Damian Plant’s Weblog

Does an able bodied person stop and think for one minute about their normal routine that they go about on a daily basis? I’m not talking about work or social aspects, but things like going to the wc, getting out of bed and having a bath. How would some people manage if they suddenly found themselves having to rely on people and machinery?

I have a daily routine that involves using a body sling and overhead tracker hoist to get me out of bed in the morning. To get me into and out of my bath. On and off my wc. Into and out of my wheelchairs and back to bed in the evening.

Last Sunday evening, when I was about to be hoisted from my chair to my bath, via my bed, one of the little things that I take for granted decided to become a big problem. My hoist had broken down! All normality ceased at that point in time! I then required 2 carers to do the work of 1, people had to do extra hours, support had to be shuffled around and my life lacked the status quo that I enjoy just because 1 small relay on a circuit board decided to burn out. Anyway, it was fixed on Tuesday and now normality reigns supreme.

So, I suppose that the little black relay on the circuit board was just one of the little things in life that I take for granted and we never know how much we rely on these small, insignificant objects until they break down.