Sport.

Its been a slow, odd kind of week with a couple of blasts of excitement thrown in and a sudden increase in sporting activity requiring a taxi service! 

On thursday morning I met up with a new friend in Eastbourne. She suggested a cafe on the beach and it was glorious. The sun was shining, the sea was calm and the coffee was great. We had a lovely time talking about physio (she is also a physio), being a Mum and about what's on offer for children with special needs and of their families. We decided that the word 'special' doesn't really work, but that there probably isn't one word that would be right. We decided that there definitely was not enough going on for children and then we talked for ages about what could be on offer. During our discussion we mused about what clubs were available for children with a disability to join. How many football, gymnastic, dance or swimming groups are able to include children who can't move in the same way as a non-disabled child? How about choirs, drama clubs, Brownies, Scouts and other organisations? Do parents look for clubs, find out they are few and far between (they are sparse, I searched) and give up? Or do they have such hectic lives that the thought of doing something else is just too much? Or are there many families who's children, regardless of ability, who don't go to clubs and am I in the minority? 

All this thinking about sport is rather timely as all schools are having their Sports Days at the moment, now thats an interesting subject....

I heard on the news earlier that the man in charge of OFSTED, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has commented that there the majority of our elite athletes come from private education and that more should be done in state schools to increase the amount of sports and opportunities available to these students. And he is reported saying that being active helps academic learning. You'd think he'd discovered something new, evidence for all thats been around for years. Maybe there should be a bit more investment into local clubs and amenities and increase awareness for parents of what's out there for them rather than asking schools to squeeze even more into their day. I think I'm going to see if Boris can throw a bit of weight around on this subject (I'm going to e-mail him). Important people need reminding that someone sold off school playing fields and outdoor spaces not that long ago and therefore there's less space for the children to run around at playtime let alone in PE. I'm sure being a politician is very difficult but I do hate the way they blame the front line staff, teachers, healthcare professionals, for the affects that came about as a direct result of decisions made by them or their predecessors. I'm climbing down off my soap box now, back to physical activities for less able children.

Exercise is so important for all of us. Its not just about being the best at a sport its about understanding that our bodies work better when we are fit. In our society today we get in the car to go everywhere, very few people walk far or cycle to places regularly. I suppose its mainly to do with the pressures of time and the fact that you take your life in your hands if you dare cycle on the roads these days. I used to cycle every where and I grew up in London, not now, there's too many cars etc. How often do we all drive somewhere to go for a walk or a bike ride? Crazy eh? And the other thing that really doesn't help our fitness is the convenience and easy access to calorie stuffed food, we are all going to end up like those people in the film WALL•E... 

Captain B. McCrea
DisneyWikia.com

So my friend and I are hatching a plan to increase movement and exercise opportunities for children with disabilities in our area, with a therapeutic emphasis of course. And I'm off to give some more parental verbal encouragement (some people say I can be quite loud, me?) to my children in their various sports this week, not to mention being a taxi and also coach (I have had my hockey stick out and revived my throwing and catching skills this last week alone!).

To do

• e-mail Boris!

Thank you x

Lots of Different People

I have met, talked to and been hostess to lots and lots of people over the last couple of weeks. Whilst I love talking (really? I hear you say), I find it amazing how differently we humans hear and perceive things. One person may take offense to a comment that will be surprising to the commentor, several people will have completely different memories of the same event and depending on the constrains and influences of our own worlds we will interpret the needs of others differently to our peers. 

I am a huge fan of talking to a person face to face. I remember hearing somewhere that most of communication is non-verbal so its not at all surprising that loads of people misunderstand communications on social media, e-mails and texts. The number of times I've re-written e-mails and text messages because I'm trying to make it read right. Seeing someone, or just being in their presence makes it much easier to sense if the persons got the gist of what you are saying. Which is probably why I get together with so many people, I like to be 'got' and I hate being misunderstood!

I also hate conflict and tend to think for a long time about verbally challenging anyone (except my husband who would argue I am a skilled verbal conflictor!). But I also believe that if you come across a problem you have a responsibility to do something about it, not necessarily solve the problem but at least tell someone who can. These two things often clash. I am entering a potentially clashy period at the moment. I am about to work with clients who are looking for more physiotherapy than they can get from the local service. This creates a certain amount of tension from the local therapists - who are fantastic - but because their hands are tied with regards to the input they can offer and they have to be very careful of what they advise with regards to recommending clients seek additional therapy privately can be frustrated with another physio coming along and doing what they would really love to do themselves. I know this because I have had first hand experience, its not only frustrating but can be demoralizing even though, short of resigning, there's nothing you can do. My aim is to avoid bad feelings and conflict by demonstrating sincere respect for my fellow physios probably by talking a lot. Fingers crossed!

Things to do;

• Speak to my lovely friend who understands blogs and everything to do with this sort of thing so I can do a better job of blogging (I need to as still no sign of waterproof mascara and I going to need more things soon!).
• Speak to my old mentor at the University of Brighton about library access.
• And prepare to diffuse any conflicting situations.

Thank you x.

  

The sensation of movement.

This week I have been thinking about the sensation of movement.

Any physio will tell you that the key to controlling our body's movement is dependent on being aware of the feeling of where our bodies are and what they are doing. The interaction of our senses and our movement response to them is very complicated and amazing. The really interesting thing is that we completely take our senses for granted, that is until something goes wrong. 

In the pool last week I was talking to the teaching staff about sensation and how out of control we can feel when suspended in water with no solid surface to touch or hold on to. All our usual reference points have gone. Gravity is significantly reduced so the weight through all our joints is far less. Buoyancy is a new force which is adding another layer to our sensory experience. So if the way you sense the world is different, as it is for children with autism, then what does being in water feel like? Some of the children, who have complete control over their bodies on land, cling on to the side or their helpers as if their life depended on it. I'm not surprised it must feel very frightening for some. In an unexpected turn of events we found that a pair of glasses seemed to make a big difference to one little child!

I wonder if elite athletes, dancers and acrobats have particularly sophisticated sense of movement allowing them to control their movements and train and hone their bodies more than the rest of us? How do you do synchronized swimming?!

This week is half term so a bit of paperwork. Friday I'm off to Portsmouth to assist a colleague and then I'm attending a course I first took in 1996 - time to renew!

To do

• complete CV
• enjoy half term!

Thank you x.

Lots of things on my mind.

I do like Salvador Dali's art, there's a lot to it. I think this is called Exploding Head?! Its rather beautifully exploding isn't it?

I've been thinking about women and the eternal struggle we seem to face just to be accepted as being equally valuable in this world. The girls in Nigeria, innocent victims in an unfathomable and cruel - I don't know the word to describe what they part of except to say its atrocious and the sad and disappointing sexist remarks from Richard Scudamore and even more sad Premier League verdict (what is funny though is the standard of football played by the England Ladies team is fantastic and great to watch whereas I can't remember the last time I saw a great mens game). Its all been on my mind. I'm quite sure Mrs. Pankhurst and all the other Suffragists would be deeply saddened at how little attitudes have changed. I don't think I'm a feminist but I certainly have my views on the matter. I love Women's Hour on radio 4 and I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in living in our world. A few years ago I found a book by Sandi Toksvig (she makes me laugh a lot) called Girls are Best. It's pink so you can't miss it and it is dedicated to "the work of the womankind charity" - very clever! It is full of the women (many unknown) who invented things, achieved things and contributed to the evolvement of the human race. Its a brilliant reference book to have in the home just to keep a bit of balance.

Unbeaten in qualifying for the World Cup...Girl Power!

The interesting thing about disability is that whether you are a girl or a boy is irrelevant. Please don't get me wrong, I don't mean it is unimportant but it does not predetermine an expectation, the disability does (this is to be considered at a later date as its too important for me to write about without gathering my thoughts more).  As a physiotherapist I was taught that each person is unique and a person in their right. I absolutely believe this and it means that everyone has to have a specific treatment approach especially for them. This week I have given up on mascara (still waiting for samples to arrive) and spent time working towards the same goals with the children in the pool. You wouldn't believe how many different ways there are to get used to water on your face or to blow bubbles! I have employed all sorts of tactics with a range of results, although plenty of laughter and more than a little water everywhere - I even got my hair wet! Yes, thats how dedicated I am to these children (not getting my hair wet is an old joke amongst some of my colleagues and clients, not that I ever found it that funny!). 

Finally, back to football, I played in a football match on friday night. I did. The Mum's took on the oldest girls team at our club and we did ourselves proud. We had several shots at goal and were narrowly defeated 2-1. We were great. And, just to note, the men managers played the oldest boy team and they lost 6-1 - food for thought FA and Premier League. I had 'footballers leg' the day after but its a small price to pay for glory!!

This weeks to do list

• read
• write
• improve IT knowledge

Thank you x 

Focus

The first thing to say is that I need to do some serious research into waterproof mascara as I forgot how wet you get when working with children in the pool!

The second thing to say is that its worth it! 

Many of the children I am working with have been diagnosed with an 'autistic spectrum disorder'. I am not going to attempt to explain what that means (mainly because I can't) except to say that these children experience the world differently to those of us without that diagnosis. Hearing, vision, touch can all be interpreted in ways that can be so different to what is 'expected' that communication is extremely complicated. Fortunately I am helped and guided by the teaching staff who work so hard to understand their charges, but I would love to be able to find a way of really understanding whats going on in the minds of the children and not to feel so inadequate. I am hoping a smile truly is a sign of happiness - I think it is? 


On the subject of happiness and to the title 'focus', I attended a conference on friday organised by a fellow Physiotherapist, Dr. Heather Epps, entitled Added Value - improving outcomes for children with cerebral palsy and brain injury. It was an excellent day with speakers from the fields of law, science, physiotherapy and education. The problem with attending days like this is that I get so enthusiastic about what everyone else is doing and I really want to do everything they are doing and I don't know what to do first that it all swirls round in my head and I can't focus on anything for days - I could really do with Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve so I can put my thoughts into some sort of order!!


I had the pleasure of meeting Heather and Prof. Vish, a professor in paediatric exercise physiology, both really driven people and very inspiring - they gave me even more to think about!! 


I have now had a few days to think, or at least calm down a bit and I am more focused. I am and have been for a long time, very disappointed with our society's treatment of the children and adults with a disability something the conference confirmed has not changed and neither has my frustration. We seem to be brilliant during and immediately after the birth of a child but as soon as that baby is discharged home from hospital the support available to them and their families is pitifully inadequate. Ethicists must have something so say about the situation surely? There are fantastic professionals out there (therapists, rehabilitation engineers, social workers, teachers, carers, nurses and many others and I include myself in this group) but too few and completely unable to provide the care they know is needed. It is demoralising and insulting as all the research proving 'best practice' is being ignored. What are we doing?! Anyway this is a big question and I can't solve it but what I can do is my best for a few. So having used my virtual pensieve, my initial plans as a self employed physio have been consolidated. Hooray!


So this weeks to do list 

• sort out new mobile phone contract
• finish all presentations, profiles and other paperwork I have started
• investigate access to research papers and set time more time aside to read papers
• make time to think
• await free waterproof mascara samples from manufacturers who have read this blog... (you never know!)

Thank you x

PS I have stopped the 'chapters' bit of the title as I got confused.

Chapter 1 continued: Assistants and future Olympians

Well its been all go this week! I have spoken to many people about being self-employed including a very nice man at the Inland Revenue and I may have sorted out a pool to work in. At the school pool I have been assessing what the children can do in the water which involved lots of pieces of paper and brain work and I really wished I had a bit of assistance. 

I do miss working with a physio assistant. I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people over the years who were brilliant, supportive, caring and very good to me. In the beginning there was Helen, Marion and Sue, more recently T (who bought me this fish because she said it pouted like me and has named it Vicky..... she thinks its really funny!)

And most recently 'Eddy' who has looked after me really well for the last couple of years and sends brilliant text messages, some of which I understand! If I held an awards ceremony I would present all of them with a big award with my sincere thanks.

Colleagues and clients will tell you that I mention entering the Olympic Games a fair amount (not me, my clients). I do find anyone who enters a sporting event inspiring. My Dad completed the London Marathon 5 times, the last time only a few months before he died and my husband ran it the following year in his honour. I watched each time and I was absolutely exhausted from all the emotion, cheering strangers on, seeing all the charities they were raising money for and trying to encourage the people who found it more of a challenge but who nevertheless did not give up. I guess I feel an enormous amount of pride for my fellow humans who commit to achieve some sort of physical challenge.

We all know how important exercise is for our health and well-being, but it is those who find sport following and injury or use sport as a way of being independent that I am most inspired by.

We have amazing ambassadors and role models for all sport and the fact that TV coverage of major parasporting events is improving is great.












(I think Boris is great). 


Physiotherapy, being all about movement, links very closely with sport. I worked out very early on in my career that physio needs to be fun and not torturous and if it can be combined with a sport or similar activity eg dancing it can be. This is especially true for children. When I took on my first senior role in paediatrics all the children on my caseload hated physio and were almost traumatised at the thought of coming! So I made it my mission to change their minds and make it more fun. With the help of Helen we came up with all sorts of ways of getting the children to do physio including star charts, challenges and, with the full support of parents, bribery! We made it our business to work with school teachers to use PE as a way of delivering physio treatment and we used physio sessions to train for school sports days. These are the worst days of the school year when you are not as physically able as your classmates. We asked the teachers which races a child would be competing in and the smile a child had when for the first time they did not come last and they knew that they had worked hard and achieved something for themselves just made our hearts burst. 




Thats why I'm a physio. and I think there was less trauma involved too.





Aquatic physiotherapy is a lot of fun too. To be able to move and control our bodys movements in water where gravity (which is far less than on land) and buoyancy act together with the properties of water takes a lot of skill. To use the water to help someone learn to move, to get stronger, to learn to swim, to access exercise and to even be completely independent for the only time in the week is a very special job to have. I love the water and the opportunities it offers. This week I will be in the water beginning to work with the children and their teachers and I will be on the look out for a future Olympian who will need to take their physio with them to all events....

To do

• start learning about tax...
• buy very waterproof mascara.

Thank you x

Chapter 1 - Me and the start of a new venture.

I have sooo wanted to write a blog for a long time, its all a bit exciting now I am actually doing it! My very good friend Charlie wrote one while she was on an Indian adventure and one of the teachers at my daughter's school writes one each week, which is brilliant and they have both inspired me to take the plunge. I wouldn't say writing is my best attribute and at school I found English lessons a bit tedious, nothing to do with the teachers I hasten to add, I just didn't get  it. But I do now and for a while I have wanted to write things. I love reading and I love words and how the English language can be so cleverly and subtly used to create all sorts of meanings and pictures, I find it all really fascinating. I have had a go at a few little articles for the school newsletter and really enjoyed doing those, but please don't expect proper, exact writing, I'll be happy with a level 4 (SATS reference for parents - don't you hate them?). What I'd like to do is express my professional life and a few other bits too in words. So I am armed with my dictionary, thesaurus and etiquette books....

To begin then, me. I am Vicky Crouch, a woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister, member of a lovely big family, friend, Physiotherapist, School Governor and 43 (not in any particular order). At this precise time in my life I am feeling rather rejuvenated and very, very excited! I have left the safeness of employment and am about to embark on an independent career.

I am also very fortunate to be a happy person. My thoughts about 'luck' are a little complicated and I will go into them at another time, but simply put I don't ascribe my happiness to luck but to taking opportunities that have come my way. As far as I'm concerned life is what you make it and we are responsible (mainly) for our own happiness. I digress (I do that), back to my career; Physiotherapy. I qualified in 1993 (!!!) and have worked ever since then in all sorts of settings. Physio is huge and covers pretty much all aspects of health. In a nutshell it concerns the movement and function of the human body. Over the years I gravitated towards neurology, paediatrics and aquatic physiotherapy, but took in a spot of research (and was published), intermediate care, elderly care and some private work along the way. Now I want to put my years of experience together, shake it up a bit and offer a physio package thats all about what I do best. 

My first new assignment is great as it is in a school I have previously worked in. Myself and my friend and mentor Jac (aquatic physio guru) will be working for the next 6 weeks or so with the school staff and pupils to maximise the benefits for the students of being in a hydrotherapy pool. I arrived last wednesday to an overwhelmingly warm welcome, it was just brilliant to be back there. I had a huge smile on my face all week which, I'm sure will remain in place all the while I'm there. 

Other areas of work I would like to pursue include teaching, getting involved in PE curriculum planning, offering individual aquatic physio sessions and see if I can develop aquatic physio in schools with pools. And I have a few courses to attend to ensure my CPD is good and I'd love to do the Masters in Space Physiology at some point!  

So just a few things to do. This week I will be;

• finding a pool to work in! My current options are going to be challenging in terms of temperature control and balancing the chemicals...
  
  
  
  

and I think we'll end up looking like this

 

• to finalize a proposal for a bit of teaching
• and to improve my blogging skills.

On a personal note I would like to thank my family and friends for all their love, support and best wishes and I hope you have enjoyed reading this. 

Have a good week  

Vicky x