Client-Centred Rehabilitation - Arthritis Community Research ...

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had been involved in goal setting and
decision-making.
“Because they have a consultation,
there is a long waiting list, but they
have a consultation with you, and
your family members and then they
have goal-setting. Then they even
upgrade that. Then at the end of
your time with them, then they
review the time with them, then they
review the goals and see what was
accomplished and hopefully
everything has been.” ABI #2
Another member of the ABI focus group
shared the same sentiment:
“I have been a client and still am a
client of (rehab2) and I have been a
client of M’s for a couple years. K
as well. They have been fantastic as
team, as a family support.”
Although participants acknowledged and
valued the support they received from their
families, many struggled with becoming
dependent on their family members for
assistance, particularly with day-to-day
activities. For example, one person
mentions how he had lost his ability to drive
and how he had to rely on his wife to drive
him around the community:
“I’m not driving these days. If I
need to go anywhere she needs to
drive me. It’s like she is sitting
downstairs for 2 hours this morning I
hate to impose that on her. So
yeah…I’m kind of mad and why did
this happen…” ARTH #4
Clients encountered difficulty in seeking
assistance from their family members. For
example, one participant described
struggling to obtain help from her daughter
who was busy with her own life:
“Now my daughter she’s at home but
she’s working and so it was a dog
and pony show to get everything
kinda organized you know by the
stand so I could reach it. No one
ever…you know I think the
upside…the other side of it was that
I just…I knew I could ask for it but I
couldn’t be bothered. There was too
much to cope with…with getting
through the day and getting myself
organized to bother hassling…If I
have to hassle to get this for two
hours twice a week its not worth it.”
PTPART #1
The process of clients receiving assistance
from family members was also complicated
by the idea of being a burden to their family.
The majority of COPD clients remarked on
how they did not like being a burden on
their family members. One client stated his
difficulty with being dependent on his son
for help with household activities:
“Yeah, but if you had a son with his
own business; and listen I need you.
How are you going to leave
everything? It’s very tough.” COPD
#2
In some situations, the support extended to
family actually supplementing the care they
received in an institutional setting,
particularly acute care.
“Going into hospitals today if you
have family member or somebody
come in and you know help out or
you just don’t get the help. The scary
thing, the frightening thing for me to
go for a stay in the hospital. Nobody
looks forward to it but if you didn’t