Prayaag receives shiny new wheels

Sixteen-year-old Prayaag has been receiving Occupational Therapy at Northcott since 2018. Due to his disability, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Prayaag undergoes progressive loss of mobility and muscle strength leading to increased support needs.

Prayaag’s goals

When Prayaag started receiving services at Northcott, he expressed the desire to remain as independent as possible.

“I wanted to be able to go to the movies and shops with my friends – without the support of my mother or a support worker. I wanted to order food independently at food courts, and complete wood technology and hospitality subjects for Years 11 and 12 at school,” says Prayaag.

“Prayaag was a power wheelchair user when he set these goals.  However, the main barriers to him achieving these goals were a reduced ability to reach outwards and upwards for objects in the environment in a seated position, as well as loss of strength in his upper limb (hand, arm, shoulder) function due to his disability,” says Erin, Prayaag’s Occupational Therapist (OT) at Northcott.

Finding a new wheelchair

Around this time, Prayaag was also starting to outgrow his old wheelchair. His Northcott OT identified that a standing power wheelchair might be a suitable solution to overcome the barriers to Prayaag’s goals. Nevertheless, this involved a lengthy assessment and trial process to make sure this was going to be effective.

“The assessment, which was conducted in liaison with Prayaag’s Physiotherapist and other health/medical professionals started with identifying the issues Prayaag was currently experiencing with this wheelchair. It also involved assessing his posture to ensure that the seating on the new wheelchair would meet his postural support needs and provide him with a functional seated position,” adds Erin.

Prayaag also completed a few trials of the standing power wheelchair so that we could assess, measure and gather evidence of the functional benefits he received from being able to move in and out of a standing position. We also needed to confirm that the wheelchair was compatible with the environments he spends his time, such as home and school.

“It was a pretty lengthy process to get the wheelchair approved by the NDIS – in addition to the assessment process, a big part of my role was being able to advocate for Prayaag’s needs and communicate just how beneficial the standing wheelchair is for his independence and ability to engage in his daily activities,” adds Erin.

New standing wheelchair

The standing function of the power wheelchair eliminates the need for Prayaag to reach upwards against gravity. It allows Prayaag to stand and bring his body a lot closer to objects, rather than having to reach over his thighs and feet.

I can now get snacks or a drink from the cupboard/fridge at home, use the microwave, and help my family with preparing meals. I can help mum with the grocery shopping and get items from the shelves, order own food at the food court, play arcade games at Time Zone and more independently, access the equipment in the wood technology and hospitality rooms at school.

Prayaag

Standing has also had some huge social benefits for Prayaag. He is now able to stand up and hug his mum. He also mentioned that his friends tend to hang around and talk to him more at school when he’s standing up and at eye level with them.

Erin says, “It’s been so rewarding to see all of the functional tasks that Prayaag can do now that he has the standing power wheelchair, and all of the other social and psychological benefits that have flowed on from this.”  

Today is International Wheelchair Day. On this day we would like to recognise and acknowledge all our Occupational Therapists who play such a critical role in supporting our customer’s participation and independence in daily activities.

Occupational Therapy