Caring for children who use wheelchairs: how do parents use their time?

Caring for a physically disabled child requires considerable resources. Additionally the role of caregiving creates a number of demands: need to modify the environment, purchase of lightweight wheelchairs not available through healthcare contracts; purchase of suitable family transportation. Caregiving has altruistic benefits contributing to the wellbeing of the child and giving the parent a sense of motivation and satisfaction. Over time this can become a burden, & has been suggested as being the route of physical, psychological, social and financial stress. This may be coupled with an erosion of precious family and leisure time, lack of external recognition and support, as well as contributing to the decline in the quality of life of the caregiver. In order that parent caregivers stay well themselves the significance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle between caregiving activities for their child who uses a wheelchair and completing other work and leisure occupations is now recognised as vital by both government and clinicians