4 Tips to Help Disabled Persons Get Back Their Confidence

August 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Summer Paral...

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Everyone has weaknesses, but some have a name for it, and ways to take care of it. Disabled is not a negative label, but simply a comment about someone to make others aware of their needs. Adults have ways in most cases to deal with those people, who are not enlightened enough to understand that we are all able and all disabled in different ways at the same time. Children are a different story. Children are at the mercy of whoever is in charge of them, and of society’s attitude. Like anything else there are ways to protect a person’s self-esteem from those who wish to make someone else feel less.

  • Surround yourself with people who love and like you just the way you are. Believe it or not, there are gifts to not being the norm. A disability makes you look at the alternatives and decide what is important and what is not. Many people with disabilities have productive, creative lives.
  • Find a support group of people who have similar issues. Talking with others who have experienced what you have let’s you know your feelings are normal. There will be someone in the group you will admire despite the disability. You learn it is not the number one item that defines you. Find a group by using a service such as canada 411.
  • Learn to be assertive with those that insist on making you feel less. It empowers you to tell your story and your definition of yourself whether they listen or not. It tells all listeners what you stand for and who you are.
  • Help someone who has more issues or difficulties than you do. It makes you look at what you can do, and to let go of the rest.

How will you help someone’s confidence?

Filed Under: Disability Care, Equipments Tagged With: , ,

4 Pointers for Forward Motion: Coping with OCD

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects 2 percent of American adults. OCD is associated with anxiety and is characterized by a wide range of behaviors and thoughts. The two parts of the disorder — obsessions and compulsions — can occur individually, but they can also be combined. There are treatment options for those suffering with the disorder, but coping with OCD is often something the afflicted person has to endeavor upon in solitary. The following list of suggestions may prove helpful for someone confronting his or her obsessive-compulsive disorder.

  1. Research your condition. Understanding the elements of your particular disorder may provide insight on the best ways to combat it. It can be liberating to be fully aware and in control of your actions; the first step is recognizing the issues behind those actions and what can be done about them.
  2. Locate and unite with a support group. With one in 50 adults experiencing some kind of OCD, there is bound to be plenty of available support for those wrestling with their disorder. Having a system of people to lean on who understand your struggles is crucial for becoming healthy.
  3. Remain positive and motivated. It’s easy to become discouraged and listless about your inability to function normally. If you’re focused on your recovery, you will be able to block out the many pitfalls long the road to repossessing control of your life.
  4. Discover an activity that can act as a vent. Staying busy is a great way to release your energy and stress. Find out what sort of hobbies interest you and get involved. Having an outlet to release tension in a positive manner can relieve stress and decrease obsessive or compulsive behaviors.
Filed Under: Care & Support, Disability Care Tagged With: , ,

Early Detection is Key at the John Tracy Clinic for the Hearing Impaired

February 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Hearing exam

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The Los Angeles based John Tracy Clinic is a nonprofit education and resource center for young children with hearing impairment and their families. The clinic was started in 1942 by Louise Treadwell Tracy and offers a number of services throughout the world without charge. The John Tracy Clinic focuses on early detection of hearing loss in children in order to help those affected live fulfilling lives rife with speech and sound. Services provided by the clinic are detailed below.

  • Individual intervention: The John Tracy Clinic provides free audiological testing to children ages 0-5. The clinic emphasizes the importance of detecting hearing loss at a young age. If a child is identified as hearing impaired, the clinic explains the particular needs of the child and suggests options for the next step. The clinic also provides hearing tests in surrounding Los Angeles communities.
  • Spoken language learning: The Preschool Program offered by the John Tracy Clinic educates both children and parents on the English-language opportunities for children with hearing loss. The classes are focused on encouraging children to utilize the hearing they do have and teach methods of expression that aren’t audible.
  • Parental instruction: Every parent is urged to attend the free John Tracy Clinic programs with their hearing impaired children. Parents schedule weekly meetings with teachers to discuss progress and options. In addition to attending classes with their child, parents are provided with their own class and support group. This class meets twice a month and instructs parents how to best guide their children. The John Tracy Clinic believes that if parents have the knowledge and tools to educate their children at home, that is just as, if not more, important than their child’s John Tracy Clinic education. The support group aspect of the program is also crucial for parents. Understanding you’re not alone — that there are others within your community going through the same struggles — is comforting.
  • Distance education: For those not based in Los Angeles, the clinic offers education courses through mail and the John Tracy Clinic website. The online courses are also free.
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Reducing Stress from Disability

September 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

While pain medication is a necessary and useful way to help battle chronic pain, changing your lifestyle can be a safe and healthy way to cope with your disability as well. One of the main ways that you can do this is by reducing the different stresses in your life.

For anxiety and tension, both of which can worsen chronic pain, relaxation is key. Try learning some relaxation and breathing techniques, doing a version of yoga, or creating a “quiet time” during the day. This is a time for you to release your stress by relaxing and releasing tension, whether listening to music, or meditating on a book or scripture. You might also consider getting a massage on a semi-regular basis, as this will help work out the tension in the especially sore and tense muscles, allowing you to reduce tension, and most likely some pain.

It is also important to pinpoint which activities or events are a stressor to you, and try to reschedule these activities at a time when you have more energy and are less likely to be affected by it, or even to find or pay someone else to do it. Does it cause you pain to mow the yard? Find someone else to do it. If it is something simple, like taking a bath, try moving it to the morning, when you have more energy, instead of leaving it at night.

It is also important to have the emotional support of other people. Avoid becoming isolated from family and friends, and consider joining a small group, book club, or support group for others suffering from chronic pain disability. Connecting with other people will improve your quality of life, and finding positive interaction with those who also suffer with your disability could be uplifting. A counselor or psychologist may also be able to help you further reduce emotional stress and anxiety in your life, as well as provide a personal connection. In the end, reducing emotional and physical stress may let your life be as full and pain-free as it naturally can be.

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Filed Under: Care & Support, Disability Care Tagged With: , ,