25 YEARS OLD!

This year sees our Centre having been in existence for 25 years, which is a particularly impressive accomplishment when you realise the huge amount of voluntary/fundraising hours/input this has required. We are totally indebted to everyone who is/has been involved in making this happen!!

To acknowledge such Herculean endeavours and to show our appreciation, we have arranged with the Lord Provost to hold a Civic Reception in Dundee City Chambers on Tuesday 25 September at 7pm to which as many past and present volunteers/committee members as possible will be invited. Numbers, however, are limited and disabled access in such an old building is not ideal and these factors must be taken into account when drawing up the guest list.

Throughout the year we hope to celebrate this momentous event in other ways and if you have any ideas – particularly events which would raise both funds and awareness, the Committee would love to hear from you!!

BLUES AND LOOS

Found in "Disability Now" under the UK Blue Badge Parking for locations in 64 major towns, the following website address shows disabled loos as well as Blue badge parking www.bluebadge.direct.gov.uk

If you do not have a computer at home, remember information such as this may be accessed on The Members’ Computer in Unit 14. If you require help to do this please ask!

Another site you may find useful is - http://www.direct.gov.uk/disabled, which has a stack of regularly up-dated material on so many different issues – finding information in this way may relieve Aileen of finding it for you!

HELP!! IS THERE ANYBODY THERE???

We are extremely short of volunteers to operate the chamber on both Saturday mornings and to provide relief cover when Alwyn is on annual leave. We were very lucky for many years to have a dedicated Saturday volunteer but unfortunately his circumstances changed and he is no longer available. We do not want to have to cancel the Saturday morning runs and would be delighted to hear from anyone already trained to operate the Chamber or willing to be trained!!

STAY COOL MAN!

Even without global warming, hot humid conditions can be hell for anyone with MS and the following information regarding cooling aids may be of interest to some of you.

·      Cooling Sprays – the nearest thing to air-conditioning in a can. Magicool £4.99 for 250ml www.magicool.uk.com tel: 02086450773 or Boots Hot Weather Cooling Spray, $3.89 for a 125ml can.

·  Kool-ties and Wet Rock Hats. Both have polymer crystals inside the fabric, which can be cooled by immersing in cold water and retains this temperature for a whole day. Kool Ties approx £5.50 plus £1.10 p & p www.kooltie.com tel: Arizona 602 943-8119; Wet Rock Hats £18.99 plus £3.50 p&p www.completeoutdoors.co.uk tel: 01296 420163

·  Arctic Cooling Vests (gilets) also have those wonderful crystals inside the fabric and if you put them in the freezer for two hours will stay cool for approximately 2 hours wear, cost around £80 plus £9 shipping www.arcticheat.com.au

     tel: Queensland 00617 5522 1552

Along with the 99p hand-held fans some of the above may help those who suffer from the heat in the Chamber during the summer months – although not the cooling sprays!!

…OR BE COSY!!

If, however, you are permanently cold – please wear suitable clothes, use the travelling rugs available and consider using a hot water/gel bottle, which can, of course, be filled with iced water if you are ‘hot-stuff’!!

MID-WEEK PHYSIOTHERAPY

Due to popular demand we now offer Physiotherapy on Wednesdays as well as Tuesdays, Thursdays and alternate Saturday mornings. We are also extremely fortunate to now have a volunteer physiotherapist, Joseph, working alongside Sunita when circumstances dictate.

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson went on a camping trip.

In the middle of the night Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend.

"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see...."

Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars"

"What does that tell you Watson?"

"Well...astronomically, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.

Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three.

Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.

Why what does it tell you?"

Holmes was silent for a moment, then spoke.....

"Watson someone has stolen our tent!!"

Wedded Bliss !!

Two antennae got married. The wedding was great but the reception was terrible !!

(just like these jokes) ! !

The Invisible Man and Invisible Woman got married then had family. Apparently the kids are nothing to look at !!!

DUNDEE AS IT WIS!

When Dundee fowk sit doon the gither, hiv ye noticed in among their blether

That those magic words of yester-year, hiv slowly begun tae disappear

So for tonight lets reminisce on some Dundee words that’s taen a twist.

It’s cupboard noo, that once wis press, and a mirror wis a lookin’ gless

A purn is now a cotton bobbin, and pilferin’ – we ca’d it dobbin

A launderette was aye a steamie, and a coverall wis jist a peenie

Repairing yarn wis a caird o’ worsit, styes were whit they now call corsets

Slightly off, we jist said foustie, and weather-worn was jist plain roostie

A maik in Dundee wis a huppenny, an’ half a bender wis a thruppenny

Under stress wis just plain trachled, ill-fitting shoes, yir sheen wiz bachled

The tan-sad’s noo a baby-buggy, and a sparrow wis aye jist a spuggie

The pigeon now remains a Doo, but the watterie is now a loo

Breaking wind wis cried a ruft and bein’ stood-up, ye wir duffed

For training shoes we had sannies and caretakers then were jist jannies

A paper-bag wis aye a poke, and nauseated means ye’ve ta’en the boke

Well dressed meant bein’ awfy tricky, and a little drop wis jist a ticky

Don’t understand meant ye didnae twig and a little sip wis jist a swig

A metal fastener wis a safety-peen, conjunctivitis – scubby een

Pimple back then wis a plook and swimming wis takin’ a dook

Dirty feet, they were barkit, cowardy custards now are chicken-hearted

A ball bounces now, it disnae stot, and ‘let me try’ wiz ‘gies a shot’

At great speed wiz an awfy tek, redundancy – we got the seck

It’s take a look, no hae a gander, and take a walk wiz hae a dander

Fowk now gibber where we did haver, imagine flys instead o’ spaver

A fag-end used to be a doupie and Riverside Park wiz aye the Coupie

I’m glad to say that in Dundee a drain remains a plain auld cundie!!

AQUA-GYM AT THE OLYMPIA

A range of in-water exercises units – e.g. aqua-cycle, aqua-rower, aqua-stepper and many more – specifically designed for people with mobility challenges to improve their health and well-being with regular activity sessions on equipment designed to reduce the normal work-out stress on joints and muscles. It is aimed mainly at adults although some people aged under 16 years of age can use this equipment if they are over 4 feet tall and accompanied by an adult. Contact MR. Stewart Lennon on 01382 432302 to discuss arrangements for a free introductory session.

A HUGE THANK YOU….

to everyone who supports the Centre so magnificently whether by - adding their input to the general cheery, friendly atmosphere; donating that precious commodity – time, that invaluable quality - expertise and of course the absolutely necessary – funds. Fundraising continues to be as successful as it is diverse, from saving pennies to undertaking all manner of sponsored events and an absolute must to guarantee our future although the person who put a cardbard Early Learning Centre ‘penny’ into one of our collecting cans was surely pushing the boundaries of reality!!

HELP! - OUR MATERIAL WORLD IS RATTLING DOWN!!

As everyone is constantly reminded of the need to fundraise perhaps we should provide some details of why this is so necessary and also measures required to minimise needless expense.

The ‘details’ are:

·  We are a totally self-funding, self-help group receiving no statutory funding whatsoever and contrary to popular belief have absolutely no financial ties with the national health service.

·  With good house-keeping we try to keep our outgoings to a minimum and the recommended £6 donation for a session in the chamber is by far the lowest in Scotland and indeed, only £2 greater than the original £4 donation agreed when the Centre opened 25 years ago!!

·  The £5 charge – not donation – for each physiotherapy session again is as minimal as we can possibly make it and far below the commercial rate for non-N.H.S. funded physiotherapy sessions!!

·  The masks used in the chamber cost £600 each to buy, £95 each for annual maintenance plus the cost of any repairs deemed necessary.

·  The grey coach seats in the chamber cost around £230.

·  A new loo to replace the cracked one will cost in the region of £400 plus labour costs.

·  The cost of the wood repair to the skirting board required at the bottom of the ramp has yet to be investigated.

The ‘measures’ required to minimise such expenses are:

·  Take extra care when handling the masks to ensure they are not dropped (if you feel unable to hang the masks up at the end of the session please just ensure they are kept safely on your knee until such time as the operator can hang them up for you).

·  Be spatially aware throughout the centre, particularly if using a wheelchair/rollator etc which can so easily cause accidental damage and do please use the handrails provided in the loos to assist transferring from wheelchairs.

·  When the Centre was both extended and refurbished particular care was taken to provide a maximum comfort zone for our members while adhering to relevant building regulations and requirements. E.g. we just managed to fit in a ramp within the prescribed steepness of incline and our loos in Unit 12B were designed and installed by a large, disabled, wheelchair-bound man, who was a past Access Group Chairman, to guarantee maximising meeting as many needs as possible.

Please be assured we do not wish to diminish anyone’s enjoyment/use of the Centre, quite the reverse, by being aware of costly pitfalls our members can retain and benefit from the smart appearance and overall relaxing atmosphere of their Centre for longer for less!!

 MS empathy experience kit

Contains everything you need to simulate the effects of living with MS.

An ideal gift for family member, friend or care giver!!!  (Weights and measures can be adjusted depending upon how much someone has upset you)

Each kit comes with the following:

1pr, 10lb wrist weights, 15lb thigh weights & 20lb ankle weights

20 steel wool pads & 1 bag small pebbles

1pr, extra thick glove, extra thick shirtsleeves & extra thick trouser legs

1 syringe of Saline solution

1 tens unit & 1 wide belt

1pr foggy glasses - made by by smearing petroleum jelly on lens or using someone else's prescription glasses.

Assortment of bungee cords

1pr earplugs

Box of gnats (when in season)

1 revolving chair in the shopping centre

1 bottle of Jack Daniels & packet of Marshmallows

1 remote controlled 0.5-litre water bag complete with drip tube

Directions - depending on your condition, you can use any or all items in this kit

1.  Painful heavy legs:

Simply apply tightly to partner ankle and thigh weights

2.  Painful feet:

Put equal or unequal amounts of small pebbles in each shoe.

3.  Loss and feeling in hands and /or arms.

Put on extra thick clothes and shirt sleeves

4.Loss of feeling in feet and/or legs:

Put on extra thick trousers and sand in shoes.

5. Uncontrollable itching:

Glue or sew steel wool pads to inside of shirt/blouse, trousers and undergarments.

6. Tingling:

Apply “Tens” unit electrodes to persons skin and turn on to the desired intensity.

7. Trouble lifting arms:

Apply wrist weights.

8. Spacticity:

Hook bungee cords to rear belt loops and rear trouser leg cuffs. For arms, hook bungee cords to collar and cuff on sleeves. (now you try and move your limbs)

9.Poor Vision:

Use foggy glasses

10.Poor hearing/buzzing in ears:

Put a gnat and earplug in each ear.

11.Balance and walking problems:

Have person drink Jack Daniels while spinning in revolving chair for 30 minutes, and then have them try to walk through a crowded area!

12.Urgency to go to the loo!

Have person put 0.5 litre remote control water bag and drip tube in their pants; point out 2 loos in the crowded shopping centre. Tell them they have 30 seconds before you activate the water bag (by remote control) to get to one of the toilets. Activate the water bag early!!(this is my favourite – Judy)

13.Difficulty with speech and swallowing:

Put several marshmallows in ‘victims’ mouth and ask them to speak.

To make the above effective the person must participate for 24hours.

After this, they may look at you and your  (often hidden) disabilities with new wonder and admiration as to how on earth you cope.

MID-WEEK PHYSIOTHERAPY

Due to popular demand we now offer Physiotherapy on Wednesdays as well as Tuesdays, Thursdays and alternate Saturday mornings. We are also extremely fortunate to now have a volunteer physiotherapist, Joseph, working alongside Sunita when circumstances dictate.

GOOD-BYE AND GOOD LUCK

Carol Walford, our continence advisor has now retired and we wish her a long and happy retirement. Carol’s expert advice and support during her 20 years visiting our centre were invaluable at a time when continence problems affecting people with M.S. were poorly managed and there was little or no specialised help available. Carol was very popular with our members and will be missed. Our best wishes for the future from all at Peddie Street, Carol.

Things have moved on slowly during those 20 years and continence advise can now be accessed via the M.S. nurses within the N.H.S. or please have a chat with Aileen.

DID YOU NOTICE???

Wherever you go nowadays there are posters, advertising hoardings, flyers, junk mail etc etc BUT here in the Centre we rely on posters and it is really important that you check for any new ones and read them. When you take into account we have mainly part-time staff, an army of faithful volunteers and members who often come to the Centre on a weekly basis only, there is no other method to keep people informed without incurring huge stationery and postage expenses…so to ensure everyone is kept ‘in the loop’ please make an effort to ‘take notice’ – thank you.

No VAT on new cars?

A little-known change to the VAT law, effective from 1st April 2001 means that disabled people can buy and new car (& in some instances a used car ) at the zero rate of VAT. 

All vehicles adapted specifically for wheelchair users qualify (up to a maximum of 12 person size) this really does sound too good to be true but it is. You can obtain a pamphlet on the subject by calling HM Customs and Excise on 0845 010 9000.   Subsequent repairs and maintenance are or zero-rated. 

Please request a leaflet if you are thinking about purchasing a new vehicle to get all proper information, you can save money.

Views expressed in this Newsletter are individual and cannot necessarily be endorsed by M S Therapy (Tayside) Ltd