Personal Story: Barriers to Healthcare

I became a paraplegic in my late sixties. I am still getting stronger and more capable but I am also still adapting to my condition and mourning the loss of the life that I had before. About seven months after my accident it was time for my repeat bone density test. It was booked at a local facility. It was winter and there was a significant amount of plowed snow that had turned to ice in the parking lot. The handicap parking was free, but the stall was not cleared of snow properly so there was limited room for our van. The handicap access to the walkway in front of the facility was filled in with plowed snow and ice so I had to wheel through the rutted parking lot to another ramp area. I was faced with a door that I could not open by myself and a pile of snow and ice at the threshold. The staff inside did not see me so no one came to help. My husband had to manage the door and muscle me over the threshold.

Once inside, the reception desk was much too high, to the point that the staff could not see me waiting below. When I got into the room I took note of the height of the table and it was much too high for me to be successful at transferring to. They had no portable lift or any other assist to help me. The technician offered to help but it is outside of their scope of practice and it is not an easy transfer. They suggested that I rebook with someone in Calgary who might have a lift system.

I found this offensive. My injury was prohibiting me from getting medical care in my own community and the problem was being passed off to the city. It was winter with winter driving conditions and I had poor sitting tolerance given that I was only seven months post injury and 1 month out of the hospital. It made me feel unimportant and invisible. It was like I was so much "less" than the regular population. Eventually my husband and I managed to get me up on the table but there was nothing easy about it.

I had to get my bone density done again. When making the appointment I reiterated to the front desk staff my limitations and the problems that I had last time. She suggested that I contact their head office and make them aware of my concerns. Before I had a chance to make contact, head office called me. I explained my concerns and how degrading I found the process of being mostly hauled up to their table. I even suggested where they could purchase an inexpensive, manually operated, hydraulic lift. The person that I spoke to was very empathetic and she assured me that I was being heard but it was clear to me that they had no intention of trying to resolve the issue anytime soon. I chalked the conversation up to a teaching moment and making companies more aware of the barriers they put up for the disabled population.

I am left feeling like a second class citizen in these situations. There are restaurants and businesses that I have to enter by the service door, and often wheel past the garbage to get in. It is a completely degrading experience. I even ran into trouble in my doctors office while I was in the bathroom. I was able to reach the taps in the sink, the soap, but not the paper towel. In this case, one word to my doctor and a service requisition was sent in to fix it.