Occupational Therapy Team deliver specialist equipment to help local family

The Council’s Occupational Therapy Team work with residents of all ages in the borough when physical and mental illness, disability, a long-term condition, or the effects of ageing prevent them from doing the activities they need or want to do.

Grace, who is 18 months old, lives with her family in Chester and is one of the team’s youngest clients. She was born very prematurely and requires 20 hours of nursing care a day due to a number of medical issues. Grace had spent the first year of her life in hospital where she lay flat for most of the time.

A member of the Occupational Therapy team visited the family just before the covid-19 restrictions were put in place to assess what support was needed to help both Grace and her family. Working with the Paediatric Physio team at the Countess of Chester Hospital, suitable seating was found for Grace that would allow her to sit in an upright supported position for feeding and playing. A floor seat was delivered to the family in March, followed by a specialist high chair that was delivered in April. Both of these seats help Grace’s posture and enable her to see and interact with the world. This has been a huge change for Grace, and she has responded brilliantly.

Grace’s mum Samantha said: “We were really thankful that Grace’s new chairs were delivered directly to us, even during the current lockdown restrictions. With the help of her carers we were able to get her set up in them straight away and she absolutely loves them. It’s made a real difference to her life. One of the things she can now do is sit by the front doorstep and watch the world go by, which she loves doing.”