Feeling positive despite limitations.

 

Roberto Matta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

Two appointments I was dreading one yesterday and one today went very well which was a tremendous relief for Richie and I.

The appointment yesterday was with my case manager as well as my advisor, they both work for the councils mobility Department.

They are both very good women, who have to work within tight parameters nevertheless they do as much as they can for me who is admirable.

2 other people were also present and they were Percy from Welzorg and Ruud from a company called Summit, they make the custom-built wheelchair backrest.

We were both not looking forward to this meeting however as soon as Jacqueline my case manager arrived the appointment started positively.

She suggested we make a list of all the things we did not like about the wheelchair, and there were many points all of which were noted.

By the time everybody was here the list was completed, at first the four of them turned their attention on the wheelchair examining it thoroughly.

Finally Percy said that there was nothing that his company Welzorg can do to improve the wheelchair finally there were no more prevarications.

Right away Jacqueline decided that the only cause of action now was that I needed a new wheelchair.

This means a new supplier so I do not have to deal with Welzorg anymore about my wheelchair which was fantastic news this cheered me up tremendously.

On the 30^th of January I have an appointment at 1400 with Annelies my advisor and somebody from the new wheelchair supplier Beenhakker to discuss the new chair.

In the meantime Ruud from Summit will temporarily adjust the backrest on the wheelchair, as soon as it known which wheelchair I will get he will make a custom built backrest for the new wheelchair.

Richie and I are very pleased with how things went yesterday this really is progress and this time we will make sure the new wheelchair is a good one.

At 1200 today I have an appointment with the doctor from the rehabilitation clinic as well as Milou the wound nurse.

This was the appointment I was dreading the most as I knew that Janneke the Dr was going to cut some hard skin off around the edges of the wound.

In order to stop myself lying awake all night thinking about it I took a sleeping tablet which worked very well.

The procedure seemed to take forever luckily I don't feel a thing nevertheless I was relieved when it was all over as it's not my favourite activity.

Janneke was very positive about the wound saying it was looking good and nearly healed up which was good news.

Hopefully trimming off the hard edges will help the wound to finally heal; it would be great if that were to happen at the same time as I get my new wheelchair.

Despite my increasing limitations I'm feeling very positive about the future and I'm looking forward to being able to get about again.

Enjoy Sitting

Oscar Dominguez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

Yesterday suddenly it became warm, for the first time this summer, it is has been cool, grey and overcast with a lot of rain, often under storms.

The only warm weather was in April, cool weather started in May, and continued in June, the 21st of June is Midsummer and supposed to be the longest day.

This year it was the most miserable day, the city had a thick cloud cover all day, there was not a glimmer of sunshine and instead of it being the longest day it was a gloomy day and by 18.30 in the evening it was dark.

Not what I call Midsummer and since then it has not improved, it has been a miserable summer, sadly one which suited me very well as I cannot cope with the heat anymore.

During the day yesterday I managed to cope with a fan right next to me, this was good as long as there was also cool breeze coming in the window, as soon as the breeze stopped it became unpleasant.

That was the situation around 23.00 so Richie got our mobile air-conditioning unit and put it in the hall next to the toilet so that the hot air would escape through the ventilator.

Not all does, which means that the hot air gets into the hall as well as the bedroom and because my bed is at the end of the room I don't get full benefit of the cool air.

As the airco cannot reach into the bedroom the best Richie could do was position it in the doorway and leave the fan on next to me so that cool air will be circulated around the room.

Not a perfect system but the best we can do at the moment, it meant I could sleep without any interruptions last night and I've been relaxed today and not feeling any of the ill effects that I felt yesterday.

This afternoon I received confirmation that the appointment for the installation of the air-conditioning was next Tuesday the 31st and I received the confirmation that I will get Seetech on the 7th of August.

At 14.30 I had an appointment with Kees van Roekel, from Welzorg, this was the final evaluation of the bed support system which I got at the end of February, today I received another foam rubber support for my hip.

 This extra support by my hip will stop my hip moving this causes me to slump to the left, as soon as I got it this afternoon it improved my life, Richie has only had to do two small adjustments of my left shoulder since 14.30 when I got the additional support.

That is really good seeing as it's now 20.00, that is 5 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sitting, which is absolutely brilliant this really is the best thing that has happened recently, it has given me back the pleasure of sitting without needing constant help.

It's amazing that such a small piece of foam propping up my hips on either side has enabled me to sit comfortably in one position, this is really brilliant, Kees is an excellent engineer for coming up with this solution at this moment.

This will allow me to enjoy sitting in bed without slumping and needing Richie's help and assistance constantly, I feel like a load has been lifted from my shoulders, well done Kees from Welzorg. 

Concentrate On Enjoying Life Now.

Marleen, Cyril, Tina

        

 Here it is another grey day, the weather in England is dreadful, they are experiencing high winds and torrential rain.

We are getting some high winds and rain, plus it is cool enough to have the heating on in the mornings and evenings.

Last night I got woken up several times each time finding my arms clenched tight over my chest and my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands.

No wonder that I woke up, and each time it took ages to get my arms back down by my side.

My spine is getting more deformed, it is more difficult to get me sitting straight; I did not notice it is as much in the wheelchair.

That’s due to the excellent support I get in the wheelchair, which I don't have in bed so I need regular adjustments.

I've been enjoying the football; it has taken my mind off my situation and given me something else to focus on.

Which is good as the stress of having to fight for everything has been getting to me.

I'm constantly either pushing for something to happen or I'm waiting for it to finally happen.

For example I've been waiting for Kees van Roekel, from Welzorg to come back since the beginning of March.

Plus I'm waiting to hear how the new application for the eye operated software is faring at the health insurers Agis.

It was made after an appointment with Dr. Janneke Stolwijk and my occupational therapist, Maurits, to discuss why the first application did so badly.

The advice they had previously included with the first application for Seetech was not up to date so they promised another.

They wrote a new advice, that I needed to be able to operate the IPaq with Seetech, as I could no longer use either the touch screen or the button.

My health insurers do not see the necessity of my having three dictionaries included, I will have to buy the German one myself.

I was amazed to be informed by the salesman from RTD Het Dorp that the German language dictionary only cost €158.

I thought it was going to be more, strange that my health insurers objected so strongly to this, major expenditure.

What is especially strange about the objections is the fact that they say they will assist people to maintain their quality-of-life.

In my case this means being able to communicate in three languages, as I was brought up speaking German and English, and I taught myself Dutch when I moved here in 1981.

In my case this did not count, all they were interested in was spending as little as possible.

They also objected to voice recognition, I guess this is also too expensive for them, strange as voice recognition only costs just €150.

They were quibbling about €308 which is why they turned down the application ‘from HES, last November.

I still haven't heard from the council when they will install air conditioning that I need so desperately.

The best thing I can do is to try and put it all out of my mind and concentrate on enjoying the here and now.

Being Brave.

Dorothea Tanning
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Tanning

How I wish that I didn't have to be brave, I really yearn for life to return to what it was like before the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2006.

Then, as now, I did not feel brave all I was trying to do was to keep going the best way I could.

The reality is that things will never change back, nor will the progression of my MS go into remission and give me more time enjoying life with my darling Richie.

I'm really starting to feel that my strength, what little I have left is draining away; I can feel the steady progression day by day.

It really is shitty, that I not only have to struggle to keep my identity, but I have to seemingly fight for everything I need in the way of aids to make life easier.

How typical of this uncaring capitalist society to make vulnerable people go through hell in order to get mobility aids.

I still can't believe that so much time, effort and money are spent trying to find reasons to not give me, as well as others a vital piece of equipment.

What I find makes it even worse, is when they forget conveniently to keep me informed.

Like my occupational therapist Maurits who despite my asking many times still forgets to keep me informed.

He, Maurits as well as other advisers, consistently forget to keep me in the loop Welzorg and RTD H Dorp are the worst for this.

Because of this attitude I've become accustomed to people coming around for appointments and promising that they will send me the information and never do.

There really is nothing more disenfranchising than being kept ignorant of what is going on; it is rude and totally insensitive.

I really don't understand why my occupational therapist cannot be bothered to let me know the things I should know, such as status of items applied for.

It is not just my current occupational therapist who forgets promises made; Johanneke was also very prone to making promises and not keeping them.

It almost as if this point is not emphasise enough during their training, it seems a strange to me to do a course of training and forget that it is vital to communicate with your clients.

That surely is the whole point of training for the so-called caring professions, for me that means being trained to communicate with the target group is essential.

So often forget that it is their clients welfare that is important, it often feels to me like we are there for them surely if it weren't for us they would not have work.

No wonder that I have to be extremely stoical, brave in the face of such bureaucratic insensitivity.

It's a good job that I am so persistent and able speak for myself otherwise I truly believe I would still be waiting.

Remembering An Unforgetable Day.

Conroy Maddox.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conroy_Maddox

Amazingly Beenhakker sent some one to fit a new emergency cut off switch; they are such a good company very customer orientated.

Unlike Welzorg, Beenhakker are efficient, attentive and seem to be interested in their customers.

Nice to have a positive experience, it makes such a huge difference and is such a boost, especially after the way other companies have been.

If it had been Welzorg, I would have needed to phone, e-mail them for days, and if I were really lucky they probably would have come back next week or in the New Year.

Getting the shower chair fixed totally unexpectedly today was almost like getting an extra present for our anniversary.

Having it fixed makes all the difference to us, lovely to have it all sorted out without any stress.

Today has been quite a pleasant day, which we both enjoyed very much; I think it has been a relaxing day.

I can hardly believe that it’s already ten years since that wonderful day, 19^th December in 2001 when we married.

We had such a great party, with good friends; Richie made a feast for it, which was wonderful, an unforgettable day.

A Brilliant Visit.

Pavel Tchelitchew.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Tchelitchew

I was pleasantly surprised ait lunchtime today when the bell rang at 12.20 and surprise, surprise  it was the Welzorg engineer, as promised, to mend the broken arm rest.

Even better still Tijl, the engineer managed to get the new part fitted, it took him quite awhile to finish the job; he got here at 12.20 and left at 13.20.

He was busy for the full hour trying to work out how to best install the new bolt, finally he succeeded and Richie could put the books back on the bookshelves.

After Tijl left, it was suddenly 14.30 much too quickly and Mathilde was here for our Thursday physiotherapy session.

Then far too soon it was 16.30 and very sadly Aud had to leave, Richie took her up the road to the tram stop, the dogs are cross with us, especially Cyril who wants his new best friend back.

Cyril was obviously in love, he enjoyed playing with Aud, he slipped into Aud’s room last night and snuggled up under the duvet, and we missed him but thought it was very sweet.

It has been brilliant having Richie’s sister here to stay for three days, she like Richie is a fulltime carer for her partner, so it was very fortunate that. a friend could help.

 Hopefully Aud will be able to visit again soon, it was very good to spend time with her, it felt like we knew each other for years, a good visit which will be remembered fondly until the next visit.

Look Forward.

Pavel Tchelitchew.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Tchelitchew

Wonders never cease, my mails seem to have been effective as this morning at last I received a telephone call from Welzorg to give me the long awaited information.

[

Marlon told me that tomorrow Welzorg would be sending someone to finally mend the arm support; however I still had to ask what time, then he told me between 12.00 and 16.00.’

Spending so much time sending e-mails these last two weeks did eventually pay off which has made me happy.

Of course I won’t believe it, not until the repair has been done; certainly not after the last time when i was promised that an engineer would be here, sadly noone turned up until evening.

I shall put it out of my mind until the morning, what would be very nice is if the engineer got here ait 12.00 and departed by 12.30 so that Aud’s last afternoon won’t be totally disrupted. 

I am glad, that the arm rest will be mended, it is just a shame it didn’t happen last week Thursday, and then I could have been mobile last Thursday as well as the weekend.

How typical of Welzorg to keep me hanging around waiting for them to come here and mend the broken arm rest, then finally come, when I wanted to keep free because of Aud’s visit.

Oh well as long as it gets mended so that I can go out again, this was not possible because the right arm rest was propped up by two books’

Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon this latest problem will be thing of the past, better to look forward rather than back, I intend to focus on that.

Pleasant Visit.

Pavel Tchelitchew

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Tchelitchew

No news from Welzorg today, so I sent an e-mail asking for information, shame they could not be proactive and let me know when my wheelchair arm rest will finally be mended.

Amazing that a company like Welzorg can’t seem to find something as simple, as a replacement bolt for the one broken on 28^th October.

Words are beginning to fail me where that company is concerned, I can’t believe that they manage to stay in business.


If I read they were going out of business I would feel sorry for the employees, who I also feel sorry for having to work for such an uncaring company, who can’t be good to work for.

Today despite the Welzorg saga has been a pleasant day, Richie’s sister arrived at 10.30, really lovely to meet her, and I am enjoying her company very much.

Luckily today was the pleasant day I hoped for, cold, sunny and blue sky, just right for Aud’s visit; I hope it stays nice for the rest of her stay, shame she can’t be here all week.

It’s nice to have a visitor, someone else to talk to, a different point of view, opinion, nice to have someone else here, good to get another perspective on life.

We have just watched a wonderful music program, Later with Jools Holland on BBC2 TV.

What a show, so many stars, like Steve Earle & The Dukes, Lou Reed and Metallica, Soul Rebels Brass Band. Ron Neville, Reb’ Mo’, Hollie Cook, Various Cruelties.

People First Not Profits.

Jacques Andre Boiffard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-Andr%C3%A9_Boiffard

Trying to keep being optimist and positive, is not easy when dealing with the band of local council mobility advisors, therapists, suppliers that I have to deal with.

This last week I have been left waiting for Welzorg to come back and finish the job they couldn’t mend last week Friday.

Instead I have not heard from anyone, no one has bothered to reply to my mails and I am trapped indoors with my right arm support propped up by two books.

A big shame, as the weather has been mild this week, I would like to go out but can‘t not until my wheelchair arm rest is mended.

 Today is a beautiful sunny day, no wind, quite warm for November, but I have to put going outside out of my mind for now.

Not easy but I will do my best to stay strong and not get too upset by this dereliction of Welzorg’s .duty of care to their clients, from whom they make alot of money.

Richie found out recently that Welzorg was bought up by a European investment company, which explains much.

They are no longer the national company but venture capitalists, who only care about profits not people.

I wish, that they will experience what I have had to put up with from their companies representatives, I bet they would hate to get MS and be treated so badly, shame on them all..

Enjoy The Evening.

Marcelino Vespeira.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelino_Vespeira

Every day is different, or so I thought, however again today, I find myself waiting for Welzorg, Richie banged into the door frame and the bracket supporting the arm rest sheered off.

I phoned Welzorg right away and have been waiting since 12.30; I have rung a couple of times, nearly lost hope only for the doorbell to go and the engineer from Welzorg to arrive at 15 minutes before 17.00.

I am so happy that someone could get here I was told they could send someone between 13.00 to 17.00.

Sadly the engineer hasn’t got the exact replacement for the bit that broke off, so he has improvised a temporary fix and ordered replacement parts.

What a tremendous relief that it’s done now and I can get into the wheelchair and spend the evening in the front room.

Before today’s wheelchair drama, I had good appointment with Kees from Aquarius.

Kees will use the same technique Summit used to make my wheelchair seat, hopefully this happens soon.

All I need now is to get better wheelchair steering, so Richie has better control of the wheelchair and going out will be safe.

First I will get Richie to put me in the  wheelchair, so I  can enjoy some time out of my bed, this evening.

Feeling Very Optimistic.

 

Alma's view of the Antennae galaxies, created using measurements from 16 of the dishes installed on the Chajnantor plateau in the Atacama desert, Chile. The Antennae are a pair of distorted spiral galaxies that are colliding about 70m light-years from Earth.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2011/oct/03/alma-telescope-opens-in-pictures?INTCMP=SRCHhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2011/oct/03/alma-telescope-opens-in-pictures?INTCMP=SRCH

 

Today the sun only came out at the end of the afternoon; a beautiful sight, nice for people after work and the kids playing outside.

I am happy today, I could do my arm exercises again, I also had a good physiotherapy session with Mathilde, followed by my leg exercises on my Motomed.

Later this week I will get an appointment telling me when Ruud will deliver my new wheelchair seat, he was here last Friday to do a fitting of my new seat, which went well.

The new seat was so good that instead of trying it out for a week; Ruud has taken it away to make small adjustments and to get it upholstered.

After one more week of discomfort, I will be able to sit well supported and will be able to enjoy going out again.

At the moment going out is not nice, I get rattled around in my wheelchair because of lack of support, and the wheelchair rocking about.

Wednesday Welzorg will be here to show us a better steering system for Richie so that we both feel safer outside.   

All the issues will be discussed with Percy, from Welzorg and Edith, my local council mobility advisor, hopefully there will be a good outcome soon.

I am feeling very optimistic about getting my wheelchair sorted out; this will, improve going out immensely, which makes me happy.

                                                                           

Sunny Tuesday.

Three Figures And A Bride
Oscar Mellor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Mellor

Woke up suddenly, as a tiny involuntary movement triggered off a series of spasms which were strong enough to wake me and keep me awake.

Welzorg came to collect my wheelchair between 8 and 9 this morning; the plan is that they move the base so that the wheelchair is more stable and less likely to tip over.

Amazingly the wheelchair was brought back quickly at 12 noon; I was expecting ir back at the end of the afternoon.

Lovely to see Welzorg working well and actually thinking about clients needs, I wonder if this is linked to them losing their monopoly to supply mobility aids in the Netherlands.

I have a feeling that it gave the company a nasty shock, they are now letting us all see what a good firm they are, so in tune with their clents.

RTD Het Dorp were suppose to send somebody to repair my Home Servant gadget, which has not been working for three weeks.

I hate not being able to adjust my position in bed or switch the light on or the TV, for the last 3 weeks have been totally dependant on Riche to do these things for me.

 No one turned up from RTD Het Dorp; no one phoned so I phoned them and was told the appointment was tomorrow.

I was called by them 2 weeks ago that I had to wait until Tuesday 2 August for them to resolve the problem, hopefully they will be here tomorrow.

Waiting.

1986

Bryan Charnley.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Charnley

After waiting for over two weeks for the appointment from Welzorg, I got a call from them this morning to arrange an appointment.

The woman that called was very friendly, when she mentioned my falling out of the wheelchair, I recognised her voice.

I spoke to her when I called Welzorg, to thank them for their quick work unbending the bent table support on the wheelchair table.

She was amazed that I was calling her to thank her; she told me that she had never once been thanked in 5 years of working for Welzorg.

That is a shame, this convinced me that thanking people was a good thing to do; I have no problems complaining, so I need to be aware that saying thank you is good.

It is important, not just to complain but to remember to say thank you, when it is in order, this morning’s call from Welzorg was proof that making that call was well worth it.

Nice to get a friendly call, especially from Welzorg who are not known for being a friendly company.

Today I got a mail from Maurits, my occupational therapist; he is standing during Johanneke’s illness.

He has made an appointment with Quattron’s Dennis Klein, to see what adjustments still need to be made, so that the support cushion will support me adequately.

Everything Will Get Sorted Out.

 
Mattia's Visions.
Norma Bessouet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Bessouet
 

Waking this morning to discover that I could not hear anything with my right ear was not pleasant.

Richie cleaned it for me, we were both amazed how dirty my ears were, luckily I can hear once again.

Our doctor will come by on Thursday to syringe my ears; Richie thinks that would be the best, this too is the result of MS, as I can no longer clean my ears.

This will be the first time this is done, really hope it will clean my ears, as it would be great to hear clearly with both ears.

Now my right ear is working again, I feel better, not hearing anything clearly was worrying, quite upsetting actually.

I got a touch over dramatic, felt overwhelmed, my ears, my glasses are falling apart and I need someone from Welzorg to straighten the support bracket under the table.

None of these things are dramas, just for a moment they seemed to get to me, glad I remained calm.

Can see now that everything will get sorted out, one by one, now my right ear is ok I feel more confident.

Today’s weather has not helped; it is cool, gray, overcast and raining, the weather forecast is for cooler autumn weather and rain   

A Pleasant Perspective.

The Workshop of Dedalus
1939, Masson Collection
Andre Masson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Masson
 

Yesterday late afternoon the chemist brought my mediwiet/medicinal cannabis which was a wonderful surprise.

It is good quality weed, a Haze which is excellent for relaxing my painful muscles; the weed gave me a great night’s sleep last night.

Brilliant that finally the effectiveness of cannabis is recognized for some diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and Cancer.

Shame not also for depression, as I am sure THC is better than opiates and their side effects, but who knows how things develop.

Yesterday Percy from Welzorg came by with a bigger handle for the joystick, sadly it was too big, Richie is working on a solution.

The good news is that next week Welzorg will pick up my wheelchair and take it to their local workshop to move the base of the w/chair to make it more stable.

If possible this would make going out less worrying, knowing that the wheelchair was safer and less likely to tip forward again.   

I got a call asking if I would be interested in a new adapted ground floor apartment with garden that was just being built.

This neighbourhood is lovely and if we had a garden it would be perfect here, so this call gave us both a boost, it’s a pleasant perspective.

A Good Afternoon.

 
Cycle Vanitas.
Eva Svankmajerova
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_%C5%A0vankmajerov%C3%A1

As Richie was about to sit me in the wheelchair, the phone rang, it was Marjolein van den Berg from Agis.

She enquired whether I had received a phone call from Quattron yet, when I said that had not happened, she promised she would ensure I got a call.

Forty minutes later Dennis Klein phoned me, he seemed puzzled why he was calling, I explained.

That it was because of the agreement they made with Agis, that they would phone me and let me know when I would get the support cushions.

He said they always make the appointments with the client’s occupational therapist, I said fine, but it would also be good to inform the client too.

Especially when this was agreed with Agis as it had been, on 9^th June, but sadly they decided to ignore this promise as well as me, the client.

I said that I hoped the appointment wouldn’t be cancelled again an hour before the appointment, Dennis assured me that he would be here with the cushions this Friday.

The appointment this afternoon with Annelies, my mobility aids advisor and Welzorg went well, they will do their paperwork and organise an appointment with Ruud.

My case manager Jacqueline came along which was useful, we discussed the arco, she said she would ask questions, before they left I gave Annelies the presents which she loved.

Appreciation For Welzorg's Help.

 
Joseph Gonzalez.

Thursday I had a nasty accident, fortunately I was not hurt, the wheelchair had tipped forward when we crossed the zebra crossing by the Hema.

Perhaps it happened because we crossed too fast, the junction is reasonably good, and the pavements at the crossing are nearly flat to the ground.

The wheelchair tipped forward, and had rolled over; fortunately I did not fall directly onto my head.

I rolled out of the wheelchair on my left shoulder and that had protected my head, plus my Amsterdam cap had protected my head.

Ten concerned people helped us, firstly someone who was a doctor checked that my neck was okay, and then Richie got alot of help to get me back in the wheelchair.

The only damage was to the metal support under the table which was badly bent during the fall.

Richie could get me home with much effort, we were so glad when we got indoors.

This means it is not possible for me to go outside with a working surface, which hangs beside the wheelchair, what a calamity, especially because it’s Whitsun here this weekend.

I hope that I can be helped tomorrow, so that I can go outside that would be fine.

Yesterday I had a good experience with Welzorg, when I phoned their emergency service.

First they proposed to come by on Tuesday, when I said then I can not go out for 4 days, I got an appointment between 12 and 17 the same day.

I was happy and a nice fitter called Michel came by at 13.15, he straightened out the bent support, I thanked him and I also rang the emergency number at Welzorg to thank them also.

The woman who I spoke to was astonished and very glad; she said that no one had ever thanked her in all the years which she worked at Welzorg.

I had made her day and weekend. 

She said she told her colleagues who were also glad, nice to make people happy by thanking them and showing that I appreciated their help.

The Good News Is I Am Fine.

Trois figures - Les voyeuses - 1949
Alfred Georges Regner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred-Georges_Regner

This morning the woman from Agis called and left a voicemail message that she had spoken to Quattron, there had apparently been a ‘ little’ misunderstanding.

This was now sorted; Quattron said they would call me today to make an appointment to deliver the support cushions, sadly they have not phoned.

I can’t believe that this ’ little ’ misunderstanding that has meant discomfort for me, and I am sure many others too.

There was no word of an apology, that I had to wait a month, for the support cushions that I urgently need.

But thanks to Richie and about 15 assorted cushions, pillows that he places around me, I have managed to somehow sit in bed.

I shall call Agis tomorrow and request a fuller explanation, than the brief voicemail message I received.

That I got a call is all thanks to letters of complaints about my not getting the support cushions, complaints are not something Agis would like receiving.

We went to the market this afternoon which was great fun, we stocked up on Greek treats, on the way home crossing the road abit too fast caused me to fall out of my wheelchair.

We have no idea how it happened, one minute I was sitting, the next I was sprawled in the middle of the road.

Ten helpful people helped us, some stopped the traffic, one was a doctor who checked I was ok, then they helped Richie get me back in the wheelchair.

We went home, the wheelchair table hanging next to the chair, the bar supporting the table, was the only casualty and will need fixing before I can go out again.

That is not good as it could take ages, its Whitsun weekend and my Welzorg contact person is on holiday until June 20, the good news is I am fine.

A Good Result This Time.

Welzorg finally visited yesterday, after promising me a quick appointment on 30 March, which did not materialise.

The delay was because of ordering the parts and then plan in the appointment into busy schedules

.

Shame that they did not communicate with me that would have been better than leaving me thinking I had been forgotten again.

I made it clear, that if the substitute joystick/controls did not allow the chair to recline that I would expect everything to be replaced.

Luckily I had sent e-mails about being unhappy, that they planned to take my wheelchair for 6 days.

They then said I could keep the wheelchair, but this would be useless without the controls, no way of turning it on.

Reclining is important to be seated properly, and tipping forward for me to use the Motomed, after many e-mails, Welzorg finally agreed to install an alternative control box.

This resulted in a good experience with Welzorg; they installed an alternative system that allows Richie, not me to operate the wheelchair.

It was a good result thanks to pushing for a better solution to the one Welzorg initially offered me, shame they could not have fitted the new joystick here too.  

Shame No Care From Welzorg.

Pedro Friedeberg.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Friedeberg

Today is a warm sunny day, Richie has just returned from doing the shopping for the weekend.

No news as yet about airco or joystick, I know MOZAAK informed me last Friday, that they needed 8 extra weeks to investigate my application.

I hope of course that they will be able to conclude their investigations, before the end of June, as I  need the airco now because of the warm weather.

Hopefully Welzorg will finally get in touch with me, and give me the ‘quick’ appointment they promised on 30 March.

No wonder they have lost their monopoly franchise to supply mobility aids to all cities and towns in the country.

Their name means good care, something that I have not experienced from them, since my first appointment in August 2006.

While I was a month in the Rehabilitation clinic in November 2006, I only heard complaints and saw many people struggling with inappropriate mobility aids.

From my first phone call and appointment with them, I was immediately treated with rudeness and a total lack of care or respect.

They never responded to my needs or seemed aware that I need swift action because of my MS, they consistently ignored that.