Deciding right app update - UK

Claud Regnard writes: You may already be aware of the NHS Deciding right app which is part of the Deciding right programme in the north east, Cumbria and London (see www.nescn.nhs.uk/deciding-right).

The app is a guide to support any health or social care professional through the process of making care decisions in advance for people who will or may lose capacity in the future, who have already lost capacity for those decisions or never had capacity. This app does not provide answers, but will ensure that the way an individual's care decisions are made comply with the Mental Capacity Act.

The app covers decision making in individuals with and without capacity, including children and young people. It includes a checklist for assessing the validity and applicability of a care decision made in advance.

The app has now been extensively revised and updated throughout and includes new sections on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and withdrawing life sustaining devices.

The app is free to all and available on:

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indigomultimedia.decidingright&hl=en_GB

Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/deciding-right/id918441387?mt=8

As soon as the NHS app site has been upgraded, the app will be submitted there.

The content of the app has had input from a large number of experts who are listed in the acknowledgements. We have done our best to eliminate errors but if you spot errors or have suggestions, please let me know.

Claud Regnard, FRCP
Honorary consultant in Palliative Care Medicine, St. Oswald's Hospice, Regent Avenue, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 1EE

Roma feminists navigate the tricky terrain of ethnic stereotypes

Intro paragraphs from an article by Carmen Gheorghe on Open Society Foundations website, March 10th, 2016:

Last year, as the news broke in the Romanian media that a man who had died of AIDS had infected over 30 young women with HIV, it became clear to me that much needed to be done on sexual education in Romania. In Roma communities in particular, there is a lack of information on the taboo topics of sexuality and reproduction.

Along with other member organizations of the Coalition for Gender Equality, E-Romnja, an association that advocates for Roma women’s rights, started campaigning for mandatory sexual education at all school levels across the country.

The Ministry of Health expressed its support for the initiative, while the Ministry of Education, more reluctant at first, finally announced that it would publicly consult with teachers on the issue….

Read the article here.

Rough and Tumble play – video from raisingchildren.net

From the website: This short video is about rough play like chasing and wrestling. These are good things for dads to do with their kids. You can have fun together and strengthen your bond at the same time. As well as being good exercise, it helps children learn how strong they are.

You should always be gentle with young children so they don’t get hurt

Go to: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/rough_play_video.html

Therapy may lessen effects of cerebral palsy – University of Auckland

Extract from article by Shaun Heasley, March 18, 2016: Spending time standing on a special vibration plate may lead to stronger bones, better mobility and an improved outlook for those with cerebral palsy, a new study suggests.

Researchers say that after 20 weeks of what’s called whole-body vibration training, kids and young adults with cerebral palsy saw a range of benefits.

For the study, 40 individuals ages 11 to 20 with the developmental disability stood on the vibration plate for nine minutes a day, four times a week.

“We expected them to increase their bone mass and muscle mass, which is what happened. What we didn’t expect was that their day-to-day functioning would also improve”

said Silmara Gusso of the University of Auckland in New Zealand who led the study published online this month in the journal Scientific Reports.

Read more from DisabilityScoop: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/03/18/therapy-lessen-effects-cerebral/22055/