Cerebral Palsy Scotland

World Cerebral Palsy Day

What is it? How can you make your mark?

Bernie World CP DayOctober is usually the month of Halloween, but did you know that there is a very important day before it? Yes, that’s right – it is World Cerebral Palsy Day on the 6th! The special day is to raise awareness about the disability which affects 17 million people, around the world. There are many ways that you can show your support for World CP Day.

We all know that the world is a very different place this year due to the pandemic but we can still support Cerebral Palsy, in our own way. World CP Day is a great opportunity to tell people what the disability means and to make people aware that CP doesn’t stop anyone from achieving amazing things in life. The campaign for this year’s event is called ‘Make Your Mark’ which encourages people to share their achievements and experiences of living with CP.

There are many different ways that you can Make Your Mark:

  • Share your story of CP by going to the ‘World CP Day’ website and adding your story to the map
  • Share an achievement you have accomplished- old or new
  • Going green for CP by wearing the colour green or decorating your home in green as part of the #GoGreen4CP campaign which we have seen, in recent years

A big part of World Cerebral Palsy Day aims to make sure that everyone has easy access to support services, this is extra important this year. “To mark this day in support of Cerebral Palsy, I will be making my mark by creating a video to share my story of living with CP which will be posted on social media. I want to get the word out there that having CP, doesn’t stop me from doing what I want to do, yes life can be challenging but I always find a way”- Bernie Hunter

We at Cerebral Palsy Scotland would love to know what you are doing to mark World CP Day, let us know by going to our social media channels- we are ‘@CpScotland’ on Twitter & ‘@Cerebralpalsyscotland’ on Facebook.

Come on let’s raise awareness and turn the world green for Cerebral Palsy on October 6th 2020!  #MakeYourMark #GoGreen4CP

 

Life after lockdown – Survey Results

As restrictions have eased and some aspects of life have returned to something more like normal, how have things changed for people with CP?

Thank you to everyone who completed the survey about living with CP during the pandemic, and how it’s affecting your lives.

This is what the survey said:

  • 76% said that the Covid-19 situation had put more pressure on family life
  • Over 50% said that their family was more isolated as a result of the restrictions.
  • 71% reported that any care arrangements they had in place previously were not yet back to the levels they were pre-Covid.
  • 55% responded that their physical health had declined
  • 53% responded that their mental health had declined
  • 30% of the survey classed themselves as “shielding” although only 8% reported that they had received an official letter, reflecting how vulnerable people felt as a result of their condition.
  • 58% reported difficulty in accessing support from physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy with 51% only able to access healthcare services online or via telephone.
  • 79% of families have sent their children back to school but of those who haven’t, 20% felt that their school or nursery would not be safe and 20% reported that the school or nursery could not currently accommodate their child.
  • 82% of respondents were happy with the level of support they had received from Cerebral Palsy Scotland.

What does this tell us?

Following on from the results of the Impact of COVID for people with CP May 2020, these updated results show that people with CP and their families have found restrictions particularly difficult, despite the need to combat COVID-19.

  • People feel more isolated and unsupported
  • Care and health services have not yet been fully restored
  • More than half report decline in physical and mental health and wellbeing
  • Many cannot access the health services they need

Read the survey results, other peoples experiences and the conclusion in full here. 

The previous survey results from May 2020 are available Impact of COVID for people with CP May 2020.

CP Connect – therapy and support during Covid

During the Covid outbreak, Cerebral Palsy Scotland’s CP Connect service is offering free therapy and support to children and adults.

CP Connect aims to help address the physical and emotional needs of people with CP at this time, and help build strength, mobility and confidence.

Find out more and register for CP Connect.

Digby Brown

Digby Brown Solicitors support the work of Cerebral Palsy Scotland and help parents of children with cerebral palsy find answers while seeking fair compensation.

To talk to someone about your family’s circumstances please contact us, we are here to help.

Euan’s Guide

Euan’s Guide

We’re Euan’s Guide, the award-winning disabled access charity. We’re best known for EuansGuide.com, the disabled access review website, making tens of thousands of accessible toilets safer using our Red Cord Cards and running the Euan’s Guide Access Survey, the UK’s largest and longest running survey of its kind.

Understanding the impact of COVID-19

Please help Cerebral Palsy Scotland build up a picture of the impact of the restrictions on the lives of people with cerebral palsy.

We recognise that the current crisis has put additional pressures on people. The survey we conducted in May was extremely helpful in painting a picture of what life was like for people with cerebral palsy during lockdown. The results of the survey were widely shared with Scottish Government and the NHS, University studies and umbrella bodies such as Neurological Alliance of Scotland and the Health and Social Care Alliance. The survey was even highlighted in an article in The Times this month. At Cerebral Palsy Scotland we used the findings to guide us on how we could support people during this time. Thank you for taking part.

Now that restrictions are easing, shielding is paused and the schools have returned, we would like to check in with you again to see how people are feeling now. This will help us build up a more robust evidence and track the impact of the restrictions for people with cerebral palsy over time.

By completing this short survey, you will help us to:

• check the services and support we are providing remain relevant and helpful,
• find out if we need to adapt our current services, or develop new ones,
• inform key agencies like the Scottish Government and the NHS about the issues faced by the CP community,
• report back to organisations that fund us about and additional pressures people are facing so we can secure the resources needed to help.

The survey will remain open until midnight on Tuesday 1 September. The more information we receive and the sooner we receive it, the more able we will be to deliver effective support to everyone that needs it.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey. We really appreciate your help.

Take the survey