New wheelchair skills area – Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Unit
The new wheelchair skills training area at Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Unit prepares patients for life after hospital. Jacques Jacobie shares his experience as one of the first patients to lay some rubber…
Jacques has his eye set on discharge from the Princess Alexandra Hospital Spinal Injuries Unit in October. He has found the newly completed skills area challenging as it is providing him with new goals to be achieved along his rehabilitation journey. He was a big fan of the space for rehabilitation because it makes him happy to be out in the simulated space and gives him a sense of achievement as he starts ticking off goals that are on his list.
“One of my goals was a gutter jump and I felt a good sense of achievement when I did that. I try to do what I can and everything I can with wheelchair skills so that I can be the most prepared and my best me to make things easier when I get home.”
The Longreach local has been in the Spinal Injuries Unit in Brisbane for over three months and has seen the change from barely lifting 5 kg to his improved physicality with his wheelchair.
“I’m way better now – I can do lots more, I can go further. I do a circuit every now and then going up all the ramps and the full length of the pathways around the unit.”
The launch of the new skills area ties in with this year’s Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week, 7-13 September, that seeks to highlight the message Accessibility Equals Opportunity.
It is part of the $1.85M spinal refurbishment project funded by the Queensland government.
