My father, Richard Potter, enlisted in the Air Force and trained as a machine gunner on B17’s during WWII. Photographs of the “Flying Fortress” grace the walls of his room in the Kansas Veterans’ Home in Winfield, Kansas where he has been living for the past 6 years.
For the first 2 years in the Veterans’ Home, my father used a power wheelchair for mobility and independence. But at the age of 82, with advances in his Parkinson’s and dementia, his power wheel chair was taken away for safety concerns. He was provided with a standard issue VA manual wheelchair with no tilt or recline. His posture in that chair was terrible … he was very slumped over and leaning to the side. Even his breathing was limited as a result of his poor posture. All he could do was stare at the floor. It was so disheartening to see him this way. I would have to kneel on the floor to see him eye-to-eye due to his hunched posture from Parkinson’s disease.
In a fortunate twist of fate, it was determined that my father was an ideal candidate for a Broda chair. And as a vested veteran, he qualified for the VA to fund the chair. He has now had a Broda chair for over 4 years!
Since he’s been in the Broda chair we can now sit beside him on visits and look at each other face-to-face. Being able to tilt back in the chair and look upward, he can enjoy watching John Wayne westerns in the VA lounge. He can even use the Broda chair when he travels by transport for dental appointments. He can stay in his chair for the bus ride and in the office, since the chair can be tilted enough for the dentist to work on his teeth.
In summary, the Broda chair has been a blessing for my father, his caregivers and my family. The Broda chair improves his quality of life and I can’t imagine him not being in it over the past few years. We are fortunate that the VA will fund Broda chairs for veterans like him who need them.