GRANT INFORMATION

CPAM is able to provide funding for special Grants due to the direct results of our fundraising event the Stationary Bike Race and from generous contributions from various Foundations.

We extend sincere thanks to the Foundations listed below.

Grant Guidelines:

Objective: assist individuals affected by CP to obtain funding for communication, mobility and other specialized equipment to enhance quality of life and independence.

Criteria: membership with CPAM for one year or more.

Process: obtain & complete an application form. Send it with your cover letter and support letter with all information on the item requested to the Grant Committees in Winnipeg and in Westman c/o CPAM office. Non-equipment requests will also be considered.

SAMPLE OF GRANTS AWARDED & FUNDING ORGANIZATIONS

Communication device – $3125.00
MB. Moose Yearling Foundation
& Goldeyes Field of Dreams Stair lift – $12,500
Dr. Deacon Foundation, Royal Bank Foundation & CPAM
One-handed keyboard & communication program – $400.00 – CPAM
Computer & voice recognition program – $1815.00 – CPAM
Installation of wheelchair lift and hand controls – $968.00 – CPAM

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

This program provides financial assistance to Manitoba residents with Cerebral Palsy (CP) to pursue post-secondary education at an accredited University or Community College in Canada or vocationally focused courses. Scholarships can be valued up to $2000 per year. Candidates must be clinically diagnosed with CP. Selection is made by a committee of the Board of Directors based on the following:

• Level of motivation and maturity
• Future plans
• Personal academic performance
• Demonstration of additional needs which are related to the individual’s disability

CONGRATULATIONS

2007/08 Scholarship recipients:

Mindy Tucker, Wpg. – $2000
Danielle Otto, Beausejour – $2000
Kurtis Brown, Dugald – $2000
Alexander Berezin, Wpg. – $2000
David Freund, Beausejour – $2000

ELEMENTS OF FAMILY-CENTERED CARE

Is this the practice of the hospital and social service systems in your community?

• Incorporating into policy and practice the recognition that the family is the constant in a child’s life, while the service systems and support personnel within those systems fluctuate.
• Facilitating family/professional collaboration at all levels of hospital, home and community care: care of an individual, program development, implementation, evaluation, and evolution; and, policy formation.
• Exchanging complete and unbiased information between families and professionals in a supportive manner at all times.
• Incorporating into policy and practice the recognition and honoring of cultural diversity, strengths, and individuality within and across all families, including ethnic, racial, spiritual, social, economic, educational, and geographic diversity.
• Recognizing and respecting different methods of coping and implementing comprehensive policies and programs that provide developmental, educational, emotional, environmental, and financial supports to meet the diverse needs of families.
• Encouraging and facilitating family-to-family support and networking. Ensuring that hospital, home, and community service and support systems for children needing specialized health and developmental care and their families are flexible, accessible and comprehensive in responding to diverse family-identified needs.
• Appreciating families as families and children as children, recognizing that they possess a wide range of strengths, concerns, emotions, and aspirations beyond their need for specialized health and developmental services and support.

2008: Big Year for Child Rights in Canada

A third report from federal and provincial governments in Canada will be presented at the Convention on the Rights of the Child in January 2009. A UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will review the report and make recommendations for improvement. HOLD OUR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE. Groups working across Canada are joining forces to address specific areas of concern. For children with disabilities contact Anna McQuarrie, Canadian Association for Community Living at amacquarrie@cacl.ca

SSCY – Specialized Services for Children & Youth

Central Intake for Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy & Speech-Language Pathology Services for children, primarily of preschool age, living within the boundaries of Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

For information contact – CK227 – 840 Sherbrook St., Winnipeg, MB. R3A 1S1

Phone: 787-8615

Recognizing and Coping with Caregiver Burnout

Take time to assess your caregiver stress as well as how your caregiving is affecting others in your family – your children and/or partner. Look for the serious warning signs that tell you that you need to take care of your own health.

Physical: You have less and less energy, sleep doesn’t relieve your feelings of exhaustion, you frequently have difficulty sleeping, and you are frequently ill with colds/flu or use medication and/or alcohol more often.

Emotional: You have lost your sense of humour, have mood swings and crying spells, you feel increasingly sad, impatient, frustrated, resentful, you worry about the future and feel overwhelmed.

Social: You are preoccupied with being a caregiver but feel less satisfied, have less and less social contact, have less and less desire for social contact, have feelings of emptiness, your family relationships are strained.

Self-Care: You feel more and more disorganized, have no time for your own needs and ignore your own needs, you are unable to eat or rest when help is available.

Anyone can have an “off” day when fatigue or mental strain result in a less than patient approach to caregiving. If the signs and symptoms you have read occur regularly or are increasing, the person you care for will sense your distress and feel like a burden. Your goal is to provide good care. This includes looking at options when you can’t do it all. From – Active Living Alliance

Attitude Check – did you know?

Persons with disabilities tell us that to be ignored is the greatest insult of all: it denies one’s existence as a human being with emotional and social needs.

However; becoming too helpful, rushing to assist without asking permission can appear patronizing. Showering kindness & pity can make a person feel like a nonentity. The disability becomes the focus rather than the person’s unique abilities and individuality. People that are able-bodied and people that have disabilities share the same range of personalities and behavours. We all need assistance at some time. When helpers ask permission before they assist, wait for an answer and listen for direction, they show value and give the gift of respect.

BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS

Communication: Both parents and teachers feel ongoing communication is vital to the success of a child’s education. A strong parent-teacher relationship needs trust, mutual respect, open communication, active listening, flexibility, and shared responsibility. Communicate regularly with your child’s teacher. Network with other parents, social workers, and check out the policies and practices in your school and school division.

Asking questions: Whether you are meeting with your child’s classroom teacher, the school team, or others working with your child, it is important to prepare for the meeting. Some examples of questions when discussing your child’s progress or other issues of concern are:

• Is my child meeting the outcomes outlined in the Individual Education Plan (IEP)? If not, why not? What would support my child’s learning?
• Is my child receiving adaptations or modifications to his or her work? Is it necessary for my child to go out of the classroom for resource help for periods of time? Why?
• Are there any potential social issues with peers that I need to be award of?
• What is the Educational Assistant’s (EA) role with my child? How do I communicate with the EA?

Disagreement between families and schools is a natural and inevitable part of a system that strives to be inclusive. When strong emotions are aroused, it is easy for misunderstandings to occur. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be open and honest. If the issues can’t be resolved with the classroom teacher, resource or guidance counselor, and/or principal, you can contact the student services administrator or superintendent at the division office. Parents and educators benefit from a strengthened working relationship and a better understanding of others’ interests and needs.

From – Working Together: A Handbook for Parents of Children with Special Needs in School

One – Person – One Fare Policy
Canadian Transportation Agency

The Agency ordered Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, and WestJet to adopt a one-person-one fare policy for persons with severe disabilities on flights within Canada. The airlines have one year to implement the policy, which does not apply to domestic segments of transborder and international trips. This means that for domestic services, these carriers may not charge more than one fare for persons with disabilities who:

• are accompanied by an attendant for their personal care or safety in flight, as required by the carriers’ domestic tariffs; or
• require additional seating for themselves, including those determined to be functionally disabled by obesity.

The decision does not apply to:

• persons with disabilities or others who prefer to travel with a companion for personal reasons;
• persons with disabilities who require a personal care attendant at destination, but not in-flight; and
• persons who are obese but not disabled as a result of their obesity.

This one-person-one fare policy is based on long standing principles of equal access to transportation services for people with disabilities, and the Agency’s legislative mandate to remove “undue obstacles” to their mobility. For more information visit website: www.cta.gc.ca - Decision No. 6-AT-A-2008