People adjusting to life with a spinal cord injury often focus on their medical and practical challenges. They may have a variety of symptoms that they struggle to adjust to and also functional limitations that affect their day-to-day lives.
Many people require mental health support in addition to physical rehabilitation services as they heal and acclimate to life with a spinal cord injury. They may also need help seeking economic justice, as a spinal cord injury tends to cause significant financial strain. After all, the three economic concerns briefly outlined below can combine to drastically change an individual’s standard of living after they sustain a spinal cord injury.
1. Massive medical expenses
People with spinal cord injuries generally need intensive trauma care immediately after they get hurt. They then require rehabilitation support. Beyond that, they can anticipate a lifetime of increased medical expenses. The first year after a spinal cord injury often generates hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in immediate medical expenses. Even the least severe spinal cord injuries tend to generate increased annual medical costs of tens of thousands of dollars per year for the rest of an individual’s life.
2. Accommodation expenses
People acclimating to life with functional limitations often require mobility assistance devices. Complete spinal cord injuries generally lead to people using wheelchairs to perform daily tasks.
Individuals who use wheelchairs may have to modify their homes to make them accessible, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. They may also need to obtain wheelchair-accessible vehicles or retrofit an existing vehicle. The cost of modifying vehicles and living spaces to make them wheelchair accessible can go well beyond what people expect.
3. Reduced earning potential
There are many ways in which a spinal cord injury can impact earning potential. People who perform physically demanding job tasks may have to move to different jobs due to their functional limitations. An extended absence while healing and then repeated absences for medical care can impact advancement opportunities by affecting a worker’s attendance. The total financial impact of a spinal cord injury often far exceeds basic insurance coverage.
People adapting to life after a car crash that causes a spinal cord injury often need to explore different options for compensation to cover their losses. With appropriate guidance, people may be able to pursue personal injury lawsuits or negotiate with insurance providers to maximize their financial recovery after a spinal cord injury.
