Transport Accident Commission (TAC) s4

Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Empower

Empowering TAC clients by sharing stories and information

Edition 22: March 2012

Keeping active and making the most out of life

In this issue of empower we look at the benefits of keeping active and explore ways you can make the most of the activities available in your community.

We all know that keeping active is good for our health, but did you know that participating in sports and physical activity can have a positive effect on all aspects of your life?

Regular physical activity can:

 Increase your strength and fitness

 Help you to focus on your abilities, not your disability

 Improve your self-esteem, mental health and wellbeing

 Boost your energy and enhance your strength to help you perform everyday tasks such as housework and grocery shopping

 Provide great social interaction

 Help manage stress and anxiety

 Reduce your risk of developing a chronic medical condition such as diabetes, stroke or heart disease

Studies have documented that the health benefits of regular exercise are the same for people with and without disabilities, however the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports only a small number of people with disabilities participate in enough physical activity each week.

The Federal Government has guidelines on physical activity for Australians. They recommend you think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience; you be active each day in as many ways as you can; you put together at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most, if not all days of the week; and that if you can, enjoy some regular, vigorous activity for extra health and fitness.

There are a number of organisations that can assist you in participating in leisure and physical activities. Sport and Recreation Victoria provides a service to assist people with disabilities access sport and recreation opportunities. This service, Access for All Abilities (AAA) work in partnership with sport recreation, local government and community organisations to assist you to pursue a range of activities with people who share interests similar to your own. This could be a sport such as golf, tennis, basketball or swimming, or a leisure activity such as gardening, painting, cooking, craft or woodwork.

They can also suggest activities that you, your family and friends can enjoy together.

Your local council will also have a community resource book which outlines leisure activities available in your area.

Community group programs are also a great way to try new activities in a safe and friendly environment. Suitably trained staff are available to support you, and activities are provided on a ‘come and try’ basis. These supported leisure options provide a genuine alternative to relying on attendant care support, or support from family members; and are a great way to meet and share activities with other members of the community with similar interests. Whatever your interest, there’s a way you can get involved in sporting and leisure activities in your local community.

In this edition of empower we meet clients who are keeping active on bikes and handcycles, and who are swimming, go-karting, walking, painting and gardening their way to making the most out of life.

Disability Sports and Recreation – www.dsr.org.au

Australian Athletes with a Disability – www.sports.org.au

Sport and Recreation Victoria www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/sport or phone 9208 3435

For information on community group programs contact your Support Coordinator.

Niloufer – taking it one step at a time

Hi, my name is Niloufer. Once upon a time, in a life long ago, I used to be a registered nurse and midwife then ended up in the public service. I had my accident on 15 January, 2006 – a life-changing experience!

First my children were told I’d probably die and to prepare for that. Then they were told I’d be in a wheelchair and have to live in a nursing home. I only broke my head but it meant I’d been paralysed down one side and blinded.

It was really, really scary when I woke up. I gradually learned what had happened, and my vision started returning. I didn’t remember my name. The previous year I’d changed back to my maiden name, and when I saw the name tag, I thought, ‘huh’.

I thought that I’d just be getting out of bed and walking but it wasn’t quite like that. I’ve had lots of rehabilitation, occupational therapy, physio and speech therapy. Now people say I speak much slower than I used to, my balance still isn’t good, I fall over easily and I’m much clumsier now. There’s a lot of depression and that doesn’t necessarily get better. I think as you gain more insight, you have more need for emotional and psychological support.

Now, I consider I’ve been fairly proactive in getting better. I used to sit there and do the Sudoku, and I tried to do the cryptic crosswords, not always very successfully. Actually, at the start I didn’t do it successfully at all. I’ve been trying to do lots of physical activity – I do lots of walking. I went back to the gym fairly quickly, but I fainted on the treadmill, but I know how not to faint now, so that’s good. It’s a learning experience.

My family have definitely noticed that I don’t have as good a temper as before and I get angrier a lot quicker. I certainly don’t have the patience I used to, sometimes maybe I was too patient. Maybe I should have stuck up for myself a bit more, I don’t really know. I still don’t think I stick up for myself particularly well, and I don’t deal with things like government departments very well, so getting on the phone can be a problem. When they’re telling me to press this button and that button, and then giving me 15 menus.

The thing is, I really think the TAC is wonderful, we are so lucky in Victoria. I can remember though the first time my case manager came out to me and to have a chat to see what my goals were, and I got a 30-page document.

At that stage I couldn’t even read properly because I was seeing double, let alone take it all in. Maybe my goals should have been just three on one piece of paper, with a review in six months or something? You really need to do a lot of recovering, and I don’t think I even read it, I think I looked at the front page, put it away and said, yeah, maybe some time. I’ve got it all in a folder somewhere.

For quite a while it seemed like I had a different case manager every few weeks, which is probably not true, but it was every few months for a while. I think that, for a person with a head injury, it’s probably a good idea to try and keep the same case manager, because you actually need that personal contact, because if you’re having trouble dealing with anything, you’ve got your case manager there. I think even though it is nearly six years now, I still need that support. I need that person that actually really understands, because I don’t think a lot of people understand head injury.

I expected right from the beginning that I would get out of bed and walk, but it’s not quite that simple.

I’ve had to make a lot of adjustments.

I’ve had to learn to be very careful with my speech. When I first woke up, finding words was difficult. I had lots of pins and needles but I couldn’t remember the expression, I called them hundreds and thousands, but everyone actually understood. You just muddle on and get through as best you can.

I remember I had a physical feeling of cotton wool in my head – like it was just packed. That’s something that has decreased over time. The normal – or the more normal days, get closer together, so that’s good. Mostly I feel more normal, but occasionally I’ll have what I call a wobbly day. You just have to take the time and be gentle with yourself, and you have to be patient, because nothing is going to happen really quickly. Six years on and I’m still not absolutely right. I’m doing my best though. I want to do a marathon in 2013. One of the things I got in the rehabilitation hospital was a diary. I don’t live without a diary now. I record things that are due to happen, that’s how I know where I’m meant to be and what I’m meant to be doing. I also put things in there that have happened, like if I have a visit from a friend or something, I’ll write it in the diary. I can actually go back and look and go, oh, yes, because sometimes all you need is something to jog your memory. Writing things down is really important. I tend to put in the diary things like, walk. Just recently I decided well, look, I’m going to have to walk for half an hour a day, no matter what, no excuses, walk for half an hour every day. That’s progressed to where, now, my longest walk was five hours, and I did about – I’m still only slow – 16 kilometres.

When I decided I had to do the half an hour a day, it was just regardless. I can do anything else, but I must do the half hour walk. Another thing that I started doing was painting. When I went back to the TAFE, I had a helper for a while, and she was quite a good artist, so I actually got an easel and started painting. I find it extremely relaxing to paint. There’s nothing quite so peaceful as having a paintbrush in your hand.

Since then, I’ve put a couple of things in the TAC Art Show. That’s quite exciting, because I’ve never done anything like that before, but you get a catalogue and invited to the opening.

I think the support groups are really good too, because it makes such a difference to meet people who have had a head injury.

You can see that it’s possible to make improvements, and maybe you won’t ever go back exactly the way you were, but it could be even better – you might find skills and talents that you didn’t know that you had. I still haven’t worked out what I want to do when I grow up or what my genre is and haven’t quite got to the stage when I can say the accident was the best thing that happened to me, but I’m hopeful. Meanwhile it’s one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

Have you ever had a concussion or do you have a head injury?

Are you depressed?

Depression is very common in people who have experienced a head injury. The Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc) at the Alfred Hospital is seeking volunteers into a clinical trial of an investigational, non-medication treatment for depression following head injury.

Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 70, have a diagnosis of major depression, be currently depressed and be at least 6 weeks post head injury.

Participants will receive daily outpatient treatment with a non-invasive magnetic device, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) over a number of weeks.

If you would like more information or are interested in participating please contact Susan or Sally on (03) 9076 6596 or [email protected] or www.maprc.org.au. Les – A positive mental attitude

It’s been nearly 25 years since I had my accident, back in May 1987. I was struck by a car in Yarraville, not far from where I lived and worked. My injuries were extensive: I had broken my leg in seven places and had an acquired brain injury (ABI) from where my head struck the road.

I spent a month in the Prince Henry hospital, and from there was moved to the Bethesda hospital in Richmond for another four months. I was in a wheelchair for over a year, and then spent another 12 to 18 months undergoing regular and intensive rehab. Some of my injuries healed with time, however the ABI has left me with permanent balance issues, and I have a brace on my left leg and limited movement of my left arm. I also have problems with my short-term memory, and quite often forget things that have happened.

During my rehab I had speech therapy, physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, and these all helped with the healing process. However, the most important part of my healing came from having a PMA – a Positive Mental Attitude.

Actually, while I was recovering my physio asked me if I had trademarked the term PMA, as it was working so well for me, she wanted all her patients to have it!

Having a PMA has been the key to my recovery – you could even say this is my philosophy on life. Your outlook and mental attitude play such an important part in how you recover and in achieving successful outcomes.

Getting back into life and being part of the community helps you feel worthwhile, improves your self-esteem and does wonders for your confidence.

I couldn’t have done any of this without the love and support of my family though, especially my wife Margaret, who has been there with me every day of the last 25 years.

Even though my injuries still affect my day-to-day life, I’ve never let them stop me being a part of the community. I work part time as an integration aid helping children with special needs and I also volunteer my time for many different causes and organisations.

Last November I become a Soldier of The Salvation Army, and in 2007 I was recognised as Wyndham City Volunteer of the Year.

During my recovery I was limited in what I was able to do physically, however at one particular physio session I saw an opportunity to expand my horizons.

There in the physio practice was a tricycle, and since that fateful day it’s become my faithful companion.

Because of my balance issues I am not able to ride a regular bike, but a tricycle provides me with the stability I need to balance and has been an important method of transportation for me since the accident.

Prior to my accident I wasn’t a bike rider, but I’ve embraced riding over the years and now I use it not only for getting from A to B, but also as a way of contributing back to the community. In 2006 the Wyndham Rotary Club donated a tricycle to me so I could participate in a solo tricycle ride from Swan Hill to Werribee to raise money for the Salvation Army. I then did a number of other charity rides, always ending in Werribee where the local community would welcome me back with open arms. Being part of this community is so important to me, and when it was suggested that I ride around the community giving locals the chance to ride with me I jumped at the idea.

From this the Wyndham 1,000 was born.

Now in its third year, the Wyndham 1,000 is a bike ride around the City of Wyndham where community groups, local residents, primary and secondary school students and disability groups can ride with me to raise funds to help the homeless, the disadvantaged and those most at risk in our community.

Over three weeks in October and November I ride around the city of Wyndham during daylight hours, covering 1,000 kilometres. Local businesses and residents sponsor my ride, and last year for the first time we held a cabaret night on the day my ride finished. Last year I raised over $7,000– and I’m hoping to beat that this year.

Getting back into life and being a valued member of my community has been a major driver in my recovery. It’s improved my self confidence, kept me active and been a key part of my rehabilitation.

I’m looking forward to completing this year’s Wyndham 1,000 and meeting all the amazing people in our community who help make this a great place to live.

National Disability Insurance Scheme – Every Australian Counts

Every Australian Counts is the campaign for the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS aims to revolutionise the way people with a disability, their families and carers are supported in this country.

The NDIS aims to be a new support system for people with a disability, their families and carers – transforming the way services are funded and delivered, ensuring people are better supported and enabling them to have greater choice and control.

Over the next few months the Productivity Commission will report to the Government on the findings of its inquiry into a long-term disability care and support scheme.

Show your support for the NDIS at: www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au www.facebook.com/everyaustraliancounts twitter.com/#!/EveryAustralian

Alex – a quest for gold Hi, my name is Alex. I was riding my motorbike one hot summer’s day when I crashed, going over the handlebars and landing head-first in the dry and dusty ground. I broke my T7 vertebrae, leaving me without use of my body from the chest down. I spent six weeks in hospital after the accident and then another four months living in the rehabilitation facility.

I’m now in a wheelchair and I’ve had to learn how to do everything new from the chair; move around, go to the toilet, shower, drive and just adapt to life. It’s been challenging but I set myself small goals to work towards and I’m always looking forwards, not backwards.

The team at Royal Talbot rehabilitation helped me learn to maximise my independence, talking through all the things I could do to adapt to my new life. Helene Fuller was my Support Coordinator at the TAC after my accident and we would talk through a range of ideas. She would always find a way to help me make things happen.

Before the accident I was always active and enjoyed running and cycling, which I did regularly to keep fit for my main sport – motorcross. Now I hand cycle, competing in events all over Australia. I also wheelchair race when I get a chance, and I like swimming, go-karting and hanging out with my friends.

I’ve been taking a course in personal training and I’m about to complete my Certificate 3 and 4 to become a qualified personal trainer. I started the course to get my mind back into studying and to learn new things and now it’s something I’m really passionate about. I can’t wait to get my first client and start working as a trainer.

Helene Fuller

Alex’s Support Coordinator

Alex was a 17-year-old active man with a full life and plans for the future when he had his accident. I started working with him just after the accident. Even though legally he was a minor, I always dealt directly with him, not his parents.

Alex is an extremely positive person. He took the accident in his stride and was an absolute inspiration in the way he accepted his changed circumstances and adapted to a new way of living.

I was blown away by his attitude and how self-sufficient he was.

Alex is driven to succeed with everything he does and it didn’t surprise me when he started talking about learning to hand cycle with the aim of competing in the Olympics one day. We talked through his options, and provided him with funding for equipment, including his hand cycle, so he could get started with this new phase of his life.

It’s been an amazing journey working with Alex and seeing him achieve his goals and ambitions. He’s suffered setbacks along the way but he’s always tackled them with a positive spirit and an open mind. Alex is a real role model for getting the most out of life.

Letter from Andrew Nicholson TAC client Andrew recently returned from a month-long trip of a lifetime. Andrew requires constant attendant care and this trip was his first taking in such a great distance to places he has not visited in many years. Congratulations to Andrew on this wonderful achievement.

Dear TAC,

In September I spent the month travelling around the East Coast of Australia.

My trip included stopovers at Tamworth, Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Mullumbimby, Sydney, Canberra, the Snowy Mountains, East Gippsland Riviera and back to Geelong at 3pm on 28th September.

I found this trip to be extremely fulfilling, catching up with friends, bosses and workmates from up to 50 years ago. These included Damo, Strop, Stan, Rocky, Jack, Singy, Jye, Gilly, Kahly, Sharpy, Wally and Rex.

Activities included visiting building sites, going fishing on the Continental Shelf, watching whales and dolphins, farm stays and lots of da ja vue.

This trip would not have been possible without me saving for three years, the TAC’s kind assistance, and last but not least the competent carers supplied by Care for You, and many good friends from past and present.

I took my little dog Bindi on the trip. My cat, Murdercluke, ran away as soon as I left. My house sitter was happy for me to get home.

Overall the trip was extremely fulfilling.

Thanks again,

Andrew Nicholson

Congratulations!

Congratulations to TAC client Massie Knight who recently competed in the Bloody Big Swim, a 11.2km open-water swim from Frankston to Mornington.

Transport Accident Commission (TAC)

Phone: 1300 654 329 or 1800 332 556 (toll free outside the Melbourne metro area)

Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm

Website: Visit www.tac.vic.gov.au