Spinal cord injury sufferers face difficulty adjusting, securing jobs

SUFFERERS of spinal cord injuries are finding it difficult to cope and become heavily dependent on their families and friends as only a few of them are able to secure jobs after being discharge from the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre (SJGRC), a study has found.

The study was done by social worker Opal Minott and senior medical doctor at the SJGRC Dr Rory Dixon, and involved the analysis of the 104 patients who had been discharged from the centre since 2010. The research team looked at the health care, income level, nutrition, recreational activities, and the level of assistance received by these patients upon their release.

"What we have found is that some of them, even though they left the institution in fairly good health, when they go home, because of the challenges that they face, they come back in a very severe state and quite a few of them have died because of complications, secondary to social neglect or not being able to cope once they go out there," said Dr Minott, explaining that a number of the patients live in rural areas and find it difficult to journey to Kingston for follow-up treatment.

Findings of the study were presented during last Wednesday's SJGRC seventh annual symposium which was held under the theme 'The social impact of spinal cord injuries in Jamaica'. More than 90 per cent of patients seeking treatment at the centre suffer from spinal cord injuries, primarily from gunshot wounds and motor vehicle accidents.

Dr Dixon said although the free health care system exists, it is of little benefit to those who suffer from spinal cord injuries.

"What people don't know until they are actually in the situation is that most of the appliances, devices and assistance that you'll need are not covered under free health care. So let's say somebody who had a motor vehicle accident has a spinal cord injury and is paralysed from the waist down, one of the first things they are going to need is a wheelchair and a wheelchair costs anywhere between $15,000 to $20,000 depending on the specification. If the injury is much higher up, then they'll need a motorised chair which starts anywhere from US$2,000; and that's just for mobility," he explained.

Meanwhile, Chairman for the South East Regional Health Authority, Lyttleton 'Tanny' Shirley lamented the fact that many of the patients were gunshot victims who were now finding it challenging to cope in the general society.

"People with spinal cord injury are mostly dependent on others for assistance to complete many routine tasks associated with daily living, such as... bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, dieting, community access, and recreational activities. Such persons, where possible, desire to become gainfully employed," he said.

The study show that of the 104 patients, 77 were alive, 16 had died, and 11 could not be located. Of those participants who were found, only eight of them were earning an income. Recreational activities, which are crucial for rehabilitation, were kept at a minimal, as these were seen as secondary to visiting the doctor, for example.

"It is my hope that the findings of this critical survey will be used for the betterment of the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury," said Shirley.

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Spinal cord injury sufferers face difficulty adjusting, securing jobs