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New venue for
Parkinson's course proves a success
WALLASEY based charity,
Stick'n' Step, has recently relocated its service for people with
Parkinson's from its centre on Croxteth Avenue to the Belvidere
Centre on Belvidere Road. The community partnership with the
Belvidere Centre enables Stick'n' Step to offer its services to
more people and during the daytime.
This news comes as the charity also celebrates personal success
stories for those who have been attending since the course launched
last year. Commented Manojit, a participant of the course:- "I
have been attending conductive therapy at Stick'n' Step for a while
now. The treatment I have received by Sam has been excellent and my
condition has greatly improved, due to her attention to details and
knowledge. Not only is she an excellent therapist but she is also a
good teacher, who has a comprehensive knowledge of Parkinson's
disease. Sam and all of the staff at the centre have been so very
kind and helpful throughout. My wife has noticed a significant
improvement in my condition and speech since I started. I am now
determined to make a full recovery from this extremely disabling
condition."
The charity typically provides conductive education to aid the
development of children with cerebral palsy. However last year it
launched this new initiative, which aims to transfer its specialist
expertise to be utilised specifically for those with Parkinson's.
Conductive education centres elsewhere in the UK have already run
similar courses and have proven that it not only works, but is a
really successful aid in teaching new ways of coping with the
disease. Techniques such as improving fine motor skills (i.e.
clasping a drinks cup), muscle control and speech development are
all addressed by conductive education.
Commented Sam Tebb, Parkinson's conductor:- "Launching the
course for those with Parkinson's was a huge step for us, but
something that made complete sense. The symptoms of Parkinson's are
very similar to cerebral palsy and so expanding the reach of those
who benefit from our service was a natural progression for us. I am
really enjoying the different challenges faced by working with
adults and so far the group are responding well to the coping
techniques they have learnt."
There are still opportunities available to join this group, which is
a friendly and welcoming community of people in similar situations.
Stick'n' Step is a not-for-profit charity that provides a quality
support service for its local community. Members of the community
are urged to share the news of this service with any friends or
family that they feel may be interested.
For more information about the Parkinson's service, contact Stick'n' Step on:- 0151 638 0888 or visit the
Centre a:- 3 Croxteth Avenue,
Wallasey, Wirral CH44 5UL, for an informal chat. |
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Cancer patients'forced out of work'
CANCER PATIENTS are being
forced into unemployment due to the after-effects of surgery and
higher levels of depression. Research into head and neck
cancer patients discovered the rate of those employed fell by more
than 40% 5 years after diagnosis, where only one in three managed to
secure work. They also reported unemployed cancer survivors had
lower social well-being and higher depression scores.
For those cancer sufferers out of work prior to diagnosis, their
reasons for not returning to work also included the knock-on effect
of surgery as well as dangerous levels of alcohol consumption.
Figures from Cancer Research UK reveal more than 331,000 people were
diagnosed with cancer in 2011; around 910 every day. According to
mouth cancer campaigners, the problems are exacerbated for mouth
cancer patients.
Previous research identified mouth cancer survivors face a
diminished quality of life. Survivors reported poor oral function,
resulting in persistent eating problems and long term depression.
51.6% of respondents reported problems with eating, while on average
25% of survivors who lived for 5 or more years still experienced
speech problems.
It was a similar story when it came to a patient's physical and
mental health, with 36.7% and 39.3% respectively recording low
functionality after the 5 year analysis.
According to Chief Executive of the British Dental Health
Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, the study highlights the problems
mouth cancer sufferers face on a daily basis. "The results of
the study show the scale of the problems cancer patients have to
live with. For mouth cancer patients, the corrective surgery
required to remove cancerous cells often leaves physical and
emotional scars that can take years to heal.
While all cancer patients require a great deal of care, those
recovering from mouth cancer clearly suffer from the after-effects
of surgery, both physically and mentally. It can take a prolonged
period of time to eat solid foods, learn to speak again, swallow
without feeling discomfort and even breathe properly. In some cases,
mouth cancer patients will experience these for the rest of their
lives.
That is why early detection of this disease is so important. Most
people with mouth cancer present late as Stage 4; the most advanced
stage where time is of the essence in potentially saving a life and
reducing the need for invasive surgery.
Warning signs for the disease include ulcers that do not heal within
3 weeks, red and white patches in the mouth and unusual lumps or
swellings. If you spot any of these, or are unsure if it's something
normal or otherwise, our advice is crystal clear; if in doubt, get
checked out."
The research identified 55 head and neck cancer patients under the
age of 60 who had survived more than 2 years. Each patient completed
a survey including subscales from the Functional Assessment of
Cancer Therapy (FACT) instrument, the Miller Behavioural Style
Scale, the General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, the Patient Health
Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Hornheider Fragebogen-short version
measuring need for psychological interventions.
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