Here are the second five of 10 SCI myths that we commonly encounter at Birchall Blackburn Law. Earlier this week we listed the first 5 which included “#1 Women with a SCI cannot have children, #2 Men with a SCI cannot have children, #3 Men and women with SCI do not have sex, #4 Everyone with an SCI is depressed and unhappy, #5 People with SCI can only race wheelchairs.”
Whether it is through an ill-informed media, half-truths, apathy, old fashioned prejudice, out-dated knowledge or simple ignorance, society has always made assumptions about paralysis and wheelchair users.
Such mythical stigma and stereotyping are at the very least unhelpful and at their worse dangerous, fueling prejudice and isolation. While we have highlighted another 5 myths about SCI below, the most important fact to remember is that everyone is different and every SCI is different.
#6 Care homes are the best place for SCI after hospital
It is widely recognised that care homes are the worst place for SCI. Living in a care home has a devastating impact on the lives of people paralysed by SCI, according to research by Loughborough University academic Dr Brett Smith. In the UK, about 20% of people with SCI are discharged from rehabilitation into a care home and efforts are being made to reduce that number. The research revealed that living in such an environment severely damages quality of life, physical health and psychological well being. So, in the vast majority of cases a patient should return home and to their community where they are given as much independence as possible and do not get isolated.
#7 A person with SCI is restricted by their wheelchair
Those who do not use a wheelchair will find it difficult to understand the bond between a person and their wheelchair. It can often be a love and hate relationship, but ultimately using a wheelchair is liberating rather that restrictive. A person with paralysis can get around as quickly in a wheelchair as anyone else can walking. A wheelchair offers people access to work, shopping, travel and sport. So, when someone seems irritated or frustrated it is rarely with their wheelchair but with the environment or circumstances they are in.
#8 Holding open a door for an SCI wheelchair user is patronising
The best practice is to assist with a door in a way that you would with any able-bodied person. If you are there first, then hold it open and make sure the doorway is clear for the wheelchair to enter. Otherwise do not leap over small children and climb furniture to rush to help. Even if they appear to be struggling with the door or opening it slowly, don’t assume they need help. Doing things independently when out and about is part of the rehabilitation process and usually a wheelchair user will ask for help if they need it.
#9 Men and women with SCI have a shorter life span
In 1940, the average life expectancy after SCI was only 18 months. By the turn of the millennium, life expectancy resembled that of the general population. Like everyone else, the biggest factor influencing the life span of a person with an SCI is their lifestyle. If they eat and drink healthily, have treats in moderation, maintain some independence, a good social life and exercise as much as they can, then most people will live to a ripe old age.
#10 SCI happens to other people and is rare
SCI can affect anyone at any time – in the home, work, on the road or at play – and in a split second. In the UK it is estimated that every eight hours someone’s life, and the lives of their family and friends, is completely changed by an SCI. About 40,000 people in the UK live with SCI and the majority of those are young male adults, but incidents of SCI are increasing in the elderly. So, SCI are not rare and can happen to you.
Birchall Blackburn Law are specialists in Serious and Catastrophic Injury Law. Speak to Dianne or Kelly on 0800 988 1548 or our website.
The post Ten spinal cord injury myths that society needs to banish – part two appeared first on Spinal Injuries Association.