What can family members do to encourage a good adjustment to life in a wheelchair after spinal cord injury? - Patti Rogers, SW

I  think the most important thing is it to treat them like you treated them before they got injured. Don’t coddle them, don’t walk on eggshells, if you disagreed with something that they did before they got hurt, and it happens after they get hurt, disagree with them. I think a lot of times that’s one of the crucial aspects that family members—they think, “I’ve got to be real careful”—it’s like walking on eggshells. “I have to watch what I say, I don’t want to upset them because they’ve already had a hard enough time as it is.” We try to encourage family members to be normal—whatever that is—just try to go on with your life like it went on it before. There are some concessions that you will have to make, but it’s a little hiccup on the road. Figure out how to deal with it and move on. It’s not the end of the word, you just have to readjust some of the things you used to do, but that doesn’t mean you stop doing those things.