AMPUTEE SUPPORT ASSOCIATION
SUNSHINE COAST INC.
P.O. Box 1374, BUDERIM QLD 4556
NEWSLETTER
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GENERAL MEETING
Meetings are held the 3rd TUESDAY of each month at 10 A.M. at
EDUCATION CENTRE, HIBISCUS RETIREMENT RESORT Lakehead Drive, Chancellor Park
For information please contact: President: 5493 4346
(No Meeting in December or January) |
September 2015 to November2015 |
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President: Cliff Hargreaves 5493 4346
Secretary: Debbie Murr 5478 9286
Treasurer: Bob McClintock 5443 4561
Committee Members:
Joy Laxton 5442 1860
Graham Flatters 5477 1818
Welfare/Liaison Cliff Hargreaves 5493 4346
Newsletter Editor Karen Nicholson nicholsons.finance@gmail.com
Contact Debbie Murr debbie@amputeesupport.net.au
Website www.amputeesupport.net.au
Patrons:
Fiona Simpson MP 5443 7995
Member for Maroochydore
Jarrod Bleijie MP 5478 1189
Member for Kawana
Clinics by Appointments Only
Nambour Clinic – 3rd Thursday of each Month
For Appointment Telephone: (07) 3636 7286
Currimundi Clinic, Coora Street, Currimundi – 1st and 3rd Thursday of each Month
For an Appointment telephone: 3266 1255
Disclaimer: The material contained in this publication is in the nature of general comment only and never purports, nor is intended to be advice on any particular matter.
Readers should not act or rely upon any matter or information contained or implied by this publication without taking appropriate professional advice which relates specifically to their particular circumstances. The Association expressly disclaims all and any liability to any person whether an Association member or note, who acts or fails to act as a consequence of reliance upon the whole or part of the publication.
AGM 2015
President’s Report
As we enter our 23rd year our membership is still around 100 and our area extends from Caboolture to Hervey Bay. We hold 10 general meetings, 2 free lunches and 2 subsidised dinners a year. These functions are very important as they bring us together to enjoy one another’s company and for some, it is their only outing. The general meetings are well attended with 17-20 at each and the cuppa and a bite to eat allows the members to chat to one another. The 2 free lunches at Coco’s at Currimundi in September and March had 25-30 members present. The Christmas Dinner in December was a huge success with 80 adults and children in attendance. This was followed by the Christmas in July dinner with 50 adults and children present. At the dinner in December we presented Maureen and Chris Price with a plaque in appreciation of their years of service to the Association.
The Easter Raffle is our main source of income but we can see some problems coming before too long. As we move towards a cashless society more people are using their eftpos cards for purchases. This becomes a problem when we are selling tickets at $1 each or 6 for $5. We will need to find some other method of raising money. We would welcome any suggestions. In January we had a sausage sizzle at Bunnings in Caloundra. The Lions Club of Lake Currimundi and Kawana ran the show for us which gave our finances a boost. Once again a big thank you to the Lions for their help.
We send out 4 newsletters a year and it takes a lot of work to compile the articles and put it together so it can be printed then assembled and sent out. When Maureen retired as secretary at our last AGM she still wanted to do the newsletter. However her health wasn’t improving so we had to look elsewhere. Karen Nicholson from Enterprise Self Storage Sheds at Caloundra has compiled the last 2 for us and we are so grateful for her help.
The management of the Association is run by the executive. At the moment we only have 5 people on the executive and we need to spread the workload. Our functions take a lot of organising and it would be a great help if we had some assistance. As for membership of the executive, Debbie our secretary who took over from Maureen, is our youngest and the other 4 are in the 70-80 years plus bracket. I know that the 80 year olds are wearing out and it would be wonderful to find some younger members to help them. Sadly we lost 3 of our members in the last year. One celebrated his 100th Birthday in November but passed away in February.
The full time prosthetist Sunshine Orthopaedic Services in Nambour is doing very well while the Artificial Limbs and Appliances clinic at Currimundi is still held twice a month.
I want to say a big thank you to our executive for the way they support me. A big thank you to you, our members, for the way you come to the functions and support our raffles. Without you there would be no association. Also a big thank you to Mr Martin Butler from Enterprise Self Storage Sheds at Caloundra for continuing to donate a shed in which to store our equipment.
Finally, speaking for myself, I know the workload is not getting any easier and I would welcome the opportunity for someone else to take my place. I wouldn’t walk away and would be there if needed to help out. This is a great association with a wonderful membership. It is well known all over the coast especially in the hospitals and I would hate to see it collapse through lack of leadership.
Secretary’s Report
AGM August 2015
Wow! I find it hard to believe that 1 year has passed so quickly, with me being secretary for the Association. I have managed to squeeze this in on top of work, another volunteer position I have for Reiki Australia, and caring for my step-father Russell.
It has been a busy year for me. Cliff keeps me on my toes with regular phone calls of what is happening and what is coming up for us.
We had our first free luncheon at Cocos Currimundi Tuesday 9th September.
The Mooloolaba Bowls Club looked after us very well for our Christmas lunch 14th December. With the help of the Lions Club, who do an amazing job, we had a sausage sizzle at Bunnings Caloundra 11th January.
I nominated Cliff for a senior citizens award with the Sunshine Coast Australia Day awards. Although he didn’t win, we had a lovely morning which was very well organised and entertaining. All the volunteers nominated are winners.
Some of us attended QALS Forum held at Brisbane Convention Centre 14th March. We had our Easter raffle at Kawana Shoppingworld in March. For the first time we had the tickets printed and I stapled them.
On 24th March we had our second free luncheon at Cocos Currimundi.
We had our Christmas in July lunch at Mooloolaba Bowls Club. Once again we were very well looked after and the food was delicious.
I would like to say a special thank you to Joy Laxton for printing, stapling, folding and posting our newsletters. This is a time consuming task which she manages very well.
Thanks to Bob and Cliff for their continued support.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our meetings and functions this year.
Regards, Debbie
UPCOMING EVENTS
15th September Amputee Support meeting. 10am Education Centre, Hibiscus Retirement Resort, Lakehead Drive Chancellor Park
20th October Amputee Support meeting. 10am Education Centre, Hibiscus Retirement Resort, Lakehead Drive Chanccellor Park
17th November Amputee Support meeting, 10am Education Centre, Hibiscus Retirement Resort, Lakehead Drive Chancellor Park
Christmas lunch 13th December Mooloolaba Bowls Club 12noon Please bring a small gift so everyone receives a gift
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This horse broke his leg during a race. As he
was not going to compete anymore his owner
decided to send him to slaughter. Fortunately
an animal sanctuary rescued him, giving him
the opportunity to live in a place where he is
not valued in terms of profit.
Now he has a home where he is respected.
(From the Animal Equality Facebook page)
“You don’t stop laughing because you grow old.
You grow old because you stop laughing.”
“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though they know you are slightly cracked.”
“To be seventy years YOUNG is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years OLD.”
“Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.”
“We do not stop playing because we are old.
We grow old because we stop playing.”
FROM PETER WILLIAMS
Rule# 1. Carry a set of Allen Keys!
I learnt this very important lesson while riding my CanAm Spyder.
I was out enjoying a fabulous Sunshine Coast day riding in our beautiful hinterland. Not a care in the world, all good!
I sensed that my prosthetic leg was feeling a bit lighter than normal. I looked down and was surprised to see that my foot had detached from my leg and was sitting on the foot board of the bike.
I stopped and picked up my foot grateful that it hadn’t fallen off as I would not have been able to get off the bike to retrieve it.
I wasn’t carrying a set of Allen Keys with me so I wasn’t able to re attach my foot.
Problem solving now kicking in I decided to stuff the foot complete with shoe down the front of my jacket. A tight fit and not a good look !!
I rode the bike home with my unrestrained leg flapping in the breeze. It felt weird and unbalanced as well as looking bizarre to other motorists!
I arrived home and parked in the garage and again realised that I still can’t get off the bike. Problem solving kicking in again. I need to get off the bike and GO!!
I could hear my neighbour Nathan working on his car in his driveway so I yelled out for him to help me!
You should have seen his face when he saw me sitting on the bike with my foot in my hand!
He quickly got the appropriate Allen Key and I secured my foot. At last I was able to get off my bike and could finally GO!
Amputees should always carry a set of Allen Keys!!
World’s first ‘feeling’ leg prosthesis offers new hope to amputees
Jun 8, 2015 4:41 AM
World’s first ‘feeling’ leg prosthesis offers new hope to amputees
The world’s first artificial leg capable of simulating the feelings of a real limb and fighting phantom pain will be unveiled by researchers in Vienna on Monday.
The innovation is the result of a two-fold process, developed by Professor Hubert Egger at the University of Linz in northern Austria.
Surgeons first rewired remaining foot nerve endings from a patient’s stump to healthy tissue in the thigh, placing them close to the skin surface.
Six sensors were then fitted to the foot sole of a lightweight prosthesis, and linked to so-called stimulators inside the shaft where the stump sits.
“It’s like a second lease of life, like being reborn,” Austrian amputee Wolfgang Rangger, told AFP ahead of Monday’s media launch.
The former teacher, who lost his right leg in 2007 after suffering a blood clot caused by a cerebral stroke, has spent the last six months testing the new prosthesis.
“It feels like I have a foot again. I no longer slip on ice and I can tell whether I walk on gravel, concrete, grass or sand. I can even feel small stones,” he said.
The 54-year-old also runs, cycles and goes climbing. When he moves, the limp is barely noticeable.
Every time Rangger takes a step or applies pressure, the small sensor devices send signals to the brain.
“In a healthy foot, skin receptors carry out this function but they are obviously missing here. However, the information conductors — the nerves — are still present, they’re just not being stimulated,” Egger said.
“The sensors tell the brain there is a foot and the wearer has the impression that it rolls off the ground when he walks. All things considered, the procedure is a very simple one given the results.”
This is not the first time the Austrian scientist has caused a stir with his research.
In 2010, he presented a mind-controlled prosthetic arm, which the user directed with motor neurons previously connected to the lost limb.
For the artificial leg, the principle remains the same except that the process works in reverse: information is guided from the prothesis to the brain, rather than the other way around.
- No more morphine - In addition to increasing balance and safety, the prosthesis provides another remarkable function: it has helped eradicate the excruciating pain Rangger had experienced for years following his amputation.
“I was barely able to walk with a conventional prosthesis, didn’t sleep for more than two hours a night and needed morphine to make it through the day,” he recalled.
But within days of undergoing the operation last October, the pain vanished.
As Egger points out, phantom pain occurs because the brain gets increasingly sensitive as it seeks information about the missing limb.
“Plus the amputation is often tied to a traumatic experience like an accident or illness, and the mind keeps reliving these memories,” he noted.
The advantage of the “feeling prosthesis” is that the brain once again receives real data and can stop its frantic search.
“Rangger is a very different person now to the one I met in 2012,” Egger said.
The two men were introduced to each other at a support group for amputees.
“It struck me that he never laughed and he had these dark rings under his eyes. It was awful.”
Importantly, post-surgery recovery is quick and there are no known health dangers associated with the intervention, he added.
“The only risk is that the nerves don’t reconnect properly and the feelings fail to return,” he said.
With the new technology ready, Egger now hopes that small companies will join his venture and start building the prosthesis to help bring down the market price.
At the moment, a high-tech foot model costs between 10,000 euros ($11,240) and 30,000 euros.
Egger believes his latest project could vastly improve quality of life for amputees, including in developing countries.
“People with amputations aren’t patients in the traditional sense, they aren’t sick — they’re just missing a limb,” he said.
“By giving them back mobility, they also regain their independence and are able to reintegrate into society. That’s what I work for.”
Birthdays for September Tess Bilton, Marc Burton, Margaret Gourlay, Malcolm Hall, Lynette Joass, Nita Lait, Chris Price, Maria Rieley, Emil Wright
Birthdays for October Michael Berry, Robert Brown(Flaxton), Jim Chaplin, Stan Foxley-Conolly, Betty Gilliland, Gail Hargreaves, Kathleen Harrison, Joy Laxton, Peter Molloy, Darryl Oliver, Joan Pascoe, Lurline Platten, Brian Poulter, Finn Smith
Birthdays for November Dean Belbin, Patricia Gray, Gail Molloy, Tom Muggeridge, Peggy Paine, Bruce Whitlock
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Support Groups and Resources
Amputee Support Association Sunshine Coast Inc. Artificial Limbs & Appliances Pty. Ltd. Aged & Community Hotline Aged Care Queensland Brisbane Prosthetics and Orthotics Caloundra Community Health Services Carers Queensland – Maroochydore Commonwealth Carelink Community Alternative Transport Services (Maroochydore) Council on the Ageing Disability Information Service Elder Abuse Helpline Goodwill Orthopaedics Home Assist Caloundra Home Assist Maroochydore Home Assist Noosaville Lifeline Sunshine Coast Maroochy Home Assist Secure Maroochydore Community Health Services M.A.S.S. (Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme) Meals on Wheels Caloundra Meals on Wheels Coolum Beach Meals on Wheels Maroochydore Meals on Wheels Nambour Meals on Wheels Tewantin-Noosa Nambour Community Health Services Nambour & District Care (including Transport) Noosa Community Health Services Queensland Amputee Limb Service (QALS) Royal Brisbane Hospital for Appointments St Vincent de Paul Caloundra St Vincent de Paul Maroochydore St Vincent de Paul Nambour St Vincent de Paul Noosaville Suncoast Cabs Ltd, Disabled Person Taxi Suncoast Community Cabs Suncoast Transport and Care (formerly H.A.C.C.) Sunshine Orthopaedic Services The St John’s Ambulance – Silver Cord Telephone The Salvation Army Currimundi The Salvation Army Maroochydore The Salvation Army Community Services Nambour Veteran’s Home Care Veteran’s Home Maintenance |
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AMPUTEE SUPPORT ASSOCIATION SUNSHINE COAST INC.
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