are available on the NHS, through Social
Services or through charities like the Red Cross (short-term)
or secondhand (see your local paper). Contact the Citizens
Advice Bureau or local disability help-lines for further
information on help available in your area.
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No-one sells
the type of equipment I need to …
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Write down your essential requirements
and think laterally (set your friends a challenge) - I use
a folding linen basket as a super-light travelling blanket
cradle (thanks Sally).
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Still stumped? Contact REMAP,
a charity whose volunteers design and build aids and equipment
to overcome unusual disability problems. They appreciate donations
to cover the cost of materials. Many thanks to them for the
desk I am using.
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