In promoting the 'Don't Call Me Mum' initiative and asking practitioners to #CallMe, I often hear the excuse that a hospital professional is simply too busy. It is easy in the bustle of the hospital ward to mistakenly regard the details as unimportant. Like the panoramic view of any hospital stay might include the admission [...]
Ever feel like you are losing control? One of the first things to disappear when becoming the parent of a child with complex needs, is a sense of control. Some people live deluded that they are the masters of their own destiny, but for parents of someone with disabilities, the weeks ahead are shaped by [...]
I’m not sure where to start because there are so many of you who have the opportunity to deliver personalised care. Maybe you’re one of the many therapists (Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Speech And Language Therapist to name but a few) who collude and agree when it’s best to meet and then ask that I adhere [...]
November. It’s that time of year again when Pudsey is dusting off his eye patch and schools around the country are asking children to come in wearing spots (because we all have spotty clothes in our cupboards) to raise money for Children in Need. What could possibly be wrong with [...]
It’s the 11th October 2021, there is a severe weather front closing in and I have written about it before. I’m braced for impact. It’s my son’s 16th birthday tomorrow I am full of so much joy, pride, gratitude and love. I am brimming with heartache, loss and grief. Weather fronts are the transition boundary [...]
I went for my weekly sunrise walk with a dear friend this morning. It started a few months ago in lockdown as yoga on the beach (45mins talking, 10mins yoga) but as recent weeks have brought the cold, we have taken to walking, talking and clinging onto steaming mugs of tea and coffee. Going from [...]
An open letter. I respect you. I really do. You obviously care and have years of experience. You haven't had a personality transplant to take this job. You want to help people, to help families like mine. You are in such a difficult position. You're the face of the bureaucrats. The ones who get to say [...]
Ever feel like you are losing control? One of the first things to disappear, when I became the parent of a child with complex needs, was a sense of control. Once I foolishly thought I was the master of your own destiny. Suddenly, the weeks ahead of me were moulded and shaped by a growing [...]
I’m not sure where to start because there are so many of you. Maybe you’re one of the many therapists (OT, PT, SALT) who collude and agree when it’s best to meet and then ask I adhere to your agreed date and time. Please know, I’m grateful for your input, skills and knowledge. I know [...]
“It’s just so hard, it's constant, not just physically but emotionally and mentally.” I muster every ounce of ‘I hear you’, with a simple nod. In slightly more frantic tones she continues, “it isn’t that it isn’t good, it is wonderful, she is deligh…” “Stop, you don’t need to explain.” Three times this week I [...]
