Notes from the Neuro Café on 27th January 2021.
Social Prescribing
This is a recent initiative from the NHS, the idea being that treatment for mental and physical health does not necessarily come in a bottle or packet of pills. This includes suggestions for helpful advice and activities - broad approach hoping to aid the recovery process. Elements include legal advice, help with finding (new) activities to do, joining community groups. The idea behind this is that you need more than medicine alone to recover from illness.
There are link workers to help to guide people. Look at https://www.healthylondon.org
Explanation of social prescribing:https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/social-prescribing/
There are local databases to link you up to local people. Eg LEGS have links to groups in West London. You can email conor@legs.org.uk to request more information.
LEGS people in lockdown
What are LEGS people doing during lockdown? Our activities include:
Learning a new skill
Making art
YouTube for videos and talks, and learning something even if just for fun. Plenty of online courses available.
Eventbrite
Investigate what Eventbrite has to offer: lots of different activities from talks to exercise classes
Zoom social groups
Be part of a Zoom stroke group
Be part of a university group
Local activities
Go to a local day centre, it can be good fun.
Local health trusts might be able to point you to art groups, gardening groups, general advice for things like transport, financial concerns, walking programmes, community activities.
Nextdoor
An app for your local area where you can meet people and maybe find some neighbourhood solidarity
Mobility
There are cycling groups. One group went out on tricycles with big comfortable saddles!
Nordic walking groups go out regularly.
image: www.quingoscooters.com
Scooters
Electric scooters cost around £4000 or £1800 on Ebay.
You might get financial help to buy one through your local council or motability scheme.
Second-hand scooters might be ok, there is a company in Lancashire who sell refurbished ones.
Some scooters have paddles. When you take your hands off, scooter stops dead.
When buying, check for:manual brake and wide base at the back.
Check to see if it is stable, especially for cornering. Cheap ones tend not to be stable.
You can go outside to shops, leave scooter outside, do your shopping, put the goods in scooter then return home.Some shops are better than others and you may be allowed inside with scooter. Do check beforehand.
One LEGS participant knocked over a champagne pyramid on a visit; this could be costly!
Quingo is good but may have battery problems. Harley Davidson is super.
You can overcharge the battery, charge every 2nd or 3rd night.Lithium batteries are best. They do not set fire to themselves (!) Print out what battery you have if you go on a plane to show the airline it complies with regulations. You can even take out the battery and put in overhead locker. Buy lithium - less likely to catch fire.
Forthcoming activities
Conor suggested we all attempt some drawing next week
Suggestion to sketch Julie's seedlings if they have grown!
Please have pens, papers and pencils ready for next week's session
Please contact Conor if you have any suggestions for subjects for discussion or suggestions of things to try.
COVID-19 vaccination
You might have as little as 30 minutes' notice to mobilise when vaccinations are available in your area.
It was suggested to visit a centre towards the end of a session: if there are vaccines left over, you may well be able to obtain one.
Reiterated: you might like to remind your GP that as someone who has a neurological condition, you should be classed in the extremely vulnerable category. If you have a letter to this effect you can copy it to GP by email. Level 4 includes people who have had a stroke.