Headway Natal

Headway Newsletter : April 2004

Editorial

The end of the financial year, so a new start, of sorts. We are really happy and grateful that many of you renewed your membership of Headway, and trust that it is a vote of confidence in us and all we are doing. I have said many times that Headway needs your support and your input so that it can truly be the organisation you want Your feedback is very important to us. Don't hesitate to tell us how good we are - ( a little bit of praise goes a long way), but it is even more importance for us to hear where we are not meeting your expectations. We feel that we are here to improve the quality of life of the attendees, families and carers. Tell us what you'd like us to do, and we will know in which areas we should be directing our energies. We can truly be YOUR organisation if you help us with your thoughts and ideas. Rose

Welcome
This month we'd like to welcome Cecil Northcote . We sincerely hope we can help you and that you'll find all the support which you need at the moment.

Condolences
We would like to extend our sincere sympathies to Doug Gelling on the death of his wife, Ethne, in April. Doug is one of our past chairmen who served Headway from 1997 to 1999. We send our love and prayers to Doug and his family.

"Rolling Inspiration"
I would like to quote the mission statement of this "new" publication. "Rolling Inspiration is committed to working with all players to improve the quality, style, satisfaction and enjoyment of the lives and activities of the mobility impaired and (by enhancing understanding of the challenges and solutions) to enlighten everyone who encounters mobility impairment anywhere." In fact, Rolling Inspiration is not exactly new since it was first launched in 2002, and this quarterly magazine published 5 editions before being forced to look for new publishers. Soweto Today (Pty) Ltd came to the rescue, and so now Rolling Inspiration is back on the shelves. It is a publication of QASA - Quadriplegic Association of South Africa - but as it says in the mission statement, it concerns "everyone who encounters mobility impairment anywhere," and I would highly recommend it since it is full of articles of interest across a wide range of subjects. At just under R20,00 , I would definitely say it is value for money.

Donations
It has been another successful month for us both in cash and kind. Our monetary donations totalled R3909, a large portion of which was included in the membership renewal. For these donations we'd like to thank the following:
Anonymous, A.D. Watts, Gary Coutts, Johan Schreuder, Simon McArthur, L. Buckle, Maxine Venter, Natasha Gahler, and Walter Pippan; Friendship Pledges were received from Dain van der Reyden and Shirley Warne; Ubuntu Community Chest gave us R1500 (which goes into our fund to sponsor clients who are having financial difficulties); and Woodhead Bigby & Irving - R279. Further donations (in kind) are mentioned in the news on our Wednesday Sewing Group, however I'd also like to mention the many other contributions: clothing - Irene Limbouris; books & magazines: inflatable physio ball - Bradley Radlof; refuse bags - Peter Smith; garden pots + "funny money" - Eileen Salmon; electric pancake maker - Darina Obertik; wooden pegs game - Debbie Fewster; miscellaneous goods - Shirley Burgess, Norman Hill, Jessica Perritt, & Mrs Andrews.

We thank you, one and all, for your ongoing generosity which is deeply appreciated.

Fund-raising
Fund-raising is the foundation of every charity, and it is important that Headway is seen to be doing everything it can to assist itself. We always try to put our talents to good use, and on the whole I feel that we do pretty well. Once again, we can't do without the support of the public, however it makes us feel good to be involved. An amount of R2365 was raised this month in the following ways:
Busking at the Westville Mall - R867; Raffles - R146; Shop Sales (including T-Shirt sales) - R809; Crafts - R20; Pot Plant sales - R50; Book sales - R60; sales of E pap - R16; collection tin (from the Purple Hippo) - R93 and sundries - R304. Our thanks, again, to all involved and well done to our guys for their hard work. Grateful thanks to Mavis Colley for all the preparation for our "busking"!!
(It was great fun - so much so that we're busking again on 11 May in the Westville Village Market.)

The Wednesday Sewing Group
Our Sewing Group continues to flourish not only in continuing to produce beautiful work - a stunning new quilt is almost finished - but we have been most fortunate to receive many donations of materials, wools, patterns -(Larry Crookes, Mrs Andrews, Jessica Perritt,) plus a lovely sewing machine - from Johan Schreuder. It is sad that some of our donations come because of a bereavement, but we sincerely hope that there is also comfort in the knowledge that the donations are deeply appreciated and are used to provide pleasure and self-worth to many people. Our tireless volunteer, Rose Patterson, has recently come through a series of hospitalisations plus an operation, and is now well on the road to fitness and health once again. We have missed her smiling face and enthusiasm a great deal, and look forward to her return in the near future. We are really grateful to Ria Hoekstra and to Zipho for bringing their talents to the group.

Au revoir
Sadly, we have said farewell to Kerry Westbrooke who has left us to take up a teaching position. Kerry has made a huge impact on all the people at Headway with her infectious enthusiasm and considerable empathy. She will be greatly missed, and we say "Au revoir" - (to emphasise "till the next time we see each other") - in the sincere hopes that she will find time to visit us and remain part of the Headway Family. We wish Kerry every success and happiness in her new post.

Welcome on board
With Kerry's departure, we now welcome Ryan Fewster as a facilitator. We hope to make good use of the many talents he has to offer. We hope you'll be very happy at Headway, Ryan.

Occupational Therapy Update (from our O.T. Debbie Fewster)
"April has been a daunting, but exciting time of change. Kerry, our faithful and much-loved facilitator has left. From all in the O.T. Department: "We will miss you, Kerry - don't be a stranger". The O.T. Dept. also would like to welcome Ryan, and it is very exciting to see the new ideas and enthusiasm he has to offer. We had fun making Easter Bonnets for our Easter Service on 8 April, and the end products were inventive - and a few quite humorous. Our Cooking Group made hot-cross buns very successfully - not an easy task - and these were enjoyed at our Easter Service. Darryl & Sam Thornton and his 2 children held our service, which was a mix of worship, singing, fun and entertainment. It really was a lovely morning, and our thanks go to Darryl and family for sharing their time and their talents.

On 16 April, we visited the Suncoast Casino where we enjoyed lunch at the Wimpy which overlooks the sea. We enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. We had another of our Cultural Days on 23 April. It was an International Day, incorporating South African, Scottish and Indian cultures. Zipho, Noma and Walter entertained us with a cultural skit on traditional Zulu beer, called mcomboti. We're considering making it a tourist attraction!! Joy's cousin, Jean, from near Edinburgh in Scotland, spoke about her sport, curling, and other aspects of the Scottish lifestyle. Many thanks to Jean. For an Indian flair, Roshnee, Rajiv Shah's mom, demonstrated how to make rotis. She made it look so easy! Many thanks to Rosh. Our Cooking Group made steam bread, breyani, oatcakes and potato scones for lunch to round off our International Day. We needed some supervision from our resident expert on oatcakes and potato scones! Thanks, Rose McArthur. Our crafts are picking up momentum again with beadwork, painting pot plant holders and making Mothers' Day cards. Graham Oldfield, a volunteer student, introduced the game of basketball to the guys, with emphasis on the rules and method of playing.

Graham then took the guys through a routine of ball skills. We'd like to thank Graham for all his help at Headway and hope he will visit again. Talking about sport, the first Monday of every month is Tenpin Bowling Monday at the Pavilion! Please join us if you want to see the benefits of this sport. All are welcome. In Survivor 2004, we recapped on the importance of using a diary, how to use an ATM safely, and appropriate social skills. Stay posted for the announcement of our first "Survivor of 2004". We are all survivors in our own right, but this person is someone who has especially applied themselves to improving their particular survival skills, so anyone can qualify. Our new programme for May and June is available at the reception.

Friday morning speakers
Unfortunately we had to postpone our speaker, Ianthe Exall, from the South African Blood Transfusion Service due to the clashing of dates with our Magic May Lunch. However she has kindly agreed to come and speak on Friday 21st May, and will be talking on a vast range of facts about blood, blood typing, and the life-saving & life-giving details about our blood. On Friday 4 June, our guest speaker will be Patti Hunt who will be talking about Ozone Therapy (Oxygen). Did you know that oxygen is of the utmost importance for brain functioning? Oxygen improves blood circulation, and is the world's most powerful natural disinfectant. Are you aware that ozone is supercharged oxygen and therefore an excellent therapeutic treatment for most medical conditions including brain trauma, stroke, hyper / hypo tension, diabetes, cancer, asthma and viral infections - to mention just a few? Patti will be explaining Ozone Therapy, and its history; she'll be showing us the equipment which is used and will be very happy to answer all our questions. Everyone is welcome to attend.

(If anyone would like to do their own research, you can log on to www.geocities.com or you can phone Patti on 072 725 1302)

"Boxing - what is the price?
(I have taken this article from a BIA New Zealand newsletter; they quoted from "Mild Head Injury - A guide to Management" - Wrightson & Gronwall)

In boxing, head punches play an important part in winning, as they affect the opponent's performance more surely than blows to the body. A direct punch to the head can damage the brain but its effect can be reduced by wearing a helmet. More damage is caused by a blow to the jaw which rotates the head suddenly and shears the soft brain inside. This is the sort of blow which can finish a fight. If blows to the head can produce an effect which is obvious to the onlooker, can they cause lasting damage? There is no doubt that many professional boxers have developed dementia or symptoms of Parkinson's disease. In the earlier parts of the last century, professional boxers would fight 200 contests or more, and around ½ of them eventually showed one or other of these conditions, in many cases as they aged, and years after they stopped boxing. Recently, few have taken part in more that 50 contests, but the risk is still great, depending on the number of bouts fought as well as on knockouts.

Do amateur boxers run the same risks? Medical examination before the fight is mandatory. Helmets are worn. The number of rounds is limited to 3. Referees are instructed to stop the fight if it seems that there is neurological impairment, and there is a compulsory stand-down period when a fight has been stopped for this reason. However, it is still said that around 5% of fights still end with a knockout.

It is still uncertain whether these precautions are effective in preventing subtle, but significant, neurological damage. Neuro-logical examination of amateur boxers has sometimes shown abnormalities in balance & coordination. EEGs, CTs, MRIs and other tests have shown abnormalities in some boxers, but are not consistently abnormal. Neuropsychological testing, sensitive to the results of other forms of mild head injury, shows a tendency for boxers to perform less well in the more sensitive tests, with deficiencies greater in those who had fought more bouts. The balanced view would seem to be that there is probably a range of damage from the gross changes seen in the older professionals, to minimal abnormalities in those who have more recently begun to box. Some believe that minimal damage is not significant for the boxer's future, others that any avoidable loss of brain capacity is indefensible, especially in younger people. The British and American Medical Associations have both been concerned enough to say that boxing should be abolished. However it continues, in both professional and amateur forms, to be popular in many countries.

From the Internet
I found a rather interesting website called www.stroke-survivors.com and downloaded quite a lot of information which I think is worth noting. On the subject of diet, it says the following: "Lutein, a yellow pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables and egg yolk may prevent clogging of the carotid arteries in the neck. A thickened carotid artery is an indication of atherosclerosis throughout the body. Trans fats - common in margarine, packaged baked goods and restaurant fried foods - are harder on arteries than saturated fats. This suggests that trans fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease more than the intake of saturated fats. If the nutrition label says "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils, this means the product has trans fats in it. Trans fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, and lower HDL (good) cholesterol. So, use unhydrogenated oil, such as canola or olive oil . Eating pecans may lighten a high-fat diet. Pecans are a rich source of mono unsaturated fat - a "good" fat that helps remove cholesterol from the bloodstream.

A recent large-scale Harvard study found that eating just one little carrot a day cuts your risk of a stroke by an astonishing 68%. Citrus, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables can cut the risk of "brain attacks". Eating fruit and veggies can slash the risk of stroke in otherwise healthy adults. How could mum have known?? Citrus juice seems to protect people better than almost anything else - except for some of the least-loved veggies on our plates such as broccoli and brussel sprouts, according to a study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association. People who eat at least 5 or 6 daily servings of leafy greens, citrus and other fruits and vegetables can cut their chance of the most common form of stroke by nearly a third!" The brain is a hungry tissue. Though the brain makes up only 2% of total body weight, it uses up to 30% of the day's calories. It's also fussy, demanding that all its energy comes from high-quality carbohy - drates.
Your brain burns this quick fuel even while you sleep, so eating breakfast is the best way to restock fuel stores and prevent a mental fog later in the day. While wolfing down the occasional bagel won't ensure you "ace" the morning meeting, after 2 to 3 weeks of adding breakfast to your daily routine you should notice a gain in energy and mental power, especially if the meal includes at least 1 fruit, 1 whole grain and a protein-rich source. One healthy start would be a piece of whole wheat bread/muffin with peanut butter, an orange and a glass of skim milk. Also, it is a good idea to spread your food intake among 4 to 6 mini-meals and snacks evenly distributed throughout the day. Keep the mini-meals light. Avoid high-fat or big meals which divert the blood supply to the digestive tract and away from the brain, causing sluggishness and fatigue.

Backpage snippets

We're pleased to be able to report that Helen Lynn is on the road to recovery. She has also been in and out of hospital since the beginning of the year, and just when things seemed to be going well, Helen would face another setback. We really miss Helen and her calm and cheerful influence, and look forward to seeing her back at Headway.
We'd like to wish Shirley Burgess and her husband all the very best in their new home. They have recently moved from their family house into a much smaller house in a complex in Hillcrest. I believe it's called "down-sizing", and is something a lot of us look forward to!! All the very best to Shirley and her husband, and we hope they'll be very happy.
Many of you may remember a piper, Keith Steyn, who came to Headway a few times to play the bagpipes - (starting with our Scottish Week in 2003). It was reported in the press a week or so ago that he had had his bagpipes stolen from the boot of his car. They were irreplaceable, and Keith made a plea for them to be returned. Luckily, this story has a happy ending. Keith found the bagpipes had been returned - just left on his front doorstep! - and not harmed in any way. I, personally, am delighted that once again Keith will be able to continue to play and continue giving much pleasure as he uses his talents so generously.
(Taken from the Sunday Tribune Magazine). "The mind is indeed a powerful tool! On a recent TV show, subjects were tested on their pain threshold, using a shock-type treatment. The treatment was administered at least five times, and, on a scale of 1 to 10, subjects had to report the depth of pain felt! Understandably enough, those who had first been given a sedative injection reported the least pain. But the injection was in fact nothing other than a placebo of sterile water!!"

(How little we understand the brain, and how greatly we underestimate it - Rose)

Mind Dynamics
I came across a fascinating little book at one of our local book stores. The book is called Mind Dynamics ( Brain gym in your briefcase) by Melodie de Jager. This book was written as a companion volume to Brain Gym for All and is directed at the corporate world, however it contains Brain Gym exercises aimed at empowering and enriching everyone. The focus is to help each and every one of us to maximise our potential and make the very most of our abilities. Melodie has done a lot of research into mind-body connections and teaches us that nature has actually provided us with simple tools that can improve blood flow to the brain, improve mental and emotional states and help us to relax.

The recommended exercises make it easier for us to make the best possible use of our minds and bodies. Simple exercises include calf pumps - pushing against a wall with your hands while flexing your calf muscles; cross crawling - simulating a baby's natural crawling movement whilst sitting or standing; a neck roll - rolling your head slowly from your left shoulder, down to your chest and over to your right shoulder. These, and many other exercises, are used to improve blood circulation and help to concentrate the mind. We have a copy at Headway, and if anyone would like to page through the book, it is available at reception.

Our website
If you're reading this on our website : www.headway.org.za then this question won't apply to you! The question is:- how many of you reading this newsletter have visited our website? You can find out about other Headways and other brain injury groups in South Africa, read back copies of our newsletters, find out about our activities, read the personal stories of people who've suffered a traumatic brain injury - to mention just a few of the "links" on our website. It is certainly worth a "visit" and, as ever, your suggestions will always be most welcome.

People are like stained-glass windows; they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light within! (Elizabeth Kubler-Ross)