IRISH CHILDREN ARE using wheelchairs that are too small for them, resulting in boys and girls being ‘squashed’, something that could have major consequences on their development.

That is the worrying finding of new research published by the University of Limerick today.

The study’s leader, Dr Rosie Gowran, says using incorrectly-sized wheelchairs can impact children’s limbs and put them at risk of chest infections and pressure ulcers.

Long waiting times often mean growing children are left in the same chairs for too long.

“The focus of this research was wheelchair and seating provision in the Republic of Ireland, which has developed and grown rapidly over the past twenty years, seeing an increase in localised, more accessible specialist services and the availability of advanced technology,” explained Dr Gowran.

“However, even with these positive developments, current wheelchair provision, as with many other countries, lacked uniformity and could not be regarded as sustainable.

A wheelchair becomes a person’s legs, it becomes part of their skin, and it is a person’s freedom.  A wheelchair, if you need one, is essential for survival and it should be seen as a priority.

“As one participant said when the wheelchair breaks down it is like cutting their two legs off. The current system or lack thereof in Ireland needs to be addressed urgently by Government,” she added.

Currently, about 40,000 people use wheelchairs and seating assistive technology in Ireland.

The HRB-funded study – completed in partnership with SeatTech, Enable Ireland as the host organisation and the University of Limerick – highlighted some major issues with wheelchair provision, including:

• The length of waiting times also impacts people with progressive conditions.
• Breakdown and repair services can be ad hoc and inadequate.
• Refurbishment, reissue and recycling services are not yet regulated appropriately.

According to the researchers, this is a human rights issue.

“This research has highlighted that the importance of wheelchair provision is misunderstood and    there are four key processes which need to be addressed nationally, these include access to services, assessment and delivery, tracking, tracing and taking care of equipment and education and research,” continued Dr Gowran.

“I call on the Irish Government to bring these issues onto the programme for government and sanction a national review of wheelchair services as a matter public priority, equating the importance of appropriate and regulated provision to the prescription of pharmaceutical drugs.

As one research participant told me, you wouldn’t let someone do heart surgery on you if they hadn’t been to college, why should I let someone fix my wheelchair if they don’t know what they are doing?

“While the impact of inadequate and unregulated infrastructure may not be immediately apparent, the side effects may have long-term and or lethal consequences.”