Supporting Stroke is a website dedicated to those who suffer from, or care for those affected by stroke
This website contains information and support for those who are just embarking on a similar journey that Chris and I had at the start of his stroke and also, for those who are travelling the same road but may find some comfort here within. I intend to show that there is life after stroke and invite you to join me (Janet Ling).
On the 21st October 2007 my husband (Chris) suffered a major stroke it was a tragically quick occurrence. He has been left right-side paralised and with receptive and expressive aphasia (lack of speech and word recognition). Not all stroke survivors with aphasia receive adequate support to regain some or all of their speech. The general attitude is that if the person has not spoken in the first three months after their stroke then it is unlikely that they will. I strongly disagree and created an education package for Chris. It has taken a long time and a lot of patience on both our parts but I can say that Chris now says some words and has started to speak in short sentences both with and sometimes without prompts.
The Maxi Myo 10
A new. powerful. beautifully designed. multi channel. multi frequency muscle stimulator
The MaxiMyo 10 is the first muscle stimulation device built to satisfy a medical specification for a variety of conditions. Whenever there are situations where the natural muscle is unable to exercise in an effective manner the MaxiMyo 10 will assist in the maintaining muscle bulk and function or assist in returning wasted muscles to their previous healthy state.
Conditions where the MaxiMyo can be used include:
Sports Injuries where speed of return to fitness is vital
Other situations producing Muscle Atrophy
Female incontinence after childbirth or later in life
Female pelvic floor weakness
lower Back Pain
Shoulder pain
Designed, developed and manufactured by the team that has developed many market leading muscle strengthening devices; The MaxiMyo 10 design is both efficient and practical. The team has 17 years experience of design and manufacture and the MaxiMyo 10 is the fruit of continued development and improvement based on experience after hundreds of thousands of hours of use.
The MaxiMyo 10 is the first machine that has been specifically designed with the medical profession in mind.
MaxiMyo 10 is supported with a rigorous and effective training program, with clear instructions on how to perform various specific treatments, backed up by continued support and business development with supporting clinical data. The typical user of the MaxiMyo 10 will be medical, nursing, physiotherapist or osteopathy trained. MaxiMyo Ltd then undertakes further operational training. In some cases training can even be undertaken by operators without a medical background, but under the specific guidance of the company.
How it works:
Electrodes are placed onto specific muscle points and an electrical instruction is sent to the muscle to contract. The contraction is then held and later released. The time span of the release and contraction can be modified, along with the frequency (200/400/600/1 000 HZ) used during the contraction, giving the operator full treatment control over the treatment for any given condition condition. To give maximum flexibility and efficiency of treatments, the 10 channels can be split into a 6/4 grouping with a frequency control over each one. This allows differing treatments for different muscles groupings on the same individual at the same time.
It is the uniqueness of the waveform produced by the MaxiMyo 10 which gives the device its efficiency and dynamic effect. Over many years this special waveform has yet to be surpassed by any other similar devices. This coupled with its stimulation of the nervous system, rather than direct stimulation of the muscle itself is why this machine achieves the desired results. The MaxiMyo 10 can produce dramatic reductions in the amount of treatment time the patient is returned to full function.
For further information visit www.maximyo.com or telephone 0845 403 1014
This course will provide essential basic knowledge and skills to take charge of an Emergency Situation at home or at work until a more qualified Medically Trained person arrives. It is suitable for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge and skills in first aid.
Entry requirements: None
This course is HSE recognised
Certificate is valid for 3 years on condition that a 3 hour annual refresher is completed.
Course includes:
Incident management, first aid equipment and supplies, advice on hygiene, dealing with an unconscious casualty, basic life support, control of bleeding, broken bones, medical conditions, recognition and treatment of shock, head injuries, Scene Management and dealing with Medical Emergencies.
First Aid at Work - 18 HoursThis course is for persons selected to be the recognised first aider in the workplace, and meets the standards required by the Health & Safety Executive to achieve the Certificate of First Aid at Work. This course meets the requirements of the HSE (First Aid) Regulations (1981).
Entry requirements:None
Certificate is valid for 3 years on condition that annual refresher is carried out at year 1 and 2 with a 12 hour requalifying course in year 3
Course includes:
Legal aspects, risk assessment, fractures, spinal injury, muscle and joint injury, basic life support, care of the unconscious casualty, heart attack, angina, epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, shock, poisons, bleeding, crush injuries, casualty examination, transport, head injuries, eye injuries, first aid equipment, record keeping, burns, scalds, chemical burns, electrical burns, hygiene, hepatitis B, HIV and AIDS.
Other CoursesOther courses are available to suit your requirements. Please contact us for further details or to discuss your requirements. Courses are available throughout the year or available to suit your business requirements.
Coming soon.....Health & Safety courses level 1 - 4.
Introduction
Reflective practice is important to the development of all professionals as it enables us to learn from our experiences. Developing reflective practice means developing ways of reviewing our own teachings so that it becomes a routine and a process by which we might continuously develop.
Kolb developed a theory of experiential learning that can give us a useful model by which to develop our practice. This is called The Kolb Cycle, The Learning Cycle or The Experiential Learning Cycle. The cycle comprises four different stages of learning from experience and can be entered at any point but all stages must be followed in sequence for successful learning to take place.
The Learning Cycle suggests that it is not sufficient to have an experience in order to learn. It is necessary to reflect on the experience to make generalisations and formulate concepts which can then be applied to new situations. This learning must then be tested out in new situations. The learner must make the link between the theory and action by planning, acting out, reflecting and relating it back to the theory.
Concrete Experience (doing / having an experience)
The 'Concrete Experience' is the 'doing' component which derives from the content and process of any programme - through attending workshops or, in the case of the distance learning module(s), your reading of the learning materials - together with your actual experience of putting things into practice. It may also derive from your own experience of being a student.
Reflective Observation (reviewing / reflecting on the experience)
The 'Reflective Observation' element stems from your analysis and judgments of events and the discussion about the learning and teachings that you engage in with your mentor, colleagues and fellow participants. People naturally reflect on their experiences, particularly when they are new to it and less confident in their abilities or when an experience has been painful. We've all done something and said to ourselves 'that went well or badly', in an intuitive sense. This might be termed 'common-sense reflection'. But how do we know it was good or bad and what was good or bad about it? We need to articulate our reflections in some systematic way so that we remember what we thought and build on that experience for next time.
For example this might be through your own self-reflections or evaluations after the event through keeping a log or journal. It may also include student feedback, peer observation of teaching (e.g. comments made by your mentor or colleague), moderation of assessments, external examiner comments, and discussions with your mentor or a fellow practitioner. All of these can be brought together to give an overall reflection on your practice.
Reflection in itself, though, is insufficient to promote learning and professional development. Twenty years' experience may consist of twenty years of doing the same thing in the same way! Unless we act on our reflections of ourselves and on the opinions of others then no development takes place.
Abstract Conceptualisation (concluding / learning from the experience)
In order to plan what we would do differently next time, we need - in addition to our reflections on our experience - to be informed by educational theory e.g. through readings of relevant literature on learning or by attending courses or other activities. Reflection is therefore a middle ground that brings together theories and the analysis of past action. It allows us to come to conclusions about our practice - 'Abstract Conceptualism'.
Active Experimentation (planning / trying out what you have learned)
The conclusions we formed from our 'Abstract Conceptualisation' stage then form the basis by which we can plan changes - 'Active Experimentation'. 'Active Experimentation' then starts the cycle again when we implement those changes in our practice to generate another concrete experience which is then followed by reflection and review to form conclusions about the effectiveness of those changes...
References
Kolb D.A. (1984) 'Experiential Learning experience as a source of learning and development', New Jersey:Prentice Hall
Boud D, Keogh R and Walker D (1985) 'Reflection: Turning Experience in to Learning', London:Kogan Page
Brockbank A and McGill I (1998) 'Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education', Buckingham: SHRE/Open University Press
Cowan J (1998) 'On Becoming an Innovative University Teacher Reflection in Action', SRHE/OU
Moon J (1999a) 'Reflection in Learning and Professional Development Theory and Practice', London: Kogan Page
Schon D (1991) 'The Reflective Practitioner How Professionals Think in Action', London: Avebury
If you want to find out more about the guidelines the HPC are putting in place for monitoring continuing professional development, go to :
http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/standards/cpd/index.asp