Haven't read this thread apart from the OP. Have some experience of being stuck in a wheelchair; due to an accident. I was bed bound for a while, now in that (hopefully) transitional phase between wheelchair bound and some limited walking. I can tell you Thailand is not a wheelchair friendly country. I survived the last couple of, somewhat traumatic, years, on a modest income, cos I had a lot of help from my SO. She can drive and we have a pickup, our current house is single story with lots of wheelchair space. It's all about having a supportive environment. If I was single with lots of money, and permanently wheelchair bound, I'd be thinking about one of those up market fancy care homes. 

On 11/4/2023 at 9:28 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe you had to get used to a wheelchair

 

Wheelchairs can be LOTS of fun...

 

It all boils down to one's willingness to enjoy the wheelchair.

 

I lived in a wheelchair for 9 months....and....those...were...

The VERY best years of my life.

 

The only problem with being in a wheelchair, as far as I can recall, was....

The curbing on Thailand's pavements....

 

What I mean is that most of the curbing is so HIGH that it is not so easy to tool around in a wheelchair....

 

I have PLENTY of stories to tell about life in a wheelchair in BOTH Taiwan and Thailand....

 

This would make a WONDERFUL Topic, I think....

 

However, at the moment, I seem to have less inclination to start new Topics, since moving to Kyoto.

 

I really think that our society here should exert more effort to make wheelchair life MUCH more pleasurable for those in wheelchairs.

 

I could write TONS of text about my experiences being in a wheelchair in Thailand....

 

For one thing, MOST people just are almost completely unable to truly empathize with those who live in wheelchairs, as if they even tried.....

 

So many times, I needed to wait outside a restaurant...trying to get the attention of the staff...just to come outside to take my order, while waiting on the road.

 

Also, when one is in a wheelchair, it's not possible to reach things on the upper shelves in the house.  Those things just remain out of reach.

 

STILL, as I already stated, these things are but minor inconveniences....

 

Importantly, the MIND quickly adjusts....

And, one quickly returns to one's own "happiness" SET POINT...and...therefore....

Just being in a wheelchair does not, in fact, much affect one's own personal perception of HAPPINESS in Life.

 

I know a LOT about this topic.

 

Maybe I could become sort of an....AMBASSADOR for the wheelchair-bound, now that I am finally walking upright, again...

 

I think that most guys in wheelchairs will agree with what I have just stated....

 

In REAL TERMS, wheelchair life only MINIMALLY affects perception of "happiness" and pleasure,....

Whatever that might be....

 

IF you want to know more about this subject, just ask, and I will try to post a Topic about it, ASAP, when I have the time.....