Due to Aiya’s size and muscle tone we have struggled to find a high chair appropriate for feeding through the usual retail means. After some debate with the local authority’s Occupational Therapy service, we were able to ensure that Aiya received a specialist chair for her needs.
I won’t stand on my soap box for too long but I cannot fail to mention the postcode lottery prevalent in the UK. Whilst privileged to benefit from the National Health Service for her medical needs, we have found on occasion that discussion for local authority assistance for specific equipment is heavily influenced by the availability of funding rather than the actual need of the individual.
As a result of where we live, Aiya’s care is given by 2 different boroughs. The borough that provides her physiotherapy and speech and language care seem to have a much more flexible budget and are able to provide equipment in the home to help Aiya stand and walk in the future, all being well. This assistance has appeared without any conversation about funding, the only delay has been getting the suppliers to provide the correctly proportioned equipment.
The high chair funding is provided by another borough and I have had to persist with several conversations about availability of funding, standing firm long enough to convince this local authority that Aiya must have a high chair that supports her. Don’t get me wrong, I get an amazing service on all other fronts from this borough but it frustrates me that I had to fight for an essential piece of equipment. What if I had accepted their initial views? Would I have been turned away and had to wait until my daughter had the muscle tone to sit in a standard chair? My frustration lays with the government who keep making cuts that affect the most vulnerable people in this country, not with the individuals who provide the service… I’m going to get off my soap box now, rant over.
On a positive note the high chair arrived last week (after 6 months of discussions) and she loves it! She enjoys being sat upright and being able to make a mess with her food! The high chair has given her independence, she can grab her beaker when she wants a drink and pick up finger foods. The high chair will enable us to move forward to the next stage of weaning, as right now she’s just eating pureed food. She can now be given finger food to play and experiment with whilst she’s eating, which will hopefully move her on to eating more textured food, the next step in her feeding development.
Project Aiya 