Eleven years ago, I was a year-two nursing student. At that period, I was keen on participating voluntary work. My friend was an occupational therapist. She invited me to help an elderly to visit a park in Diamond Hill. I brought him to have sightseeing with wheelchair. The weight of the elderly was heavy and the slopes in the park were steep. I moved the wheelchair slowly but an accident occurred. One of the front wheels of the wheelchair trapped into a drainage ditch. He fell on the floor. As I know, he did not hurt or did not have fracture. I saw his wife pat the limbs of the elderly. It would hurt him further if he really had fracture. Now, I feel ashamed because I posted the beautiful scenes of the park in Facebook at that night. I wonder why I didn't know this was a serious case as a year-two nursing student. If he had osteoporosis, the risk of bone fracture was even higher. A topic can also be debated. Is physical restraint necessary for the client using wheelchair? If a physical restraint is used, do we need to consider the feeling of the elderly. If a physical restraint is not used, the safety of the elderly in the wheelchair can be hindered.
