The Disability Information and Resource Centre

Brooke and Claire, Occupational Therapy students from the University of South Australia have created a survey on long term exercise for people with a disability:

WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS – Long Term Exercise and Rehabilitation Activities for People with Disabilities. Our names are Brooke and Claire, and we are Occupational Therapy students from the University of South Australia. We are currently undertaking a community development project aiming to find out what the barriers are for people with disabilities when accessing long term exercise or rehabilitation activities in the community. If you are a person with a disability, or support someone with a disability, please take a couple of minutes to fill out our short survey. The answers you provide will be valuable to our project and will hopefully lead to improvement of services in the future for people with disabilities.

Please follow this link to participate in our survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PDF3863

National Conference 22-23 March 2010

This national conference over two days will explore the emerging agenda of consumer-centred health care.

It is an event not to be missed for anyone with a passion for reforming our health system so that consumers and their families are at the centre of the system – in practice as well as in rhetoric.

Speakers include

• Christine Bennett, Chair, National Health and Hospital Reform Commission
• Ian Hickie, Executive Director, Brain and Mind Institute, Sydney University
• Just Stoelwinder, Chair, Health Services Management, Monash University
• Maxine Drake, Health Consumers’ Council of WA
• Siegried Drews, Web2Care, Consumer-Directed Care Management
• Philip Davies, Health Systems and Policy, University of Qld
• Barry Welsh, Ministry of Health, New Zealand
• Enrico Coiera, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, UNSW
• Coralie Wales, President Chronic Pain Australia
• Russell McGowan, Health Care Consumers Association ACT
• Di Batterham, Westgate Health Co-operative Ltd
• Angela Mackenzie, Paediatrician, Royal Children’s Hospital Vic
• Bruce Rumbold, Palliative Care Unit, LaTrobe University

Key themes include

• Commonwealth reform initiatives: making change happen
• Organising and empowering health consumers
• Medicare Select: policy design and opt-in health plans
• Self-care and self-management in health
• Consumer-directed aged care
• Consumer-centred innovation in mental health
• Consumer-centred innovation in drug and alcohol rehabilitation
• Consumer-centred systems
• Consumer-centred funding arrangements
• Chronic illness consolidated budgets
• Capitation-based payment systems
• Health brokers, care co-ordinators, health info-mediaries
• Community engagement in health reform
• Partnerships between practitioners and consumers

Who Should Attend?

• Health consumers and self-help groups
• Carers and family support organisations
• Health providers and practitioners
• Health services and community sector organisations
• Health researchers and analysts
• Health funds
• Corporates with an interest in better health care
• Governments and policy makers

The venue is Angliss Conference Centre in Melbourne’s CBD, corner of LaTrobe and Kin Streets, close to public transport and a range of accommodation options.

Click here for the program.

Click here to register.

The South Australian Amputee Golf Association is proud to present, in conjunction with the Government of South Australia Office for Recreation and Sport, coaching clinics for men, women and children. This is an opportunity to interact with other people who have had an amputation and their families.

The clinics could be conducted in a variety of locations. The organisers are willing to come to rehab centres to meet and coach people who have recently had an amputation and to travel out into country and regional areas to run clinics. The plan is that this expert tuition will culminate in people participating in the SA Amputee Golf Open Tournament from 10th – 13th November 2009 at the Adelaide Shores Golf Park.

Clinics will be conducted by Gareth Jones ph. (08) 8356 4811 and Gary Hart mobile 0417 894 557. Call them to make a booking. Gareth is the head coach at Adelaide Shores Golf Park and former assistant coach at the Australian Institute of Sport. Gary is two times winner of the Australian Open Nett and recipient of the Australian Open Encouragement Award. Further information can be found at www.saaga.org.au and you can register in the calendar section.

If you have had a stroke and have chronic weakness down one side Dr. Maarten Immink would like to hear from you. He is currently recruiting volunteer participants for a research project being conducted by the School of Health Sciences at UniSA, Adelaide, South Australia.

This project is investigating outcomes associated with participation in a 12-week yoga and meditation program involving weekly group classes and home practice. The program is entirely free for participants and they get to keep the materials they are given for the program (yoga mat, CD & home program booklet).

Please feel free to contact Dr. Maarten Immink, Principal Investigator – Yoga for Stroke Project ph: (08) 8302 267 if you would like to participate in the program or have any questions.