close

How do you deal with patients with a spinal cord injury who don’t want to use a wheelchair? - Sigmund Hough, PhD

How do you deal with patients with a spinal cord injury who don’t want to use a wheelchair?

Sigmund Hough, PhD

Neuropsychologist/Spinal Cord Injury Service, VA Boston Healthcare System

Read Bio More Videos by Sigmund Hough
Transcript
We talk about kind of like, “What is it that you don’t want?” And invariably what you don’t want is, “I don’t want to be injured because that means I’m injured, that means my life has changed, that means that I have these losses. And I ... Show More

We talk about kind of like, “What is it that you don’t want?” And invariably what you don’t want is, “I don’t want to be injured because that means I’m injured, that means my life has changed, that means that I have these losses. And I don’t want that, because if I don’t have that, then I cannot deal with that.” So that goes back to readiness. And sitting with a person and talking is that emotional bond, and all of the therapists and the interdisciplinary team does that in their own ways. So I’m always cognizant that different people have an access point, and then at team meetings you listen to see that readiness and who’s in that doorway. Sometimes it’s the therapist that comes in and says, “You don’t want the chair? Let’s bring you down to the gym.” And then sometimes they’ll say, “Can you sit in the chair while I’m transferring you.” So you’re in the chair, and then you watch other people and you see what they do with the chair.

Show Less
add

How do you deal with patients with a spinal cord injury who don’t want to use a wheelchair?

Sigmund Hough, PhD

Neuropsychologist/Spinal Cord Injury Service, VA Boston Healthcare System

More Videos by Sigmund Hough
Transcriptadd

We talk about kind of like, “What is it that you don’t want?” And invariably what you don’t want is, “I don’t want to be injured because that means I’m injured, that means my life has changed, that means that I have these losses. And I don’t want that, because if I don’t have that, then I cannot deal with that.” So that goes back to readiness. And sitting with a person and talking is that emotional bond, and all of the therapists and the interdisciplinary team does that in their own ways. So I’m always cognizant that different people have an access point, and then at team meetings you listen to see that readiness and who’s in that doorway. Sometimes it’s the therapist that comes in and says, “You don’t want the chair? Let’s bring you down to the gym.” And then sometimes they’ll say, “Can you sit in the chair while I’m transferring you.” So you’re in the chair, and then you watch other people and you see what they do with the chair.

How do you deal with patients with a spinal cord injury who don’t want to use a wheelchair?
close