Headway Newsletter : March 2006 Editorial Our warmest thanks for the wonderful response we have received to the Membership Renewal Forms enclosed with the February Newsletter. A number of people made a special trip to our premises to pay their subscriptions and we found this very heartwarming. We were also delighted that so many of our loyal supporters added on a donation to the R60 subs which gave our income a very welcome boost this month. If you did not receive a membership form or have mislaid yours, do not worry - we can make a plan! Just phone Headway, give your details to Darina at reception, send your cheque or get details of how to deposit funds electronically, and she will complete the form on your behalf. How easy is THAT? We have a rather cute yellow duck swimming in our pool these days - it's really our pool thermometer kindly donated by Dries of Splash Pools. The pool covers have been installed and the teething problems with the heating system ironed out, and the water is now fluctuating between 26 and 29 degrees which makes water therapy much more comfortable and effective. An official "Hydrotherapy Launching Function" is presently being planned to take place within the next few weeks to which will be invited representatives of organisations that would benefit from regular hydrotherapy sessions in the home-from-home atmosphere of Headway. If you know an individual or an organisation who would like to avail themselves of our water therapy facility in the afternoons,, please let us know. Veronica Welcome….. This month Norma Misselhorn, Jacobus Swanepoel, Byron Rautenbach, Vaughan Tarlege, Delpat Solanki and Zane Jappie joined the Headway-Natal family. We extend to you our love and support and earnestly hope that we can help you, even if it is only in a small way. Therapy News : OT Department This report from OT Debbie: Our craft projects continue in preparation for our Craft Market. We also make crafts for specific events like Easter, Mother's Day (and are even putting together an order for a wedding!) - so please support our Craft ventures. If you would like a specific quantity for a particular event, let know as we would like the crafts to grow into a vocational project for our attendees. Some exciting events held this month included our Hawaiin Day and our Stir Fry Competition. Undaunted by the rain that tried to dampen our Hawaiin Day, we had a colourful and festive time with garlands, quizzes, dancing and, of course, tasty themed food. The Stir Fry competition was a great hit. The three teams had to plan the ingredients and décor, set up their skottles and then cook and serve the food for each other, as well as try to impress the judges. Howard's group, with their very original lemon-drenched fish fingers, "cracked the nod" and were deemed to have the best-flavoured stir fry. Everyone received a small prize and joined in the fun. On the last Friday of March we had an outing to the beach. Most sat in the shade and enjoyed the sea breeze but one or two braved the waves and felt very exhilarated by the experience. Also during this month, we had a certificate presentation ceremony for the participants in the Multi-Disciplinary Gala in February, followed by refreshments. A reporter from The Highway Mail was present and a photograph of the swimmers was published in last week's paper. The OT department would like to thank ALL our devoted volunteers for their awesome input and extend special thanks this month to Bronwyn Jones who has lately given up so much of her time and expertise to Headway. Bronwyn qualified as an OT in the UK and has to carry out some case studies to satisfy our local OT requirements - we are so glad that she chose Headway to do this! Thanks also to young Luke Brookes who was required by his school (Waldorf) to carry out some vocational work for a week - we enjoyed his quiet, gentle interaction with our attendees. Physiotherapy Department This report from Physiotherapist Gillian Adams: Congratulations to our Physiotherapist, Pam Dawson, who has had her Masters degree research study published in the South African Journal of Physiotherapy. Her subject was 'Hypotonia in Zwazulu Natal - Prevalence and Causes'. Hypotonia (low tone) affects a child's gross and fine motor skills and can impair the development of the child as a whole. This was the first study of its kind in South Africa and it has provided valuable information concerning this serious problem which can be treated effectively if recognised early. The pool heating is nearly sorted out and we are very grateful to Dries at Splash Pools in Westville Mall for his help with keeping the water sparkling and clean for our swimmers. Well done Rob Nicolai who has reached his goal of walking with a stick and hopes to meet his mum standing up when she returns from overseas soon. And what can we say about Mildred Cele who could never swim before her stroke and now manages to keep in a straight line from one end to the other! Open Day at Headway Monday 20 March was National Head Injury Awareness Day and the staff decided that Headway-Natal was going to honour it in style. Rose McA and Ryan spent many hours putting together a Z-fold and concise leaflets providing relevant information on how to prevent head injury and stroke as well as data on diabetes and epilepsy. The Highway Mail published our "advert" inviting the public to the Open Day and fliers were left in the local libraries and pharmacies. Despite the fact that, because Tuesday was a public holiday and the schools were closed on Monday many people had made a long weekend of it and were away, there was a steady trickle of people visiting Headway House throughout the morning. We were pleased to find a good reason to focus on prevention of brain injury since it is one of our aims and we feel we don't have enough opportunities to develop this aspect of Headway's objectives (but are a little puzzled that this is the first year we have ever known about it - is it the first time Head Injury Awareness has been given its own special day we wonder?!). It is our intention to do it bigger and better next year! (By the way - donations received on the day amounted to R130!) National Stroke Awareness Week Planning is underway for the next national event on the calendar which has relevance for Headway - Stroke Awareness Week from Monday 5 to Sunday 11 June. A whole week has been set aside for this, not just a day, and so the basic idea is to have an Open Hour concentrating on a different aspect of strokes each weekday morning. Closer to the time, more information will be given. PR for Headway The Headway flag has been flying high this month! The Daily News devoted an entire page to Headway! Photographs of Debbie and Ryan with a selection of our attendees and people undergoing therapy at Headway were featured and the very sensitive and well-written article was put together by reporter Lindsay Org to honour the National Head Injury Awareness Day. Also in recognition of this special day, Veronica was invited to give a talk to the residents of Outspan Retirement Home. The elderly folk were a delight to talk to and all enjoyed hearing about what we do at Headway and learning how to prevent strokes and recognise them, particularly TIA's (see Information Corner on the back page). So much can be done if a TIA is brought to the attention of a medical person and certain signs should never just be passed off as "old age". On 2 March, Veronica was invited to a meeting of the Westville Methodist Church Women's Evening Auxiliary to give a talk on our Outreach Project. These kind ladies have been knitting and sewing for a suitable rural project for months and deemed Zimele Molweni Centre for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children to be worthy of their support. They donated a variety of clothes, bed quilts, toys, stationery and other items and are eager to continue to assist the centre. Also in connection with the Head Injury Awareness Day, Rose McA was invited by Monica Fairall to have a telephone discussion on Tuesday evening of 21 March for her programme "Health Update" on the work done by Headway. This was aired two days later around 11.00 a.m. - did anyone hear it? Headway around South Africa During discussions about the National Head Injury Awareness Day, we felt it was important that we refer to our "branches" around South Africa when compiling information sheets and that we needed an update on their current situation. Headway-Gauteng keep us informed with their monthly newsletter and Pietermaritzburg contact us from time to time, but what of Headway Western Cape and Headway Port Elizabeth? Coincidentally, when contacted by phone, both were in the process of moving and changing telephone numbers. Garth and Val Maxwell of Headway PE had, regretfully, never managed to set up a Headway centre and the number of supporters had dwindled to a handful. However, they assured us that they are still available for advice, information and phone counselling in their area. Myrtle and Bob Wilson of Headway Western Cape had been forced to close down Headway House due to lack of funds, and their residential facility is no more. Before closing, they had made every effort to find suitable alternative accommodation for the residents - not an easy job as there are just no other facilities for brain injured people in the Western Cape. The day that we contacted them was a very sad one for them as it was the very day of the funeral of their brain injured son, Trevor, of whom they had taken loving care for the past 24 years since his accident as a young man of 19. Our sincere condolences to Myrtle and Bob and our gratitude for the amazing devotion they have shown to brain injury survivors in their area. We wish them a well-earned rest as they fly off to New Zealand to visit one of their other children. The Wilsons have assured us that, like the Maxwells, they will be available for advice and phone counselling in their area on their return from overseas. (All this has highlighted how fortunate we are to be able to remain operational and that we continue to have the financial support we enjoy.) Walter Has Graduated! Walter Gwamanda is now a qualified Occupational Therapy Assistant and we are so proud - and relieved! Walter joined Headway as a volunteer in January 2004. His cousin, Lesley Vezi was one of our OTA's at the time (until he was poached by the Afrox Rehabilitation Unit at Entabeni Hospital!) and he had been quietly nagging at us to give Walter a chance to take on some meaningful work as he had been in and out of temporary part-time work of an unskilled nature. Exactly two years ago, Walter began his studies in aspects related to employment at Headway. His first assignment was an intensive Caregivers Course followed by his enrolment at university in the OTA course offered at KZN University-Westville Campus. Some initial funding from Campbell, Bernstein & Irving made this possible. The path to success has not always gone smoothly for Walter as he had an academic mountain to climb in terms of his truncated schooling. There were many times when he felt like giving up, but he persevered and, thanks to the patience of the UDW OT staff and our OT Debbie who all believed in him and loved his outgoing personality and people skills, Walter is now able to carry out OT duties at Headway to assist our OT department. Headway staff attended his graduation ceremony held on Friday 24 March at the university OT Department where Walter was one of three graduates who had needed to write supplementary exams. P.S. We have some news of Lesley Vezi too! Les was with Headway for 6 years before going to Entabeni Rehab and since then has gone from strength to strength. A little bird told us that, such is his standing in the Molweni community where he lives, he was recently called out by neighbours one night to deliver a baby, which he managed with aplomb! We feel some "reflected glory" in Les's achievements as it was, of course, Headway that sponsored and supervised his studies and training to become an OTA! Thankyou Boards Just outside our front door are a number of signs or plaques acknowledging support from various donors. We encourage organisations that have assisted Headway in a significant way to have a sign made for us to display. We are proud of all the help we get from so many quarters and would like everyone to be acknowledged. Thanks for Donations this month The first thankyous must go to all the generous people who added on donations to their membership subs:- Dr Sameer Nadvi (R440); Nikki Draper (R500); Hennie Pretorius (R45); Johan Schreuder (R140) and the following who all added on R40: Lance Goodman, Helen Lynn, Aileen Salmon, Ajit Sheth, Hazel Parker, Adriano Moretta, Riet van der Elst, Patricia Basson, Joyce Poval, Sally Bechervaise, Tim Pekarik, Micheline Holiday, Mavis Colley, Joanne Fanner, Gert Neveling and Barry Pennicott. Very special thanks to the following: RJ Palmer Advertising (R1200) from funds raised at a Barnyard Theatre evening (to be spent on something from the Wish List); Helen Lynn (R2 500) in memory of her late husband, Sam (towards purchase of a new telefax machine); Westville Yoga Ladies (R100); the Anon-y-Mouse (R250) - and - our regular monthly contributors: Ubuntu Community Chest (R2500), Natal Accounting Services (R500), and Dain van der Reyden (R200). We are also grateful for contributions in memory of Phyllis Murgatroyd: from Helen Day (R130), Morris and Carol Fuller (R150) and Rob and Phyllis Gordes (R150). On our Wish List this year has been swimming towels and hand towels - although we have many donated secondhand towels that fulfil this purpose they have become a problem as, the older they get, the more they fray at the edges. It's not that we mind the look of them in that state - the problem is that they discard all their fluffy bits all over the other laundry in the washing machine! Coming to our rescue this month was Jenny Millard (who saw the request on the Wish List sent to the Westville Rotary Anns). Jenny drove up to the Glodina Factory Shop in Hammersdale and bought 10 matching swimming towels and 20 cream hand-towels which she then monogrammed with "Headway" on her embroidery machine. How classy is that? Thank you Jenny for your generosity and kindness. More Thankyou's Our thanks go to Shelley Grobler who finds the energy to bake something special for us every Wednesday and also delivered 4 bags of household items this month; to African Sales for 2 desks and a chair, to Lid Storree for books and carpets, to Mrs Driver, Peter Perrigo, Mrs Les Dowling and Mr Lucey for clothing and household items, and Glynis Walker for clothing, magazines and "Funny Money". We also thank Margie Hamilton for sewing materials and leather offcuts and Sally Bechervaise for magazines, puzzles and soft toys which included two battery-operated pink pigs that waddled, wriggled and grunted and caused much amusement (they were sold the moment they came out of the bag!). A big thankyou, too, to the White Family who responded to the appeal in last months' newsletter for sugar for Zimele Molweni. Fund Raising No major fund-raising projects have happened so far this year (come on Veronica - get with the programme!!) so thank goodness for all the ongoing small projects that steadily do the job in the background! Mondi Paper Recycling brought in R198, Raffle Ticket Sales (R134), Room Hire (R497), The Headway Shop (R471), and a collective amount of over R2 000 was raised from sales of Power Pap, Tee shirts and Crafts with "Funny Money" and Photostats making up the rest. Money from Collection Tins in shops trickles in (not frequently enough for us!) and we thank Westville Hardware for filling their tin with R49.00. Information Corner "Tee Eye Aye's" The acronym TIA, which stands for Transient Ischaemic Attack is rapidly becoming a household "word", such is the prevalence of this medical condition. Also known as a "mini stroke", TIA's are a warning sign that a major stroke or "brain attack" could happen and therefore should never be ignored. Early intervention is critical and doctors say that lives might be saved and disability minimised if victims recognized the warning signs of stroke and took action - FAST! The trouble is that the majority of patients do not seek help in time despite the fact that the FIRST SIX HOURS ARE CRITICAL! With new drugs, dramatic surgery and top notch diagnostic technology, most strokes are treatable and subsequent attacks are preventable - IF ACTION IS TAKEN FAST ENOUGH! So the warning signs experienced during a TIA should be taken very seriously. What are these warning signs? Here are a couple of examples to illustrate them: Twenty-five year old Mary Jones (name changed) was not the sort of person you would expect to have a stroke. Although a little overweight, the Eastern Cape nursing sister had never smoked, drank only occasionally and walked regularly. Then one day as she began her day's work in the intensive care unit, Mary felt strangely dizzy. She thought it was because she hadn't eaten breakfast, but started to worry when pins and needles struck her right arm and quickly spread down her body to her right leg. Then, to her terror, she found she couldn't speak. Fortunately, her colleagues soon realized that something was wrong and within minutes she had been sent for a brain scan which showed a blockage on the left side of her brain which had caused a TIA. She was immediately put on a course of blood-thinning medication and four hours later could speak again. Mary still takes an aspirin every day and she feels fine, but it was the early intervention that was responsible for this good result. Not so lucky was seventy-one year old Joan Mills (name changed) who, whilst watching TV one evening, dropped the remote control and when she tried to retrieve it found that her hand refused to close around it. "I'm just tired," she told herself. During the night she got up to go to the bathroom and found herself dragging one leg. She convinced herself that she'd just twisted the leg and hobbled back to bed. By morning she had suffered a fully-fledged stroke that left one side of her body paralysed. TIA's are brief episodes in which a clot or embolism temporarily blocks blood flow, then dissolves without lasting damage. Though a TIA can last up to 24 hours, almost two-thirds end within five minutes and so the victim often ignores or misinterprets the ominous message. This is unfortunate because one TIA victim in ten will have a major stroke within a year; three in ten within five years. DO NOT IGNORE THE FOLLOWING WARNING SIGNS - SEE YOUR DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: Pins and Needles, especially if an attack comes out of the blue Losing your Grip An Unruly Tongue - even if the slurring or loss of speech lasts only for a few minutes A Descending Curtain (temporary blindness in one eye or seeing double) Rubber Legs A Very Severe Headache that comes on suddenly, is constant and felt across the head rather than localised in the forehead. (The above was extracted from an article in Readers Digest) Fancy the best Back Massage In Town? One of our favourite attendees, Nicole Draper, is a highly qualified Health and Beauty Therapist. We have advertised Nikki's back massage services before, but now wish to let all our members know that she has extended her therapies to offer the following: Revitalising Back Massage : R35 Back Massage with back exfoliation : R40 Invigorating Reflexology : R25 Soothing Foot Treatment : R25 Relaxing Foot Massage : R10 Doesn't all that sound like Heaven? And how about those bargain prices? If you want to enjoy Nikki's special skills, phone us and ask to make a booking through Debbie. Calling all Professionals involved with Brain Injury!! Would you like your organization featured in "Provider Spotlight"? Then send your business cards to: Brain Injury Association of Minnesota Attention: Sharon Rolenc, 34 13th Ave NE, Suite B001 Minneapolis, MN 55413 This is a FREE opportunity for professionals in the brain injury community to highlight their services. It is open to any service provider that supports persons with brain injury, including (but not limited to): hospitals, home health care, rehab centres, residential services, legal resources, vocational rehabilitation, chemical dependency, counselling and behavioural services, education programmes, and centres for independent living. Every other week, a card will be drawn and the professional will be contacted. If selected, you will have a week to submit an information piece highlighting your services, contact information and web address. This is a fantastic opportunity to get the word out about your place of business and to strengthen professional ties within the brain injury community. (We felt this was worth passing on to the many professionals working in the field of brain injury and stroke who receive our monthly newsletter - a chance to become a bigger player in the global village perhaps?. Editor) Back Page Chuckle Another favourite from the Headway Joke Book: I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the Self Help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

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