Godalming & Haslemere exercise classes
We are pleased to announce that Foundations Physio, based in Fleet, has been signed up to take on the exercise groups in Godalming and Haslemere, starting in January 2020. They are a specialist service focussing on neurological conditions and complex elderly rehabilitation within the community. As such many of their team members are trained in either PD Warrior or Neuro Fit.
Adam Poulter, who runs Foundations Physio, has been in discussion with both Sam Goodwin and Kim Wilson regarding the current structure of the groups and needs of the attendees.
More information about the classes can be found on the Activities page.
Personal Wheelchair Budgets
NHS England has announced that with effect from 2 December 2019 all those eligible for an NHS wheelchair will have a legal right to request a Personal Wheelchair Budget and have more control over decisions made about their care and the choice of wheelchair giving them more independence. This scheme will be available to those who are new to registering with the service, or those whose clinical needs are due to be reviewed.
Therefore as of the beginning of December, Personal Wheelchair Budgets will be implemented nationally by NHS England providing the opportunity for Surrey Wheelchair Services to adopt a truly holistic approach to the needs of disabled people, and give wheelchair users the control they need.
Overview of the Personal Wheelchair Budgets System
CSH Personal Wheelchair Budgets Patient Information
CSH WCS Criteria for Provision
Virgin Personal Wheelchair Budgets Patient Information
Virgin WCS Criteria for Provision
THE COBHAM BAND
The Cobham Band has chosen to distribute the money it raises at its concerts to their chosen two charities, of which we are one.
They appreciate our support so if anyone is attending anything it helps to be obvious that they are from the group. Valerie Box ( valeriebox@outlook.com ) has tabards to do the job.
There will be a concert at Holy Trinity church in Guildford on 21 December (see flyer for details). They are also playing at the Welcome Church in the HG Wells centre in Woking on Sunday 15 December from 4-5 pm when there will be a creche and children’s party alongside, and again at 7-8pm followed by mulled wine and mince pies.
Godalming & Haslemere exercise classes
Our long-standing neuro-physio, Sam Goodwin, has sadly decided to stop taking the Godalming and Haslemere classes from Christmas onwards. We will miss her very much and her departure leaves a big hole in our programme of activities.
We have no immediate replacement for Sam, so those who have been attending her classes will have to make their own arrangements for the time being, until we have something else to offer. Please be assured that we are doing our best to identify a new provider of specialist exercise classes, and that we will continue to subsidise such classes at least until the end of 2020, but it might take us a little while to get something in place.
In the meantime, classes run by Kim Wilson at Surrey Hills Rehab in Cranleigh, and the Pilates class, run by Sue Buckland at Clandon, will continue as usual.
Ann & Dave Donovan Donation
Ann & Dave Donovan, long-time members of the branch, lived in Stoke D’Abernon until two years ago when they moved to Leeds to be closer to their family. Ann had suffered from Parkinson’s for many years and unfortunately passed away in October 2018.
Dave is living in sheltered accommodation and is a keen and talented wood and metal worker. Over the years he has gathered many tools, large and small but has now decided to rent a small workshop nearer to home. This meant many of the tools had to be sold.
The family would like the Guildford Branch to have the money raised (£560) from the donations given for the tools.
Upcoming Workshops
Surrey Hills Rehab has organised 2 workshops this autumn, which are of particular interest to people affected by Parkinson’s.
The workshops will be held at Unit 61, Smithbrook Kilns, Cranleigh. The charge is £15 per family (carers encouraged).
More information can be found here
Get It On Time Petition
People constantly tell us about the impact of not getting medication on time in hospital – stress, anxiety, immobility, severe tremors. Nearly two-thirds of people living with Parkinson’s didn’t consistently get their medication on time in hospital.
Unfortunately, the majority of hospitals just don’t comprehend the urgency of getting medication on time, every time.
When you sign our petition, you’re calling on the NHS to urge hospital trusts and health boards to introduce 15-minute mandatory Parkinson’s training. They’ll learn how important it is to Get It On Time.
You can sign the petition here
Research opportunity: an online survey to investigate physiotherapy referrals within the UK in people with Parkinson’s
Deadline 30 November 2019
Olivia Gillam of York St John University is aiming to understand to what extent people with Parkinson’s utilise physiotherapy resources and if this is linked to their physical symptoms. You can find out more about this research and participate if you would like through this link
The Critical Path For Parkinson’s
This project is a really exciting collaboration which include pharma companies, universities, charities and experts from the UK, USA and beyond. Parkinson’s UK co-funds this with the industry partners.
The Guildford and South Surrey Branch had a key role in getting the project off the ground as the first 3 years were funded by a legacy donated from the branch. Parkinson’s UK are always aware that this fantastic project would not exist without the funding from the Guildford and South Surrey Branch.
Information about the project can be found on Parkinson’s UK website here.
An article from a recent Progress magazine gives an overview of the project
Your life, your services 2019
Deadline 25 October 2019
The annual Parkinson’s health and care services survey is now live. Please help to promote it to all local group members and anyone else affected by Parkinson’s within your networks. As this is the final survey for this strategic period, its really important to get a high response rate so please do all that you can to help.
The survey is completed online by following this link
Research opportunity. LENS-PD – Learning Effective New Strategies for anxiety in Parkinson’s.
Deadline 30 November 2019
The aim of the research is to better understand worry in order to develop effective psychological treatments to reduce worry and anxiety for people with Parkinson’s.
Commitment: Completing an online screening questionnaire followed by a short phone call from the research team. If you are eligible you will be randomly assigned to one of two research conditions. You will be given access to the online platform to complete a series of online sessions across a 4-week period with two follow up assessments at 1 and 3 months.
You can find further information about this opportunity on the Parkinson’s UK website
We Are Undefeatable campaign
Have you seen the new We Are Undefeatable campaign? We’ve partnered with 14 other leading health charities with funding from Sport England to launch the ‘We Are Undefeatable’ campaign – encouraging people with long-term health conditions to be active.
You are twice as likely to be inactive if you have a long-term health condition, but being active can help to manage over 20 long-term conditions and it’s especially important for people with Parkinson’s. It can slow the progression of symptoms and can even be as important as medication in helping people to take control.
You’re already a crucial part of delivering numerous and varied opportunities for people with Parkinson’s to stay active, and with the campaign set to feature in England on TV, radio and online, many more people will be encouraged to build physical activity into their lives. So, the campaign is a great opportunity to talk about the activities on offer locally – why not reach out to someone new to share ‘We Are Undefeatable’ and talk about how important being active is for people with Parkinson’s – we know there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach and the best exercise to do will depend on people’s individual condition, but the message is the same for everyone – go for it!
Take a look at www.weareundefeatable.co.uk for more information on the campaign as well as a chance to see the campaign video. We’re sharing the campaign far and wide, and working alongside you and other charities we can inspire and support more people to get active – whatever form that takes.
Sharon Blight – Bowls Champion!
Sharon, who was forced to give up tennis after an accident, joined the Aldershot Underwood Bowling Club. After seven years she has now become Champion.
Sharon says:
“I Had to overcome the sheer inner emotions of belief, not only for the match itself, but I was playing the no 1 player in the club who happens to be my mother. She is a very good player, an experienced county standard player, who does not give in.
I had to win this match! I have always been runner-up so it was an emotional boost and I am now No.1 in the club which secures entry to the next level of play in the North Hampshire zone.”
Sharon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease ten years ago and has worked tirelessly on behalf of Parkinson’s UK ever since.
Research into “freezing” in Parkinson’s sufferers.
A presentation to the Guildford and South Surrey Branch meeting on 22 May 2018. Dr Will Young (Brunel University)