Opinion

Neuro-rehab professionals spend much of their time striving to meet the needs of patients and clients. But research suggests they – and their peers in other quarters of healthcare – are not so great at looking after their own health and wellbeing. A survey of doctors in the US found that the average junior doctor works seven shifts a month without drinking enough water and four shifts a month without eating a meal. Other studies have suggested that healthcare workers are at an increased risk of obesity - 35 per cent of those working in medical offices, clinics and hospitals in the States are obese.

When looking for a powerchair what are the primary things people should consider? There are lots of things to consider when looking for a powered wheelchair, here is a list of points to consider: Lifestyle (what is the user wanting the powerchair to do on an everyday basis), what range/distance will they need to travel in a day, size and dimensions of the chair, what is the weight of the chair and what is the maximum user weight and combined weight (for lifts, house and car).

It was encouraging to see the blue badge scheme for disabled parkers being extended last week. For the first time, people with hidden disabilities such as dementia and anxiety disorders, can qualify for the parking permit scheme, the government has confirmed. This positive news was tempered by a separate report which suggests councils are not prepared for the increase in blue badge holders.

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the most common cause of injury in childhood and affects 18 in every 100,000 children in England (NHS England, 2013). This includes both traumatic brain injury (e.g. road traffic accident) and non-traumatic brain injury (e.g. tumour, stroke, infection). As the brain continues to develop until the late 20s, the impact of an ABI is considered to be a developing condition, rather than confined to the single physical injury.

“I had one dreadful experience when I came back into Heathrow Terminal 4 and my wheelchair was not brought up to the door,” recalls Anne Luttman-Johnson. “I refused to get off the plane until I knew that my wheelchair had arrived, and was in one piece. “They brought me a wheelchair that I couldn't push myself in. It had little wheels and I had to be pushed through the airport. It was the most undignified, humiliating experience. I hated it.” Anne has used a wheelchair for more than 30 years, having broken her back at age 21.

NRT: What does your job involve? CP: Our team deals exclusively with claims on behalf of people who are injured somewhere other than in their home country. We predominantly represent English people who are injured on holiday or working abroad, but sometimes we represent claimants from other countries injured here in England and Wales. We deal with cross-border litigation, where we often have to consider whether a different country’s laws might apply or govern the claim. Sometimes there’s a choice as to where you bring the claim, and there are often arguments about which law will determine how much compensation a claimant can expect to receive.

A recent report published by Neurological Alliance member charity Sue Ryder revealed that more than 15,000 people in England with complex neurological conditions such as head injury, motor neurone disease, MS, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease, are living in old people’s nursing homes.This is shocking news and yet another case of the UK’s ‘postcode lottery’ in which access to health services and medical treatments is determined by the area of the country in which individuals live. Is it not ethically wrong to hide an articulate young person with motor neurone disease trapped in a dying body or a middle-aged man with a brain injury acquired in a road traffic accident in a setting inappropriate to their age and without a care plan or rehabilitation prescription?

With the average life expectancy in the UK on the rise, more and more care homes are taking shape all over the country. These facilities cater to people of all abilities and the equipment they choose to include can make all the difference in delivering consistently high-quality care. One key obstacle in any nursing home is creating a homely, cosy facility is patient lifting hoists. These are necessary if you are needing to carry out transfers to and from different locations, but they can often feel quite cold and clinical – precisely the opposite of what you would want your care home to feel like.

There are many specialisms within the field of practice, from those which are linked to long- term neurological conditions such as stroke to life-limiting neurological conditions including Huntington’s disease and neurotrauma from a brain or spinal injury. Due to the variations between specialisms, one of the core elements of care for any neuroscience nurse is the person-centred approach. Most people with long-term neurological conditions can live fulfilling lives, whether this be in a hospital or care setting, and central to their fulfilment is the understanding of their wants and needs.

Chris Bryant (Rhondda, Lab) and chair of the debate opened the session by outlining the obvious and more hidden forms of brain injury. “Sometimes a brain injury is really obvious – where the skull has been fractured or penetrated—but often the sheer force of the soft tissue colliding at speed against the hard inside of the skull bruises the brain, leading to a contusion or a haemorrhage that is outwardly invisible. “Injuries can also be caused by stroke, tumours, infection, carbon monoxide exposure and hypoxia—oxygen starvation. These are hidden injuries with complex and fluctuating life-changing effects that strike close to the heart of what it is to be human, to be conscious, to be alive and, in many cases, to want to be alive.”