We received an email from a gentleman recently who has been having a very difficult time with his wheelchair and who is very concerned about his wife's wellbeing as she now suffers from a bad back from helping him with his chair. You can read the message I received below and please please if you can offer some advice or potential help to the people concerned, do get in touch.

Thank you.

"It's good news to here about wheelchairs. I have a incurerable rare decease which has left me with sensory problems, paralyzed legs and continued with spasms in my body 24hrs a day. My internal organs are slowly weakening and my spine is twisting in two parts, lower and top. my internal bladder is uncontrollable and I am in a wheelchair. With me being blind/deaf and unable to use my hands, my carer pushes me. But my wife has a bad back from the amount of time she has to push me up bank ways which affects her spine. At one time I could help but as the months go on my body is not improving. What I cannot under stand is that my wheelchair is from the hospital and due to my condition I cannot have one of the hospital scooters because I would not know where I am going, or be able to control the scooter because of my hands.

I asked if I could use a back pack motor that connects to the wheelchair so my wife just grips the handle similar to breaks on a cycle and the wheelchair move at a walking pace. But they have told me I cannot have one as it is against the policy. I said it costs less than a hundred pounds and it would save the NHS a great amount of money by doing this rather than having a scooter if I could see. 

I feel I am been discriminated against by the whole issue as at times my wife back pains makes me guilty for putting her through it. I try not ask her to take me out because I don't want to be a burden, but NHS rules should change to consider carers who push people like myself who can't push the wheelchair. Can anyone give me a sensible answer as the hospital will not make any other comment on the issue."

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