Incredible people doing incredible things: Greetings and Kia Ora.
Data Base 3377 carers
Nga mihi nui, hope you are well.
Now this is called Murphy's Law.
We checked the Carer Supplement payment announced in last months
newsletter in March and they were correct. But upon an alert to
us that they had been decreased by several of our angry members
we have found they have indeed been decreased by $10.
Why has this happened? Our take on it and we have checked with W
& I (Thursday 5/4/07) for the new UCB rates.
As we know those getting the Carer Supplement would only get a $10
increase to UCB and those just receiving UCB only would get $20
increase. Therefore what they have done is give ALL receiving the
UCB a $20 increase and then decreased the Carer Supplement.
So it ends up right at the end of the day, now one would have thought
common sense would have been to send out a letter to those getting
Carer Support explaining this.......
Bet their phones have been going berserk!
Reminder:
Time to fill in the IRD rebate forms for school donations paid.
If you do not have a form contact IRD on 0800 227 774
Error: Support Group Co-ordinators.
In last month’s newsletter, correct version: Levin Colleen
Pene, Ph 06 368 6688.
Your Stories:
• I would just like to say that our 2 1/2 year old grandson
gives us so much joy. He makes us laugh every day. He has just moved
up to the "big Preschool" this week and he was so excited
when I collected him last Friday after a "transition visit".
His teacher told me to ask him what he saw in the cage during his
visit and he looked at me with a serious look on his dear little
face and told me that he saw a "Piggy Rabbit" - it turned
out that he was talking about the pet Guinea Pig. He has talked
about the "Piggy Rabbit" every day this week and I think
from now on in this household Guinea Pigs have a new name. Our grandson
is such a blessing to our family and is loved by our family and
friends. There is something very special about him and he brings
a lot of joy to a lot of people. Almost without exception my husband
and I are told each week by someone that they admire what we are
doing and how do we cope. Yes it's tough some days (especially last
week when he drew all over our walls and carpet with a black vivid
permanent marker!!) but the rewards we are getting far outweigh
the sacrifice we are making and yes there are a lot of sacrifices
that we all know about but we just get on with it and enjoy all
the love we are receiving in return from our precious little grandson.
Nanna J
• Our 11 year old grandson was talking about his fairly tumultuous
early life before he came to live with us, & how there were
lots of kids he knew in the same boat. He thought for a bit &
said, "But even so, I'm not that screwed up am I Nana? ..."Mate
", I replied, "You're a hero, a hero in your own life.”
I reckon our kids are little heroes. Helen
• Well we are certainly enjoying the littlest addition to
our family. After raising two daughters now aged 30 and 28, we find
ourselves raising our grand nephew aged 13 months. What a delightful
little man he is. At this age what delightful little things he gets
up to, too. We have had a Bishon Frise for the past 15 years and
she thought she was King Pin but not so these days. Over the past
4 months K and Kiri have had to find their place in the family and
who is in charge. Well K sits in his highchair discarding any food
items he is no longer interested in. Sometimes the toast, banana,
grapes don’t get 5 seconds on the tray when he suddenly heaves
them overboard for the waiting ball of fluff sitting patiently below.
A big toothy grin appears, K is very pleased with his generosity,
and Kiri is even more pleased. Prior to K coming into our lives
Kiri would only eat labeled dog food. Interesting isn’t it
when another small person has taken the limelight and eats grapes,
watermelon, pears, apple, etc. What’s good for the goose is
good for the gander so to speak. Kiri has put on ½ a kilo
since K’s arrival. But this dog is not complaining, she just
waits patiently below the highchair every mealtime, and then oopps!
More jetsam and flotsam. Mamma C
• Together with my partner (Grant) we are looking after my
three grandchildren, K (6), B (3) and N (20 months).
B is known in our family as "Mr Talk-A-Lot". He talks
all the time, from the moment his feet hit the floor in the morning
to bedtime (aahh blessed relief for the rest of us!) He asks a zillion
questions a day and often doesn't wait for the answer before he's
on to the next question. He doesn't stop talking even to visit the
toilet! The up-side is that I always know where he is, I just listen
for the babble. We live on a farm in the foothills of Canterbury.
Our garden is very large but also somewhat overgrown, so while the
children have been staying with us I have been out in the garden
as often as possible. B was "helping" me the other day
as I was weeding along the edge of some rocks and railway sleepers,
obviously an area that hadn't been touched for some years. As I
looked in despair at all the twitch and other weeds everywhere I
remarked to him that I had better ask Grant to spray these weeds,
to stop them springing up again. He said "Nana! Get the fly
spray from the kitchen cupboard!!"
Another time he was playing a game with his mum. She would ask him
to point to his ears and asked how many he had, same with his eyes,
nose etc. Then she asked him how many fingers he had, holding up
both hands. He thought for a moment, then said, "all of them!"
Nan A
From a 17 year old Grand-daughter:
A Broken Family.
August 14, 2001 was and still is the saddest day of my life; it
was the day I found out that my family had finally broken up. I
was with a friend that rainy day when my grandmother called and
told me that my brothers, sister, and I would be living with her
and my grandfather from now on. At this moment I knew in my heart
that my life would never be the same, I knew why all this was happening,
it had been going on for years now but I refused to believe. After
years of the confusion and wonder I came to my senses and it was
clear to me that drugs had torn my family apart. As I flopped down
on my friends couch all I could bring myself to say was "Thank
God that we all had somewhere to go, someone who cared, and someone
to take care of us.”
After my friend had dried my tears and was there to comfort me,
I began to think about everything that had happened. I remember
now that the year was 1998, I was only an 8 year old in the fourth
grade when we lost our house for the first time and had to move
in with my other grandmother. I had no clue why this was happening;
I thought that we were just going to stay for a little while because
my father was laid off from his job. A few months had come to past
and my grandmother had to go take care of her mother, so her house
became ours.
Strange people began coming to our house to talk to my mother and
father, I didn't like this because they were always dirty and looked
sick. A few weeks after my grandmother moved, my dad got his job
back. My mother was now taking care of us by herself and was almost
always either cleaning or spending time with us.
I enjoyed the way my mother was acting and thought that everything
would go back to the way it used to be, when we were happy, went
to church every Wednesday, she spent time with the family, and things
like that. Soon I noticed a change in my mother and I could tell
that she was becoming sick. Some days she would lie on the couch
and others she would just sleep. The house became dirty; me being
the oldest figured that it was my responsibility to clean it, I
also thought since she was sick and my father had to work everyday
that it too was my responsibility to take care of the younger kids.
I was not the only one who noticed not only changes in my mother
but changes in my father too, 2-3 times a week one of my two grandmothers
would come to visit us or take us places. We loved to stay with
them because we always had something to eat, something to do, and
just a fun time.
A few months of this went past and even though my father had his
job and my grandparents were helping him out with the bills, we
were always short on cash. This is when I began to suspect something
but loved my parents so much that I didn't want to do anything to
get them in trouble or hurt them. As more time passed it seemed
like things were only getting worse, I began to take care of the
kids full time and still had to go to school. Everyday was the same,
I would dread going to school because I never knew what was happening
at home to my other siblings.When my older brother and I arrived
back home from school I would make sure his homework was done, I
would also make sure that he and the other two kids had something
to eat and were bathed before they went off to bed. My mother would
still help out here and there when she wasn't "sick" and
when my father was home he would do his best to spend time with
us and make sure we weren't getting hurt.
When I began the 6th grade it was hard to do all this and still
keep my grades up, but somehow I was able to manage. One Friday
when I arrived home from school my grandmother was already there
to take us four kids out for the weekend; this was unusual because
I had never known her to come up there before we got home.
Reason was because she and my mother had not been getting along
lately, and I knew this because every once in a while I would hear
them arguing on the phone, and sometimes even in person they would
bicker. When the kids and I came back home from fun-filled weekend
with our grandparents, my mother and father were fighting more and
were headed for a divorce.
The spring of 2001 my parents had finally split up and my mother
was sent to a rehab center to get well again. Her mother spent the
whole 6 months she was there with us. My dad was clean for the little
time that my mother was gone, he and my grandmother took care of
us and I thought we were going to be a family again.
Little did I know that I was very wrong because when my mother
returned home they went right back to their old ways. I'd hoped
and prayed this wouldn't happen because I loved my family more than
anything, all I could think about was how we used to be. A few months
later my father's mother got the call from my little brother that
they had been left alone and were scared. My grandmother had been
waiting for something like this to happen. I thank God that my brother
called her instead of someone else, because if it wasn't for her
I wouldn't be who I am today and my father might not be with us.
She has not only taken care of me and my siblings but got my father
back on his feet and well again. The only good thing that came out
of this was making me a better person and opening my eyes and showing
me first hand what drugs can do to someone’s life. I will
never forget the things that my grandmother has done for me over
the years that I've been with her, and can only I hope and pray
that no one ever has to go through what I went through for those
three years.
I'm so thankful to have someone who loves me and has taken me in
when I had no where else to go. Grandparents are wonderful! Christina
Silly Nan:
I was talking on the phone to my pregnant daughter who was telling
me about all the things she had been reading and watching on TV
on how to bring up children. During the conversation my grandchildren
starting yelling and screaming which is usually the case when I
am on the phone - anyway I yelled back and said keep quiet in my
loud voice. My daughter then said, “Mum you have to speak
to them nicely”, I then said to my grandchildren “could
you beautiful wonderful children please keep quiet in my nice loving
civil voice”.
As quick as a flash my eldest granddaughter cupped her hands to
her mouth and said "Whoever’s on the phone Nana's being
silly". My daughter and I just cracked up laughing. I then
said to my daughter who is by the way expecting her first child,
“ I'll see how you go when you have four kids all screaming
at you at once” Nana to 3 Mummy to 1 all under 9 years
Please feel free to contribute to our newsletter:
Crossing the Road: From last
month’s newsletter.
I am taking up the challenge to suggest ways in which a parent
might get a child to co-operate re holding hands when crossing the
road. Some of these suggestions eliminate the need to actually hold
hands, which isn't necessary as long as the child stays close beside
you.
When requiring a child to co-operate, don't frame the request as
a plea. Rather use a brisk, authoritative tone. Don't give any indication
that you think the child might not comply.
A child needs to know of the dangers in crossing the road. They
don't want to hear lengthy dissertations. "Drivers can't see
little people, so you need to hold my hand to keep safe. You don't
need to hold my hand if you can be very clever and stay really close
to me."
"Let's see if we can cross the road on tip toes. We'll need
to hold hands in case one of us falls over."
"Let's be soldiers and march across the road keeping together.
Left, right, left......" (No need to hold hands.)
"Let's see if we can keep in step as we cross the road together."
(No need to hold hands.)
"You be my guide dog and lead me across the road." (Or
vice versa.)
"How many steps do you think it would take to cross the road?
Let's count." (Take the child's hand without comment.)
There is a tendency for parents to treat their children as equals
rather than juveniles who need guidance which should be given firmly
with respect.
Children need to learn that there will always be people who will
have a degree of authority over them. If they don't learn this,
how will they cope with accepting the authority of teachers, starting
as subordinates in the work force, obeying societies rules etc.?
Picking up a child to carry them across the road without haranguing
the child, probably won’t detract from the parent child relationship
in the future. In fact being in control of a situation can engender
respect. Gaynor
GRG National Convenor off to New York:
I am off to the first International Conference on GRG and will be
away from April 26th – May 15th 2007. The telephone will be
redirected to our Secretariat, emails will have an out of office
notice reply and the secretariats contact email for GRG business.
If you need assistance please, contact your local support co-ordinator
(list in last month’s newsletter) or via our web site (top
of this page) we also must close the bulletin board on the web site,
I do not want to get back and have to delete 400 spammers who have
registered. No doubt I will have heaps to share with you all in
next newsletter.
East Auckland:
We have had an increase of GRG members from this area and really
would like to start a support group for them, if you are interested
please give the Trust office a ring. Thank you.
Christchurch GRG support group:
Jan & Norm Farquhar have relocated to Christchurch and are willing
to help Grand’s in this area along with Ngaire. Contact number
and email: 03 313 1585. bunnies2@xtra.co.nz Thank you.
Tariana Turia’s speech at GRG Training Conference:
Friday, 2 March 2007
11:37 am
Speech: The Maori Party
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Trust New Zealand
Support Group Co-ordinators Training Programme; Jet Inn; Auckland
Friday 2 March 2007; 9am: Tariana Turia, Co-leader of the Maori
Party
I am so delighted to be here today, and I want to thank the National
Convenor, Diane Vivian, for your generosity in inviting me to spend
time with you at your annual training event.
In te Ao Maori, our mokopuna and our elders are especially cherished,
so it is with great pleasure that I join with you, to acknowledge
and congratulate you all on your commitment to our future generations.
Your mission statement says it all:
Te Tautoko i nga Matua Tupuna, me nga mokopuna
Te Ao Mai rano, aianei, a muri ake nei
Supporting grandparents and grandchildren
Our past, our present, our future.
There is a famous photograph that I am sure you are all familiar
with – of the late Dame Whina Cooper of Te Rarawa, heading
the Maori Land March from Te Hapua, hand in hand with her mokopuna,
Irenee.
The photograph captures the fierce spirit and passion of the kuia,
a grandmother who at the age of eighty, led a land protest march
from the far North to Wellington.
The March started out at Cape Reinga with only forty people. By
the time it reached the Capital; it had gathered elders, brothers
and sisters, children, Pakeha campaigners for justice; all in all
over fifty thousand people took part.
Every day, Dame Whina would call out, te ihi, te mana, te tapu –
maranga ra! It was an expression of hope – and also an expression
of grief for the continued loss of Maori land.
Over the month of the hikoi,Te Roopu o te Matakite, the slogan,‘not
one more acre of Maori land’ (to be alienated ) was chanted;
a catch cry which even today resonates with the spirit of collective
unity.
And when the March finally reached Parliament, it was evident,
a renaissance of immense proportions was underway.
Throughout all of that historic walk, Dame Whina was accompanied
by her mokopuna. As the kuia gathered thousands of signatures on
a memorial of rights to present to Ministers, the mokopuna watched
on, observing, learning, living.
That image, that photograph, has been replaying in my mind this
last week, as the stories have come in from Ngati Kahu in the Far
North; from the Whenuakite Station in Hauraki; and this past Wednesday
in Whanganui, as we gathered again at Pakaitore. .
These are all sites of significance to our people. And at every
site, there have been grandchildren playing, grandchildren singing,
grandchildren present; as their grandparents assume the responsibilities
and obligations that come with their role.
It has been a very strong picture in my mind as I have traveled
here to the training programme for the Support Group Co-ordinators.
Just as that historic photograph evokes the companionship, the leadership
and the strength of relationship enjoyed by grandmother and grandchild;
your organisation speaks to me of a commitment for generations to
learn from each other.
And I want to really draw attention to the important, indeed, extremely
significant work you are doing, as grandparents raising grandchildren.
The use of the adjective – raising – conveys the vision
and the strategic outlook you have all committed to.
In ‘raising’ grandchildren, you are pledging your support
towards improving their lives; to lifting them up, to elevating
them to a position of confidence and strength.
In ‘raising’ grandchildren – you are looking for
movement; for progress, for success.
And with your aspirations raised, your goals set, the future is
assured for you and your mokopuna.
But the greatest secret is that in uplifting your grandchildren,
you may also experience great joy yourself.
I have looked over the sessions that you are undertaking in this
two day training – and I have to commend you for the scope
of your programme.
You have been dealing with abuse allegations; coming to terms with
the challenge of budgeting; upskilling in parenting techniques;
learning about anger management strategies; considering legal options
for care arrangements.
Such crash courses in knowledge acquisition are, however, old hat
to your organisation, if the updates on your website are anything
to go by.
I congratulate all of you, in your commitment to learning –
I was just amazed at the scope of material on your website, including
how to keep celery crunchy by wrapping it in tinfoil; how to unstick
a zip; how to access special needs grants for septic tank maintenance;
changes in Superannuation and the importance of sun safety.
I hope that in the midst of all of this amazing learning that you
are also experiencing the secret of joy.
We have a saying in Maoridom,
'I puta ai te pai a tera whanau na nga manaakitanga e to ratou kuia.
You can see the positive results from that family because of the
good nurturing and care of their elder.'
The role you have taken on, in honouring the genealogy, the whakapapa
of your ancestors by caring for their descendant, is of the utmost
importance.
Through your generosity of spirit, your sense of manaaki, the drive
to care for, to support, to nurture your grandchild; you are protecting
and preserving the very foundations of your gene pool.
It is your dedication and determination to nurture the competency,
the talents, and the mana of your own family members, that will
ultimately create the greatest hope for our future.
It is a feat of some magnitude, that this organisation comprises
over 45 support groups from as far North as Dargaville to as far
South as Invercargill.
You are selflessly and consistently putting the needs of others
ahead of your own; providing support and assistance to your own
grandchildren; and to any grandparent who has taken on the privilege
of being primary caregivers for their grand-children.
I wanted to really emphasize today the joy that comes with accepting
the challenge of raising grandchildren, because sometimes I think
we become so focused on all of our problems and difficulties that
the simple pleasures can be overlooked.
I loved a comment from one of the grandparents in your trust: ‘I
may not be rich, but my grandchildren are my jewels’.
George and I are raising a Princess of our own; our son’s
five year old daughter, Piata. When I live in Wellington during
the week, I live in a house with nephews, son-in-law and daughter,
and grandchildren – the youngest, Amaru, is the older brother
of Piata.
So through the daily experiences we share with Piata and Amaru
in particular; I have come to understand some of the situations
that are frequently described as traumatic or even stressful.
Our Piata suffers from the most excruciating bouts of eczema and
her fragile little body has for too many nights, been screaming
with the pain and heat of skin disorders. But even as the sores
are weeping, Piata manages to smile, to give us cheek, to run away
from us or to cover us with kisses and cuddles.
She has taught me so much about endurance; about survival; about
strength. And in turn, I hope that the bountiful love that we have
for her will always keep her warm.
In the families that you support – the 3294 families caring
for their grandchildren represented in your membership – there
will no doubt be, as there are with us, days when you simply feel
too tired, too old, too worn out to feel you are making the difference.
And I guess if there is one thing I could hope to encourage you
with, is perhaps an area that Delwyn Roberts from Age Concern will
follow up with – that vital area of health and well-being.
The nation has been invigorated over the last few months, with
the debate around the so-called smacking bill.
My own views on this issue is that the use of smacking is frequently
the strategy of last resort, which comes when parents and grandparents
are tired, or worn down, and have run out of ideas.
That is where our greatest hope lies in health promotion messages;
in public education, in strategies and techniques which teach us
all about how best to deal with conflict and challenge.
The Chinese have a saying – our health is our wealth –
and I think that in the vital area of raising grandchildren, our
greatest investment in our future is in ensuring our own well being
is a priority.
Finally, I want to encourage you to know that you are the source
of unique histories and experiences which help your grandchildren
to really know the essence of who they are.
Your happiness; your knowledge; your well being and security matters
to us, the Maori Party – because we know that it is through
your leadership that the future of this nation is being shaped.
I wish you all well, in this, our greatest journey together, to
make a difference in the life of a child.
The Value of a Smile
A smile costs nothing
but gives much.
It reaches those who receive
without making poorer those who give.
It takes not a moment,
but the memory sometimes lasts for a lifetime.
No one is so rich or mighty
that he can get along without it,
and no one so poor
that he cannot be made richer by it.
A smile creates happiness in the home,
fosters goodwill in business,
and is the countersign of friendship.
It brings rest to the wary,
cheer to the discouraged... –
Author Unknown. Source: www.self-help.co.nz
Legal Aid: Source Legal Aid Services. Source: www.lsa.govt.nz
Will I have to pay anything?
Will I have to pay anything?
You may to repay some of your legal aid, depending on how much you
earn and what property you own.
The Legal Services Agency uses the financial information you give
on your application form to work out weather you have to pay anything.
The Agency will tell you the maximum amount you may have to repay
when it tells you if have been granted legal aid.
Exactly how much you will eventually have to repay will depend
on your income and property, on how much your case costs, and on
how much money you win from your case, if anything.
If you’re a beneficiary with no assets, it’s unlikely
that you’ll have to repay any of your legal aid.
How do I make repayments?
The Legal Services Agency can require you to make repayments in
different ways. You might have to pay in more than one way.
The different ways to pay are –
• Through regular payments (installments) made weekly, fortnightly
or monthly.
• As a lump sum, either out of your savings or when you sell
your house or other property.
• From any money or property you win out of your court case.
If the Agency decides you can afford to make regular payments,
you will probably have to start them straightaway. The Agency will
work out a repayment plan with you based on the information you
have provided in your application.
If you do not keep up with the repayment plan, the Agency can charge
interest on what you owe. It can also take action to recover your
debt, using debt collectors for example. In civil/family cases the
Agency can also withdraw your aid.
If you have problems meeting your repayments, contact the Agency’s
Debt Management Group on 0800 600 090, as soon as possible. They
can decide to rearrange your repayment plan, rather than taking
action to collect the debt. In some cases, the Agency can write-off
(cancel) some or all of your legal aid debt if you can’t repay
it.
You can ask for your legal aid to be stopped, but you may still
have to repay some or all of the aid spent so far.
“Charges” on your property as security for the debt
If you own a house, car or other valuable property, you may have
to authorise the Legal Services Agency to place a “charge”
on the property as security for the debt. The Agency will require
this if your legal aid debt is more than $300. The charge means
that if you sell the property, you must repay your debt to the Agency
out of the money you get from the sale. However, you can repay the
debt to the Agency at any time before then.
No repayments are required in domestic violence cases
Its unlikely you’ll have to repay any of your legal aid if
you’re applying for a protection order under the Domestic
Violence Act 1995 or for any other oder under that Act.
Is my legal aid paid to me or the lawyer directly?
It’s paid to your lawyer directly.
Do I have to pay anything to the lawyer?
No. Your lawyer is not allowed to take payments directly from you.
If your lawyer tries to charge you more, you should tell the Agency.
School Sores:
So your children are looking sun-kissed, healthy and sore-free...
how can you avoid more school sores this year?
School sores is the common name for impetigo, which is a skin condition
caused by the bacteria staphylococcus (`staph’) or streptococcus
(`strep’) and is easily spread around school age children.
It appears as pimples, with blisters that scab. It is common in
children over one year and often appears in late summer and autumn.
In the early stages it is often confused with cold sores, but the
conditions require different treatment (Cold sores are caused by
the herpes simplex virus, which once contracted can lie dormant
and reoccur throughout life).
Impetigo is highly infectious, so you need to keep your child away
from school until the condition has cleared.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Impetigo normally begins around the nose or mouth but can appear
anywhere on the body, including the arms and legs and moist areas
such as the armpit or groin. In babies impetigo can appear in the
nappy area. The condition spreads rapidly.
• It first appears as reddened skin.
• Red pimples then appear.
• Blisters of pus develop that eventually burst – these
leave patches of yellow-crusted rash in older children.
• If the blister is rubbed off, it leaves raw areas exposed.
• Your child may also develop swollen lymph glands in the
neck, armpit and groin.
What is the treatment?
Take your child to the doctor. Although the condition is not serious,
it needs to be dealt with as it spreads easily and is contagious.
Antibiotics will be prescribed in the form of cream/ointment or
an oral antibiotic preparation. Ensure your child finishes the dose
of oral antibiotics and do not use the antibiotic cream/ointment
on anyone else.
Some areas may need a dressing.
Home care primarily involves hygiene practices to keep your child
clean and to prevent the impetigo spreading.
Risks & Complications
• Conditions such as bites, scratches or eczema that allow
bacteria to penetrate the skin also increase susceptibility to develop
impetigo.
• Serious complications are rare, but if untreated, there
is a possibility the streptococcus bacteria can cause acute kidney
disease.
• Cellulitis, an infection deeper in the skin, can also occur
in rare cases.
• Young babies who contract impetigo can become very ill.
• Re-visit your doctor if impetigo becomes more widespread
despite treatment, or if your child becomes feverish and unwell.
What can I do?
Home care for your child focuses on keeping them clean, comfortable
and avoiding the spread of impetigo to other family members.
• Be meticulous with hygiene, gently washing away crusted
impetigo areas with warm water and then patting dry (use paper or
kitchen towels or disposable face cloths that will not be re-used).
• Do not force the crusts off the skin, just cleanse away
if they slide off easily. Do not pop blisters. Any raw areas should
be left exposed to the air to help them dry out.
• Apply antibiotic cream with a cotton swab or put directly
onto a clean dressing – do not squeeze the cream directly
onto the sore from the tube, as this will transfer the infection
to the tube.
• Keep a close eye on any new patches of impetigo and if you
find them, start treating immediately.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after treating the
impetigo and discard old dressings and cotton swabs carefully.
• Discourage your child from touching or picking at impetigo
and get them to wash their hands regularly and thoroughly. Keep
their nails trimmed short.
• Wash towels, flannels, pyjamas, sheets, pillowslips and
clothes in hot water and change regularly. Launder their clothes
and linen separately to other family members’ – and
do not allow them to share towels or other linens.
• Ensure your child bathes once or twice a day.
• Keep eating utensils separate from those used by others
in the family.
• To keep children comfortable, put them in loose clothing
and at night try to ensure sheets or pyjamas are not irritating
the skin.
• Keep your child away from other children and babies until
the condition has cleared. No children should be sent to school
with school sores.
• All family members need to be meticulous about hand washing
and cleanliness to ensure no cross infection occurs.
How to reduce the risk of school sores
• Keep finger nails short.
• Bath or shower daily to keep skin clean.
• Keep any bites or cuts covered while kids are playing outside
or at school, to prevent infection entering the body by this route.
• Ensure your children do not share swimming towels with friends.
• Change bedding after sleep over.
• Source: www.kiwifamilies.co.nz
Not only are the kids trained to find my glasses, but also my hearing
aids. They have never been able to locate my memory which also goes
missing on a daily basis! so 2 out of 3 aint bad as the song goes.
Nan C
Grandmothers are just "antique" little girls. ~Author
Unknown
Is your Child Touch Sensitive?
Dr Anthony Kane.
• Does your child cringe when you stroke his face?
• Must he have all the labels cut out of his clothing before
he will wear them?
• Does your child refuse to wear certain fabrics, such as
wool because it is scratchy?
• Does your child refuse to touch anything sticky, slimy,
or dirty with his hands?
• Does washing or brushing your child’s hair result
in a major battle?
• Does your child hate to have his feet touched?
It could be that your child has a sensory motor integration deficit
known as tactile defensiveness or touch sensitivity.
What is Touch Sensitivity?
The sense of touch is essential for normal social and emotional
development. It is this system that allows us to make the deepest
connections with others. It is through touch that the mother and
child bond to each other. This is how we connect most closely with
our spouses.
Touch also serves a protective function. It is through tactile discomfort
or pain that we realize that things like fire are dangerous. Painful
or unpleasant touch experiences tell us to prepare for a physical
threat that might require a need to run away or retaliate.
In some people this tactile sensory system is not functioning
properly. These people experience pain or distress from touch sensations
that other people find non-threatening or even pleasant. These people
have sensory integration disorder known as tactile defensiveness
or touch sensitivity.
Children with touch sensitivity are often in the state of “red
alert”. Many of the sensations that we take as meaningless,
they view as a physical threat. Children with touch sensitivity
also experience tactile sensations differently than others. Something
that we experience as smooth can seem to them painful. The result
is that often their behavior is affected. Casual contact can cause
what others view as extreme and inappropriate reactions. These children
may whine cling lash out or run away as a result of normal things
in their environment.
Sensory motor integration deficits need not affect a child’s
learning ability, but his resulting reaction often does. Because
the child is frequently on the defense, he can be emotionally insecure
and extremely distractible. This is one of the things that differentiate
touch sensitivity from ADHD. ADHD children have difficulty sustaining
attention, but they are not more easily distracted than other children.
Small stimuli that would not affect an ADHD child who is engaged
in an activity, may cause disturb a touch sensitive child.
To give you an idea of how these children experience the world,
imagine the feeling you have when someone scrapes his nails along
a blackboard, or the feeling you have when you cut your nails too
short. This is how a touch sensitive child might experience a warm
caress. There is a difference, however. When you cut your nails
too short, it bothers you for a while, but the discomfort goes away.
If a child is touch sensitive, the discomfort never goes away.
The child may not be able to wear his dress pants because the feel
of wool is too uncomfortable to bear. He may not be able to concentrate
in school because he is enduring the hardness of the chair or the
rush of air blowing on him from the ventilation system. He may be
quick to lash out when another child bumps him, because of the perceived
attack by the other child. He may be unable to make friends because
of the fear of being bumped prevents him from interacting in a normal
fashion.
Adults with a sensory integration disorder may have problems in
their relationships with their spouses. Normal daily contact may
disturb them, and they may avoid physical contact with their spouses
even when such contact is appropriate. This desire not to be touched
can have a seriously negative impact on a marriage.
What You Might See
Here are some of the things that may indicate that your child is
touch sensitive. Your child may be touch sensitive if he:
• Reacts strongly to sensations that most people don't notice.
• Tries to avoid tactile experiences.
• Gets distracted because of the things that are touching
him are bothering him.
• Insists on having certain textures of clothing.
• Makes you cut all the tags and labels out of his clothing.
• Won’t eat certain foods because of their texture.
• Craves certain sensations the he finds calming, like rocking
or firm pressure.
• Fights irrationally when you are combing or shampooing his
hair, cutting his fingernails, or brushing his teeth.
In adults and children with sensory motor integration deficits
the palms of the hands, soles of feet, mouth and tongue are usually
most sensitive areas.
Coexisting Disorders
Touch sensitivity is a sensory integration problem. Although this
disorder can exist by itself, more often it is part of a constellation
of other problems that children have. Children with touch sensitivity
often have the following other disorders:
• Motor coordination problems
• Bed-wetting
• Speech and language delays
• Hand-eye coordination difficulties
• Motor planning difficulties
• Allergies
• Frequent ear infections
• Poor eating habits
• Problems with digestion & elimination
• Sleep irregularities
• High anxiety and emotional insecurity
In addition there are a number of medical disorders that commonly
have touch sensitivity as a component. These include:
Causes
Like so many other disorders of the brain and complex neurological
function, we do not know why children and adults have sensory integration
disorders. In medicine, when we don’t know the cause of something
we like to say that the cause is idiopathic. This is a term which
is a term derived from Greek or Latin or some other dead language,
which means “we don’t know.”
However as scientists, not knowing something makes us very uncomfortable.
Therefore there a number of theories on what causes disturbances
in sensory processing. There are at least five competing hypotheses.
The most recent research suggests that the abnormality may lie in
the cerebellum, the part of the brain that modulates sensory motor
activity. There might be something to these theories. However, based
upon the review of current literature it seems to me that the cause
of touch sensitivity is idiopathic.
What Should You Do Next?
Touch sensitivity is a sensory motor integration deficit. The goal
of treatment is to repair the sensory processing disorder by giving
the child a means to develop his or her sensory integration. The
goal of therapy is to normalize sensory integration and motor planning
by improving the way the nervous system registers and interprets
tactile information.
Treatment of touch sensitivity is usually done under the auspices
of an occupational therapist. If you feel that your child may have
touch sensitivity you should first try to confirm the diagnosis
by going to someone who is trained in diagnosing sensory integration
problems. You should first consult your pediatrician with your concern
and try to get a referral to a Pediatric Occupational Therapy Service
for diagnosis and treatment. They will manage your child’s
treatment plan and teach you what you can do at home to help your
child.
What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and
they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure.
~Gene Perret
Smile:
I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colours yet, so
I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what
color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But
it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door,
saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out
some of these yourself!"
Di
National Convenor and the team.
E te Atua, aroha mai... O God shower us with love
Ka kite
• Please feel free to send this report on to others whom you
think may be interested.
• Please pass this on to other grandparents/kin carers you
know of.
• Views expressed in this newsletter may not be the views
of the GRG Trust.
• GRG Trust Head Office hours are 9am-3pm daily. (We raise
grandchildren too)
• We are totally a voluntary organisation.
• All donations to the GRG Trust are tax deductible.
Abbreviations:
GRG – Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ™
H/O – Head Office
H/B – Handbook
BOT – Board of Trustees
CYF – Child Youth & Family Services Co’s –
Co-ordinator/s
UCB – Unsupported Child Benefit.
WINZ – Work & Income NZ now DWI – Department of
Work & Income
Grands – Grandparents
G/c – grandchild/ren
Web: www.grg.org.nz or www.kin.org.nz or www.raisinggrandchildren.org.nz
Email office@grg.org.nz
Free Phone 0800 GRANDS or 0800 472637 (not for use for Auckland
callers)
Tel: 09 4806530 Fax: 09 4806572 Postal Add: PO Box 34 892 Birkenhead.
Auckland 0626
If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please contact
the Trust Office as this is where the total mail out membership
is kept. Moved home or planning to? Be sure to let us know.
Te Tautoko i nga Mätua Tupuna, me nga Mokopuna.
Te Ao mai rano, aianei, a muri ake nei.
Supporting: Grandparents and grandchildren.
Our past: present and future.
