September is Continuing Care Month in Nova Scotia. We’ll be profiling Red Crossers in recognition of all the great work they do in caring for people outside of a hospital setting.
Paul MacKinnon is proud of his work building and repairing wheelchairs
Red Cross staff member Paul MacKinnon takes great pride in his work. He tells me there aren't any schools where one can learn how to build wheelchairs. It’s a very detail-oriented job that requires a lot of problem-solving skills, patience and creativity. Every wheelchair Paul and the other technicians work on is custom-built to meet the needs of the person who will use it, from the height, width, type of wheels, seat and so on, as determined by an occupational therapist who assess each person individually.
Paul’s been at it for more than a decade. He learned the trade while employed at a medical equipment supplier before joining the Canadian Red Cross 8 years ago. That’s when this program which is funded by the provincial government was first launched in Nova Scotia in an effort to reduce healthcare cost in nursing homes. Instead of constantly buying new wheelchairs that eventually end up in yard sales or worst, in landfills, once they were no longer in use, they are now taken apart, cleaned, repaired and reused.
In the Red Cross workshop, there are thousands of pieces used to build custom wheelchairs.
In the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Red Cross workshop, Paul works amid thousands of wheelchairs parts, the bits and pieces he needs to build the manual or electric chair that literally change the life of someone with limited mobility. Paul is proud of the quality workmanship he is able to provide for residents of nursing homes, resulting in shiny chairs that are in perfect working order.
What makes him most proud? Paul recalls the story of a man, only in his 50s, who received a chair and made use of it for only a few months before passing away. Paul was surprised to see the wheelchair returned so quickly but was touched to hear that those few months had been the happiest in a long time for the man who was finally able to enjoy going outdoors in his custom wheelchair.
