Anderson Neurological and Development Services

The therapeutic effect of hippotherapy

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 06:03:06 GMT

Hippotherapy one of Anderson's most popular forms of treatment

"You cannot underestimate the psychological impact hippotherapy has on people's general sense of wellbeing. They just love it," is how Riding for the Disabled Carine's coordinator Charissa describes hippotherapy.

Hippotherapy is one of Anderson Neurological and Developmental Services most popular treatments run in conjunction with Riding for the Disabled in Carine and the South-West.

It involves horse riding, where the movements from participant's sitting on a horse mimic the ranges of movement the pelvis goes through when walking.

The centre has around 15 horses and ponies which are used by specially trained physios, occupational therapists and speech pathologists who use the three-dimensional movement of a horse to facilitate movement through their clients.

It helps strengthen the trunk muscles and diaphragm which affects speech, swallowing, balance and core strength.

While hippotherapy was initially used for children living with Cerebral Palsy, it is now more widely used among adults who've acquired a head or spinal injury, stroke, a new Parkinson's or multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with children who live with a genetic or from birth neurological disorder or syndrome.

"The best thing for participants is that they don't realise they are doing therapy, in their mind they are just sitting on a horse," Charissa said.

"For therapists, there are so many factors at play, for example the dynamic base of support and the rhythmical movement of a horse can affect tone in a positive way.

"You also have the benefit of warmth as the horse walks and the child sits on the horse's back.

"The warmth that can be generated can be transferred up through the child to reduce tone.

"We see a lot of differences in tone, mostly a reduction if they are hypotonic, if they have increased tone, we see that relax in a session.

"There are also all the beautiful psychosocial things that happen as well, because you are outside and interacting with nature and interacting with these amazing animals which are so intuitive.

"Because you get stronger in your diaphragm you can project more and also control your breath more, so you have the endurance to speak more clearly."

"It is a beautiful thing."

Does your child feel anxious about returning to school?

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 04:01:10 GMT

Tips on dealing with back-to-school nerves

With the school holidays coming to an end, some children may feel anxious about returning to school.

We spoke to Anderson Neurological and Developmental Services’ psychologists about what you can do if your child feels anxious about the new school year.

Q. Why might children be feeling anxious about going back to school?

A. The main reason a child might feel anxious about returning to school is because they are dealing with an issue or have something in their life that is worrying them.

A child may have learning difficulties or some kind of angst about returning to school because of bullying or a strict teacher, this can make returning to school nerve-wracking.

Some children may have other types of stress in their life, and others may just feel anxious about going back after the fun and freedom of the holidays.

Q. Will children's behaviour change if they are feeling anxious?

A. Yes. We have a checklist that tells us if a child is experiencing anxiety or if it is going back to school nerves.

Some children may show physical symptoms such as sweating, head aches, stomach pain, or they may not be eating or sleeping properly, or they may be bed wetting.

Others may show emotional signs such as getting angry or irritated easily, or some children might pick arguments. It is usually related to something that is bothering them.

Q. How can parents help children at home if they do feel anxious about going back to school?

A. One way is for parents is to have a positive relationship with their child that fosters open communication, validation, security, trust and acceptance. Sit down with them and use child-friendly language, don't scare them or judge them. It's that message I'm here for you and I'm not going to judge you or tell you anything that is going to make you feel uncomfortable about the issue. We are just going to brainstorm some solutions.

It's also about building up their stress-resilience and letting your child know we can't get rid of stress all the time, and that good stress equips us with skillsets we need in life. Educate your child that not all stress is bad and that we just need to learn how to cope with it. It is a good idea to include exercise or other things that can help a child destress.

It is important to find out the source of the stress and include your child in some problem-solving techniques. If it is something about the school environment, can it be fixed or can something be done? For example, parents may need to engage a teacher or another party to help their child eliminate the source of stress.

Once you understand the source of the stress, break it down to understand how best to deal with it. One of the best things you can do is help your child talk about those things and really express their feelings about what's going on so they have that cathartic process to try and talk about things.

If a child is experiencing learning difficulties, special education support should be considered. There are lots of remedial supports available, a child shouldn't have to struggle or experience shame. Children can get immediate help and learn how to thrive despite those difficulties.

Of course, exercise and activities that boosts their confidence add to a child’s positive self-esteem and that’s a known factor which builds up resilience skills.

Q. What should parents do if their child continues to feel anxious after they've returned to school?

A. If a child continues to feel any form of anxiety like nervousness, fearfulness, panic attacks or worry it could be a good idea to seek out a professional to get an assessment done. A screening could confirm it's nothing, or it might show that an intervention should be put in place.

Q. What should parents do if they are feeling anxious about their children returning to school?

A. Parents should take some time to pause, reflect and become self-aware about their own internal wellbeing and what’s causing them stress or anxiety.

If they think it is valid or there is a serious reason for their anxiety, a psychologist can help them with coping tools and mindfulness (or mindful awareness) such as breath work and deep breathing practices. Sometimes the real source of stress can be fixed and an intervention put in place.

Overcoming Parkinson's disease one triathlon at a time

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 04:17:05 GMT

A new lease on life after Parkinson's diagnosis

Three months ago 53-year-old Rob Pennington would not have dreamt of competing in a triathlon, but that is exactly what he did finishing the Challenger Ford Spring Triathlon in Rockingham, Western Australia.

Rob lives with Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological condition that affects the nervous system when the brain does not produce enough dopamine.

According to Parkinson's Australia (PA), the disease affects around 100,000 Australians with people most commonly experiencing tremors, slowness of movement and rigidity. Parkinson's mostly affects people over the age of 65 years, however around 20 per cent of people with the disease are younger.

Rob set a personal goal in July 2022 to race in a triathlon with the support of his physiotherapist, they both completed it in October.

It took three months of regular sessions for Rob to build up his stride length and other parts of his body, so he felt confident enough to take on the challenge.

"The triathlon we completed was a bit below Olympic distance, the weather we had made it quite difficult, we all struggled through the swim," he said.

"It was hard work for a 53-year-old to keep up with the youngsters but we did quite well on the bike.

"We had some supporters there that were screaming at us like wild chooks, that was good.

"It was an atrocious day with the weather but it was good fun and good to reach a goal."

Competing in the triathlon helped Rob overcome anxiety about what he could and could not do with his body.

He started experiencing anxiety after his Parkinson's diagnosis, something he had never battled before.

"Anxiety reared its ugly head, once I had anxiety I doubted myself daily, I fight it quite often" Rob said.

"Things like this triathlon, along with some guidance, has been just fantastic to deal with that."

Because Rob had competed in triathlons when he was younger he felt somewhat comfortable to take on the challenge with the support of people around him.

"It is a bit of a kick to your self esteem when you have Parkinson's disease or other neurological conditions," he said.

"You might have been a very fit person but within weeks you can go backwards real quick, and that is where these guys help bring you back on track.

"I do not know if I would have completed a triathlon because there are so many excuses, and when you have Parkinson's there are double the excuses, you can find an excuse for everything.

"Without that encouragement it would have been a different story, I might have started the race but I would not have finished it."

Rob's next big goal is to complete a longer-distance triathlon within the next six months, he also plans on completing a shorter one before Christmas and has inspired his children to also race.

"Now that I'm a champion I just need to get my transitions right," he said.

"I was pretty proud of myself when I finished the race, I felt fantastic.

"I was tired and exhausted, mentally and physically, but people come out to support you.

"You half think you are alone, and when you are in a room you are normally the only one with Parkinson's.

"Whereas with this you are around people who are sufferers or who know all about it and know what you are going through at different times.

"I was wrapped with what I did and the support I was given, it was really second-to-none."