NEWS
Getting to the ‘crutch’ of the matter
You could be mistaken for thinking we had an epidemic of broken bones on the Fusehill Street campus, but these students were simply trying out the crutches for size!
The 16 first-year MSc Physiotherapy students spent the day using the crutches and a wheelchair around the campus to help them understand how it feels for their patients to use them.
And it wasn’t easy for the students to adjust, Amin Ahmed, 24, said: “I’ve really struggled with the stairs today. We have lifts but I took the stairs so that I could get a feel for how hard it is when you don’t have that option. We have only been on the crutches an hour so far and my hands really hurt.”
Susan Pollock, 36, said: “I was actually on crutches last year so I know how hard it is. The stairs are too narrow
for people to pass you and doors are difficult to open. It’s not the most comfortable experience.”
Temporary wheelchair user Alan O’Keeffe was assisted by Tina O’Brien, 26, who commented that disabled people must find it frustrating. She said: “People keep parking in front of the ramps and Alan is relying on other people a lot to help out, reach things and open doors for him. You don’t realise what its like until you are forced into that situation.”
Senior lecturer Caroline Smith said: “It’s important that the students can give relevant advice to patients so they
need to understand how it feels to use crutches or a wheelchair over a period of time and how this restricts people in their day to day activities.
“ It’s a fun exercise for the students but also a very serious one and it gives them a real understanding of the physical and mental struggle their patients are going through.”
Above: Physiotherapy students try out mobility aids.
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