| Hello Thomas Welcome to this week's Independent Living newsletter. If you prefer, you can read it online, by clicking this link Contents: 1. Welfare Reform and the UN 2. Occupational Therapy Show 3. Hidden Care Needs 4. Dietary Guidelines Part Two 5. Latest Showcase Page Updates 6. Sailability; Sidhil; Coming up... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 1. Welfare Reform and the UN One can't help feeling that a society has, to some extent, "lost its way", when an organisation like the United Nations starts questioning the way in which it is functioning, and highlights abuses of the human rights of certain groups of citizens. Such is the case in Britain, where we have seen the UN rapporteur on the right to adequate housing voicing her concerns about the way in which the bedroom tax is affecting people who live in social housing and are judged to have a spare room. She is now joined by the rapporteur for disabilities, who will be visiting Britain on the 25th of this month, and will present a UN report to Parliament on the 26th. Many campaigners, notably the stalwarts behind the WOW Petition, have been complaining for more than a year now that the government's welfare reforms are having a disproportionate effect on people with disabilities and carers. Their voice is now joined by that of the United Nations. It would be good to think that someone may be listening. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 2. Occupational Therapy Show I know that there are many OTs amongst our newsletter readers and site visitors, so this is a reminder to any within travelling distance of the NEC Birmingham, that the annual Occupational Therapy Show is on from the 26th to 27th November, with a wide range of expert suppliers exhibiting, and a programme of useful CPD seminars. One cornerstone of practice for many OTs is the process of getting homes adapted to make them safe and accessible for the occupier. AKW, who design award-winning bathroom and kitchen solutions, are sponsoring Rachel Russell, an OT with 20 year's experience, to deliver a seminar titled "A Hitchhiker's Guide to Bathroom Adaptations", and to contribute her expertise, alongside other professionals from the AKW team, on their stand. You can book an appointment at their "surgery", by phoning 01905 560103. Some of the latest elements of AKW's accessible showering, bathing and kitchen ranges can be seen on their showcase page """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 3. Hidden Care Needs A new survey has highlighted a problem that should not really come as a surprise; one in six older people has hidden an illness or serious injury from their family, for fear of the consequences. Whether the motivation is to not cause alarm, or worry about losing independence, the outcome is that a significant group of people is putting their future well-being at risk. And if they are fearful of overreaction from family members, they are also often unaware that there are now technology-based support solutions that can help them continue to live independently in their own home, without risking their own health and the peace of mind of their nearest and dearest, to do so. Centra Pulse (formerly Invicta Telecare) which is the largest independent provider of telecare in the country, has launched an awareness campaign including a guide to help people talk with their parents about the sort of care and support they might need. Better to have the conversation before it becomes a crisis situation. You can download the guide here. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 4. Dietary Guidelines Part Two Last month, our resident nutrition guru Mary Farmer gave us the first instalment of her thought-provoking article about dietary guidelines, challenging our (perfectly reasonable) assumption that there is some sort of scientific rationale behind the advice doled out to us about healthy eating. This time, she is turning her attention to three more "usual suspects" of the food and drink variety, namely eggs, water and alcohol. How much is too much when it comes to our favourite tipple, and just where did the idea of eight glasses of water a day come from? As for eggs – from hero to zero and back again, all within a couple of decades... You can read her full article here """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 5. Latest Showcase Page Updates PivoTell made their name with the eponymous medication manager, a cleverly designed dispenser for people with complicated regimes of pills to take, and/or a tendency to forget about essential daily doses. The latest incarnation of the PivoTell is the Advance GSM, which backs up all the security and display features of the Advance with a module which sends a text message and email to designated contacts if the medication hasn't been dispensed at the appropriate time. In this way, family or friends can check on the user, and intervene before they reach the situation where medical professionals are required. Another neat solution in PivoTell's range is the Vibralite Mini watch, which includes a vibrating alarm, for those with a hearing impairment, or who appreciate discretion. It can be set to alarm up to 12 times a day. More details of the range are on the PivoTell showcase page An early pioneer of straightforward rental of mobility aids, Wheel Freedom has increased significantly the range of equipment they can provide, and now also offer powered mobility products in London and the south-east (their other products, including manual wheelchairs and knee scooters, are available throughout the UK). You can see their range and details of how the next-day delivery service works, on their updated showcase page """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 6. Sailability; Sidhil; Coming up... You may not think of sailing as a leisure activity available in central London, particularly if you are a wheelchair user, but Sailability's accessible AHOY Sailing Centre in Deptford has a range of boats that can be accessed in a chair, now including the unique 40 foot Freedom power catamaran. Commissioned specifically for the charity, the Freedom has pioneering technology that allows a disabled crew to steer and skipper, including joystick control for people with limited upper body movement/strength. AHOY is offering The London Maritime Experience at a subsidised cost of £10 per person for disabled individuals who would like to spend the day on the Thames in the Freedom catamaran. You can contact AHOY by phone on (020) 8691 7502 or email info@ahoy.org.uk. You can read more about Greenwich Sailability and powerchair user Sarah Howard's experience as a volunteer at the charity, here Sidhil's brand-new Innov8 iQ care bed is proving popular with NHS trusts, as they upgrade existing bed stocks. Innov8 iQ has been designed to address the challenges of pressure care, infection control and manual handling, and Bedford Hospital NHS Trust has just ordered 130 of the beds. Sidhil has also received an export order for 52 beds to go out to a teaching hospital in Nigeria alongside other equipment, as part of a major refurbishment project. You can see more of their range on their showcase page And that's all for this time. Coming up next week, I hope to bring you my interview with Martyn Sibley of Disability Horizons, and a guest blog written specially for us by Kelly Gordon, whose peripatetic lifestyle is greatly helped by her Sirus Automotive WAV. Meanwhile, don't forget you can access all the news as soon as it is uploaded in our News Centre. Our Visitors Forum is the place to start a debate about any topic that interests you. Previous newsletters are archived here. Our Facebook page is regularly updated with the latest developments on the site, and is also somewhere that you can share your opinions with us. Or if you want to make it pithy, send us a tweet! @IndLiving Until next time, all good wishes, Frances -- Frances Leckie Editor E: editor@independentliving.co.uk t: +44 (0) 208 133 0628 Skype: francesleckie w: http://www.independentliving.co.uk This newsletter was sent to thomaschambers@eircom.net. If you prefer not to receive future copies, just reply asking to be removed from the list, and it will be done! |
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