My recently disabled sister is getting discharged from the hospital soon and we're lost.

[Andoor]

I'm sorry if this isn't the place to post about this topic, but I don't know where else I could.

So, in August my sister (who is currently 15) had a diving accident which unfortunately left her paralyzed. She was at a friend's house, they were having fun at the backyard pool there and at one point she decided to dive headfirst into it. Her head hit the bottom and she broke her neck at C3 level, leaving her quadriplegic and ventilator dependant.

She's been in the hospital since the accident and is supposed to be let out and come home in November. Me and my family really aren't prepared for everything all that well. We want her to be comfortable and have time to process everything still and get used to the changes. We've tried talking about how to move forward with anyone we could and some people suggested we should do therapy, some said we shouldn't even think about therapy because that's just gonna stress her out more, some people told us to leave her alone for some time... it's all really confusing honestly and we don't know who to trust and don't want to be too pushy. We've also been looking into ways how to she can at least keep herself entertained independently like maybe getting some things so she can use a phone or maybe her laptop but we don't even know where to look and what's actually worth anything.

As I literally have no idea what direction to even look at, I thought it would maybe be a good idea to ask for advice here on as I saw some threads about similar things, so I made an account here. If anyone personally dealt with a similar situation or had someone close to them go through this, please give any advice you can. I'd really appreciate anything at this point.

You saw some threads on Mumsnet about looking after a quadriplegic person? And thought this would be a better place to seek advice from than a specialist charity or her medical team? Really?

OP- I would hope the hospital will be contacting your family and a plan put into action, involving different specialists physio, OT, etc This will take some time . In the mean you could research where additional help may be available through charities. Hopefully some one who has been in a similar situation on here can advise you.

I don't know where you are in the UK but this organisation works with young people and their families with serious spinal injuries https://matthampsonfoundation.org/.

If your family feels like they aren’t ready for this discharge, speak up. Ask for a meeting with the hospital social worker. You want someone to explain how the first week, first month, and first 90 days are going to work.

This isn’t about causing stress to your sister. You are showing that you are her advocate and you want to be confident with her care plan.

There should be a plan for equipment, physical therapy, and OT. You just need to see it all organized.

A local family are blogging about a very similar incident that happened to them. Search for David's Determination on Facebook. Hopefully there will be some links and tips that you can use. I hope that your local area has lots of support once you know what to ask for.

It sounds like you might be in the US considering terms like backyard and the fact a pool at someone's house was involved? If so, it will be difficult for people to advise since the systems are incredibly different here

?? I’m in Aus and these are our terms and could apply, however I’ve worked in the system for decades and there is no way anyone in this situation here would be discharged without a comprehensive plan and support and this would all be government funded. If the US, I don’t know how it works as I’m not familiar with their medical support systems.

I did say might.

My main point is that I don't think OP is in the UK.

If you are in the UK ? You will be entitled to trained carers around the clock to manage the vent. There will need to be 2 trained carers at all times. One or both can be trained family members but it is likely you will need a team.of carers through continuing care funding so it is not just a case of discharging her . It will be a v structured training programme and plan to facilitate the move .

When my Dad fell off his motorbike and broke his neck (c2-c3), we had he had a lot of help from the Spinal Injuries Association (https://www.spinal.co.uk/)

Will people give it a rest about OP's use of "backyard".

Backyard is in common use where I'm originally from in the NW of England and I'm pretty sure elsewhere if people in fact, have a yard at the back.

Are “backyard pools” common in your area of NW england though?

from context, phrasing, and the fact they have a backyard pools, would suggest the poster is not in the UK.

if they aren’t, then the advice we would give is going to be completely incorrect.

the location is key to give the information o/p is asking for. Especially if she’s in the US where the treatment may be dependent on insurance, or lack of, as much as clinical need.

With a pool in it?

I’m so sorry to hear this. Had the hospital not sign posted you to appropriate services/ charities?

the child train injury trust might be able to offer support.

this is a back yard in the NW https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-back-yard-on-the-set-of-coronation-street-a-long-running-soap-opera-90814197.html

Yes, it is a yard at the back of a house, a backyard for sure, there's no pool in there though is there? Being in the UK I would describe a yard as a small concrete/paved area, they do exist.

Americans (and others) often say backyard in the same way we would say back garden.. if they have a pool out back "she dived in head first".. they are very obviously not talking about a 'yard' like in your picture, it's not even deductive reasoning at this point, it's common sense.

Exactly. I don't think that's the kind of backyard OP is talking about. And of course the advice will be different if it's not the UK.

If it was a NW kind of backyard then it must have been a paddling pool…

Is OP not coming back?

She might have assumed this was an American site so possibly not.

I am sorry to hear your story. Please contact ASPIRE, a charity for people with spinal cord injury. They will be able to give you all the help and advice you need.
https://www.aspire.org.uk/

Another post when the OP never returns