Power chair's role in the Involuntary Discharge Notice

Management thinks me using a power chair is a danger to other residents. Management feels I tried to hurt other residents with my power chair. On July 11, the day I was hot and frustrated, I did not know where to go. Eula warned me if I went in any direction I would be in trouble. So, I started turning in circles thinking I was not threatening that way. Then, the chair swung a bit wide and my backpack hit an old payphone and my controller got broken.

The chart notes say that I tried to hit the nurse practitioner. It also says I swore and cursed and said I wanted to kill staff. The whole thing did not last long. I don't think I was going that fast. The chair must have veered to the right for me to have hit that old payphone.

This power chair has caused me a lot of frustration for over a year. If I looked at all the emails and notes I wrote about it, I would be quite discouraged. But, we cannot make the power chair the villain. If I would try that, it would just mushroom.

In an effort to calm things, I am running my chair in speed 3. I was doing that up until the end of May when I switched to speed 4 because it gets me where I want to go with less effort. But I could be going a bit too fast for my own good.

This chair seems to swing wide when it takes a corner. It is center driven and that type of power chair backs up a little bit to turn. That might be why I feel like the backend of the chair is fishtailing when I turn.

I've gone to the slower speed today. It was easier to control the chair. It does not go as fast but it moves along.

I don't want to be perceived as a threat. I don't want residents and visitors here to be afraid that I will hit them.

I've also noticed that residents do seem to be piling up in the hallways a lot. They all look like they're looking for something. Maybe they're hoping someone will come.

In an effort to keep using my power chair and be safe, going down one speed is an easy thing to try.