As a result of Alan’s weight challenges where at one time he weighed over 500 pounds (313 kilograms), there is a serious problem with him sliding out of his wheelchair and falling on the ground, rendering him lying face down on the floor and requiring the assistance of paramedics to restore him to his wheelchair or bed.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that Alan cannot be restrained in his wheelchair with a seatbelt or harness, because he would actually lift up the wheelchair tilting it forward and falling towards the floor. His wheelchair weighs just over 200 lbs and would be on top of him, pinning him to the ground as he would lie face down. Therefore, fastening him into his wheelchair would actually be very dangerous for him.
In fact Alan did slide out of his wheelchair and had to call for EMS paramedics to attend and lift him up off the floor and place him back in his wheelchair or his bed. This was only a short term solution, and he did have paramedics attend over TWENTY (20X) times in 2019 !
It would take at least 4 paramedics to lift him up and return him to the safety of his bed or wheelchair. Emergency paramedic services are not completely covered by OHIP with a service charge for every attendance.
However calling 911 means he had to have his cell phone nearby and when this was not always available, he would be at the mercy of his roommate Peter Stokes to call for emergency help. Interestingly, when Peter Stokes would call for Paramedics, albeit grudgingly because it disturbed his daily activities – he would callously step over Alan as he lay helplessly on the floor, and then he would pour himself a bowl of cereal and watch TV while Alan was rendered completely vulnerable and immobile.
Instead of comforting Alan with words of consolation, support and reassurance, he would be demeaning and insulting, mocking him and making crass jokes about Alan’s paralysis and loss of independence and autonomy.
Fortunately Alan was eventually moved out to a nursing home and was relocated to his first nursing home at Rosslyn Retirement Residence, where he would contract COVID-19, but where Alan once again…Survived!
Paramedics rescuing Alan after falling out of wheelchair