William did an assessment today. Basically there has been a marginal improvement but it's obviously not enough of an improvement for my liking. I told him to write "Very cranky" in bold letters at the top of the page. Like they don't already know that I'm cranky. So I did a little walking and I got tired and now I'm at home and I feel better. I haven't decided yet what I will do at the end of this month. I'll probably take a break until the weather gets a little warmer. It also depends on my other activities.
This morning on my way home from McDonalds, I came across a guy in a manual wheelchair. He had to turn his chair around to get up the curb at Lakeshore & Islington. So I asked him why he doesn't have a power chair. It seems he had a stroke a few years ago. While he was in hospital, the physiotherapist decided that it was too dangerous for him to have a power chair. I guess he was running into things. That's not very unusual when first learning to operate these things. Guys tend to drive them too fast. It was a very poor decision because he can't use his right arm and it's very difficult for him to get around in a manual chair. So now when he goes to his social worker he is told that it will cost $100 to get an assessment by a physiotherapist. And that's just the first step.
So I asked around when I was at Lyndhurst today and the chances are good he would be reimbursed the $100 and if he's on ODSP, they would pay for it. Now I understand why he doesn't want to spend the money but if I was faced with that, I would spend the money because the end result would greatly outweigh the $100.
There are two lessons to be learned from this. First, if you ever wind up in a hospital like we did, you need to direct your own care. Maybe he wasn't in a position to do that at that time. But if a physiotherapist tried to pull something like that on me, he wouldn't be my physiotherapist anymore. It was a very cruel thing to do and this guy is paying for it now. You can't put up with that stuff. It's my life and I make the decisions.
Second, not all social workers are created equal. Some of them will try and avoid paperwork at all costs. They think you're too much trouble. If that happens, get a new social worker. I have been very fortunate to deal with two great social workers at Lyndhurst who really helped me out a lot. Of course my assertiveness is probably helpful to them. You can't be wishy washy. In fact I was speaking to my social worker briefly today just to get a few tips on some things I should do in the near future. She also said to call her if I have any further questions. It's a good relationship because she knows I want to accomplish certain things and I know if I ask a question, I'll get a straight answer. That's the way things should be. She helps me help myself. They should all be like her. Aggressiveness has its virtues. You have to do for yourself because no one is going to do it for you.
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