Headway Natal

Headway Newsletter : October 2004

Editorial

This edition of The Way Ahead is full of reports on our activities with space for little else! It certainly has been a very full month and the pre-Christmas build-up has been very evident. There seem to be more people than ever coming through our front door and there is simply never a dull moment.

The best aspect of fund-raising projects such as those held this month is that, in addition to helping to keep Headway solvent, they are a great exercise in Public Relations and it would be fair to say that it is at last becoming rare to meet local people who have never heard of Headway. We do know that we will never have the high profile of, for example, Hospice, (and the overwhelming support it enjoys) but we are encouraged when we know that we are emerging from our somewhat "Cinderella" status!

We do hope that you will come along and enjoy our annual Christmas Concert on Thursday 9 December - it is always an opportunity to get into a festive mood and experience the magic of Christmas with the most special people in the world. Veronica

Welcome to...

In October we welcomed new members Howard Bennett, Denis Masson, Dan Madansein, Lucille Fourie, Michael Morris, Simanga Zulu, Peter Perrigo and Madge Friday. Every one of us at Headway is devoted to making sure that we give you the very best of help we possibly can. We also welcomed new volunteer, Deborah Ann Majoor who is already proving to be a most valuable addition to the "Headway Angels".

Get Well Soon …

We wish a speedy recovery to Norman Hill who has been very unwell lately and to Maxine Venter who is recuperating from bypass surgery.

General Meeting in October

The speaker at our General Meeting on the first Friday in October was Venu Singh who is a social worker representing "Epilepsy South Africa" and whose portfolio is that of programme manager for awareness of Epilepsy. Armed with an impressive collection of informative leaflets and brochures, Venu focussed on a few of the more important aspects of Epilepsy.

As the majority of brain injury survivors who attend Headway suffer from epilepsy in some form and are on medication to control this condition, the talk was very relevant to the assembled gathering. The first fact that was stressed was that although Epilepsy is a medical condition and not a psychological or mental disorder, there are psycho-social problems which must be handled - and this is why Epilepsy SA employs social workers.It is often a crisis for families when epilepsy is diagnosed and the association is dedicated to helping them to orientate, understand and manage the condition as well as to assist in coordinating the different therapists.

So, what is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system and occurs when the brain discharges too much electrical energy which may interrupt or alter one's consciousness and result in seizures. These seizures may be convulsive or non-convulsive depending on where in the brain they occur and how much of the brain is involved. It is not widely known that there are 35 different types of seizures the most common types being Grand Mal (or Tonic Clonic Seizures) and Temporal Lobe (or Complex Partial Seizures).

Tonic Clonic Seizures are usually dramatic and violent and once over (after a few minutes) the person my experience drowsiness or confusion which should be taken into consideration by the carer. It is important that the carer remains calm and removes any hazardous objects that can cause injury. The patient should be rolled onto his side and clothing should be loosened. Once he has returned to consciousness, support and reassurance should be offered but, if the seizure continues for more than 10 minutes or if another seizure begins, medical help should be sought. DO NOT move the person unnecessarily or try to stop the seizure - you can't! Never try to force anything into the mouth or place keys/metal objects in the hand.

Temporal Lobe Seizures occur when there is a sudden increase of electrical activity in the part of the brain located behind the temples and can often manifest in a wide range of confused, repetitive and inappropriate behaviour. These seizures should be managed by staying with the person and gently moving him from danger. Do not try to hold the person or stop the involuntary activities, as this may provoke an aggressive reaction.

Venu rounded off her talk by saying that Epilepsy is often feared and misunderstood which can make it difficult for those who have seizures. Although Epilepsy cannot be cured, it can be controlled through treatment and it is important that the correct medication is prescribed.

AGM Follow-up Meeting

Please note that an invitation is extended to all our members, readers and any interested parties to attend the meeting of the adjourned Annual General Meeting which, although conditionally scheduled for September, will now take place on Tuesday 23 November 2004 at 16h00 at Headway House. The Financial Statements, which had not been prepared in time for the AGM in August, are now available for presentation.

Ubuntu Day of Caring

We were very happy to hear that Ubuntu was including Headway in its Day of Caring Project again this year. Last year a team of ten from Spar Head Office painted our foyer and front gate as well as varnishing the battered tables on our pool terrace. This year it was a smaller group from BSN Medical Pinetown who raided Headway House on Wednesday 13 October armed with rollers and paintbrushes and tons of enthusiasm. The team were full of fun and very willing to carry on working until the job was finished to their satisfaction. The main "waiting" area, the tea lounge and the adjoining corridors were given a fresh coat of paint, transforming the rather tired-looking 5 year old yellow wall covering to a smart shade of "cognac". We are very grateful to the BSN team of Amsha, Collin, Grant, Julie and Raven for devoting a whole day to making our lives brighter, and thank Margie Boardman of Ubuntu (whose huge job it is to organise the project) and Ken Naicker of Paint & Paper, Greyville for once again generously donating the paint for our project.

Activity Programme

The word "Busy" took on new meaning this month as everyone put their heads down to complete projects for the Craft Market. Christmas cards and coasters and angels were being churned out at ever-increasing speed and the Sewing Group also moved into a higher gear as they completed more and more items for sale.

Although recreation took a back seat, time was still allowed for some amusement, and the month started off with another Ten Pin Bowling Challenge at the Westville Pavilion facility. The number of teams entered was less than the previous challenge but this did not detract from the fun-filled morning. The victorious team was led by volunteer Jackie and OTA Zipho while OTA Trainee Walter achieved the most points overall.

In response to a request from The Headway Outing Gang a final visit was organised to "Thirsty's" at the Point which has always been a favourite spot for outings. Despite the strong wind which threatened to blow everyone away, it was an enjoyable trip. It transpires that the new development at the Thirsty's site is only scheduled for next year so an absolutely final visit will be made in March.

There is a reshuffle of space at Headway House at the moment as the Occupational Therapy Department makes plans to take over the workshop and pottery area (the old garage before alterations). The small office allocated to OT is just not big enough with 4 people using it and with a number of clients needing one-on-one attention, It is anticipated that it will be possible to see more people with more space available and OT Debbie is planning various work stations permanently set-up for OT work. All the books have been cleared from the "library", Ryan and Debbie have already painted the walls and Pottery has been relocated to this space. Woodwork will be moved to the outside "Jumble Room" (and where the jumble will go is anybody's guess at the moment!).

Higher Ground

As this newsletter is being completed, a group of Headway attendees are at the very first camp organised by "Higher Ground". Headway-Natal has been involved in assisting this project to become established as the idea and motivation has come from none other than our young friend Emma White who was a staff member for a short while at one stage and has been a volunteer on-and-off for years. Emma has worked three consecutive summers at Camp USA, always with disabled people, and she returned to South Africa last year determined that she was going to realise her dream to set up camps in this country, specifically aimed at Special Needs. Her co-camp counsellor, Jackie, recently came over from the states to join Emma in this enterprise and the two of them have been tireless in their efforts to get "Higher Ground" off the ground (pun intended). They have managed to achieve a fair amount of sponsorship and an amazing amount of support from a widely flung base of volunteers. The Headway Group is currently at Camp Jonathan near Eston and we eagerly await their report-back!

Outreach News

Zimele Staff Training

Headway is justifiably proud of the success of its Outreach Programme which, after nearly three years of intensive involvement, is showing signs of significant progress. In the short school holiday at the end of September our Occupational Therapy Department offered a week of training at Headway House to the entire staff of Zimele Molweni Centre for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children. The staff members spent the week joining in with our own groups and learning the right way to run groups in their own situation back at Zimele. Only one staff member has any previous formal training so the learning curve was a steep one! However, each lady agreed that the experience was mind-changing and it was a pleasure for them to learn from us. Other training is taking place for the two staff members who can speak English - there is an amazing place called "Phakamisa" in Pinetown at the Methodist Church where literally dozens of ladies go twice a month to learn the skills necessary for pre-school education.

Most of these ladies are completely untrained and run crèches out of a desperate need by the families in their communities. Phakamisa, through a staggered system of providing free training to as many people as possible, is making an enormous difference to the programme being offered at the many informal crèches which have been established in the rural areas. Much of the training our Zimele staff receives is adaptable to the needs of the mentally challenged children in their care and it is encouraging to see the improvement in the Activity Programme at the centre.

Further adding to the improved quality of life at Zimele Molweni is the provision of breakfast for the children. This was initiated at the beginning of the last term and is due to a donation from the now non-operational Music Department at UDW under a scheme called "Music for Food". Dr Sallyann Goodall, who organised the donation, will be delighted to hear that ensuring that tummies are satisfied at the beginning of the day has had a calming effect on the children - the levels of concentration and self-discipline have improved remarkably and one can only assume that it is the effect of breakfast and the better organised programme!

Zimele Open Day

On Wednesday 20 October the second Spring Open Day was held at Zimele Molweni. Invitations were sent out to everyone who has played a part in the success of Zimele (the list grows each year!) and the staff worked hard to display the activities and achievements of the centre. The children danced and sang and were on their best behaviour. One could not help but be impressed by the noticeable improvements in comparison with last year's Open Day, and the Zimele staff are to be commended on their efforts.

Appeal

The need for items to help Zimele is ever-present and the list keeps growing. Have any of our readers any toys or items related to transport e.g. boats, ships, cars? They are needed for a project on Transport and Travel. A good-sized television set is also needed to show educational programmes and, in order to set up sewing classes at the centre next year, an iron in working order is needed (you can't make patchwork items without ironing the seams as you go along!). Please let us know if you can help - we can collect from you if necessary.

Donations

It was not a very good month for donations which is why we are so grateful to the kind people whose regular donations arrive in our bank account every month: Dain van der Reyden, S E Warne and Natal Accounting Services are sincerely thanked for their monthly Friendship Pledges and Ubuntu Community Chest for its regular contribution. An unexpected donation of R350 was received from Illovo Sugar - we are very grateful for this gesture of support and for the donations of sugar we receive every quarter from Ilovo for both Headway and Zimele Molweni.

Thank yous

As always we have a list of people who have donated all sorts of useful and saleable items to Headway: North Bay Lodge gave us two walkers and a set of crutches which may prove to be very useful, jumble and bric-a-brac was donated by Westville Rotary Anns, Jessica Perritt, Shirley Burgess, Elizabeth Driver, George Pattison, Barbara Hanauer and Nina Laurence. In addition a hundred and one items were handed in towards Craft Market sales and we thank each and every one who gave us their support this month.

Fund Raising and Friend Raising

This month has been particularly eventful in terms of Fund Raising efforts!

Headway Goes East

First up was "A Night of Eastern Delights at the Taj Mahal" on Saturday 23 October organised by the final year Speech Therapy Students as part of their course work. The girls have been carrying out their practical work at Headway once a week for some months and this was their chance to put their executive skills to work. It should be pointed out that their original project had been the planning and organisation of our Health Day, and many hours were spent in August and September trying to get this project underway. The students learnt some very salient lessons - how to cope with people saying "No" and still bouncing back! As mentioned in last month's newsletter, the upheaval in the Pharmaceutical Industry was the main reason for the negative response to obtaining donations of the cholesterol and glucose testing strips. We are really proud of the way the students put aside their disappointment and rapidly put together a most successful fund-raiser for the Headway Speech Therapy Department, under the expert guidance of our Speech Therapist Cheryl Govender.

From the designing and printing of tickets, to transforming the Physiogym at Headway into a seductive eastern setting, the students impressed. The scent of incense, glamorous lighting, exotic table décor and the delicious smells of curries and other eastern delights created a wonderful atmosphere, offset by the colourful saries worn by the girls (and many of the guests). A performance of eastern dance followed by some hilarious audience participation (men DO NOT know how to dress themselves in a sari and certainly have little idea of how to dance eastern-style!) and some "cumulative auctions" which had everyone parting with their money, ensured a most entertaining (and profitable!) evening.

Christmas Craft Market

Our Headway families and supporters really responded with great enthusiasm and energy to the appeal by Rose McArthur in both previous newsletters to help us to make this event a success.

Billed as a "lower key version" of last year's craft market (in order to ensure that our chief crafter and devoted volunteer Rose Paterson did not over-exert herself after a year of worrying health wobbles) this Craft Market was still very well attended and supported. Our congratulations to the two "Headway Roses" whose passion for the project was contagious and who made (with the help of a long list of people) Saturday 30 October a memorable day.

A number of outside crafters rented tables (for a very nominal fee) and added to the impressive array of items made by our Headway attendees in their activity groups. Proving to be enormously popular were the beadwork angels and it seems that many of these will be sent overseas to relatives in other countries as a uniquely South African - and uniquely Headway-Natal! - Christmas decoration. The groups and volunteers have had to work exceptionally hard to complete orders and stock for sale at the market.

The list of people to thank is endless - Westville Rotary Anns donated cakes, Rick Hardy donated the wors for the boerie rolls, Cathy Sofilas and Elspeth Driver cooked up a storm, and our Headway guys who had worked so hard to make the impressive array of crafts for sale were there in numbers. In fact there was support from so many generous people that it would be impossible to list them all. The amount raised is in the region of R5 000 but as more Headway craft is sold this profit will increase. WE THANK ONE AND ALL FOR MAKING THIS FUND-RAISING EVENT A REAL JOY FOR US ALL AT HEADWAY!

Raffles

One of the best things about having events at Headway House is that more outsiders are around to buy our raffle tickets (within our doors it does tend to be the same people supporting the same things….) and so sales of tickets have soared this month! The Sharks Hamper was raffled at the Eastern Evening after the students made a concerted effort to sell more tickets during the evening. Mrs S Pillay (who fortuitously was present at the dinner) won the prize. Our latest raffle to replace the hamper is a very beautiful "Friendship Tree" - a glass bowl tastefully filled with a variety of delicately hued semi-precious gems, so please buy your tickets when you next visit us! The Headway Sewing Group's magnificent Patchwork Quilt and Picnic Basket will be raffled before Christmas and we will be actively promoting sales of the tickets at our Thankyou Cocktail Party and the Christmas Concert. We thank Westville Hardware for their efforts in selling tickets for us at their shop and to everyone else who has assisted with ticket sales.

Our usual Fund-raising projects have continued this month and the following amounts were collected prior to the Craft Market: Headway Shop R678; Honey Sales R100; Raffles R621; Book Sales R80; Cards, Funny Money and other Sundries R248.

Dates for Diaries

The Headway "Buskers" will soon be in the shopping centres presenting their seasonal programme. Look out for them at Westville Mall on Tuesday 23 November and at Westville Village Market on Tuesday 30 November. Come along and join in the singing of well-known Christmas favourites and some new songs to delight the Westville shoppers.
Christmas Crackers 2004 will take place at Headway House on Thursday 9 December at 6.00 for 6.30 p.m. Don't forget to bring a plate of eats for Bring and Share. Liquid refreshments will be provided by Headway.
Norman's Braai will round off our year for us as we have our last get-together of 2004 on Friday 10 December at 11.30 a.m.. Everyone is welcome but PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WILL BE THERE so that we can tell Norman how much meat to order and prepare. Cool drinks will be on sale.
Headway Closes: Friday 10 December 2004
Headway Re-opens: Tuesday 4 January 2005

Back Massage at Headway

The Headway staff has been enjoying the talents of attendee Nikki who is gradually regaining her confidence in her chosen profession. Nikki gives THE BEST back massage EVER and we can all vouch for this (and at a fraction of the usual cost!). Phone Headway now and make an appointment for a massage - Debbie is taking bookings on behalf of Nikki and the best time is in the afternoons between 1.00 and 4.00 p.m.

Support for local Rotary Club

Westville Rotary Club has given unstinting support to Headway over the years and here is a chance to return the favour. The club is raising funds by holding a show at Westville Country Club featuring the very popular Durban Mens Choir on Thursday 18 November at 6.30 for 7.00 p.m. Wine and snacks will be served. Contact Veronica at Headway for tickets. A book entitled "Bowl 'em Over" compiled by a Westville Rotarian is on sale at the Headway reception desk - it is full of fun anecdotes about life on the Bowling Green and makes a great Christmas present for a bowler. All proceeds are in aid of Hospice (a charity we admire as much as our own!).

Wanted!

We recently delivered boxes and boxes of books to Kwadinabakubo School in Molweni and to the Molweni Resource Centre. The school asked if we had any books to guide the teachers on how to start Speech and Drama lessons and the Resource Centre needs a computer. We said we would put out the message to our community so if you can help, please contact us.

REMINDER: There are many very reasonably-priced crafts still available for purchase at Headway.

REMINDER! are many VERY reasonably-There priced Christmas Crafts still available for purchase at Headway