Pauline`s Page

Caledonian University Glasgow 22-2-12

By Pauline Medd

I had been asked to give a talk on disability at the Caledonian University Glasgow by Ken Andrews of the NHS in Fife. When I arrived I found I was given a talk to1st years mental health students, about forty all together, being 1st years they were initially very quiet so I started on my speech.

There is a Native Americans saying……….. Do not judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins. This passage has meant a lot to me over the years.

I have been disable for 33yrs with MS I am now diabetic I have had various operations, I say the only thing working on me is my mouth some say that is good others wish I would keep quiet. There are many kinds of disabilities, Hearing impairment, visual impairment, mental impairment, but I am here to talk about what I know. Having gone through the various different stages of multiple sclerosis from a walking disable person, to a wheelchair user who needs a hoist to get out and in or of a chair, bed, or toilet. I find the worst part of being disabled is when you are reliant and dependent on other people, this takes independents away, but it also gives you the opportunity to maintain independence.

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Report by Pauline Medd, what can be achieved through good practice.

I have been having great difficulty getting into my dental practice that I had been going to for a long time now, due to no-fault of their own it is in an old building and doesn't have a disabled toilet etc I have to reverse into the room and I can barely get the door closed behind me, my dentist has also gone into semi retirement.

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An example of what goes wrong from the disable persons point of view.
By Pauline Medd

For the first time my Fife Council Home Care Carers where both off on holiday at the same time, for a week, according to policy this should never happen.  The first week when only one of them were off we had somebody in shadowing, first of all she sat outside for a quarter of an hour trying to get in touch with the office to let them know that she wasn’t at all comfortable coming into our house where there was a dog, she and the office insisted that the dog be put in the garage, which we did to appease everybody.  After four days on the Friday, she went off sick, during the time that she had been in the house she continually complained about having sore hands and that she wasn’t able to peel potatoes or carrots, (not that she was doing that in my house) (1) although she did manage to wash my back is if she was scrubbing the front doorstep. The whole episode seemed to be all about her and what she was prepared to do and not prepared to do.

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Medication and Pain by Pauline Medd

I can’t remember the last time I had a cold and I can only say what I do. I take one 1000mg of effervescent vitamin C per day, I put it in water in the morning and that helps me take the rest of the tablets, I find Asda`s own make very palatable and reasonable priced one evening primrose 1000mg I don’t know if that’s a woman thing and one Echinacea that’s for the immune system.

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This was updated on the 11th of October 2006.
Useful tips to use in your disability by Pauline Medd

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you I have decided to write this because before I became as bad as I am I used to say to people how do you manage and I would get oh I take precautions (what does that mean), these are useful tips that I have found during my disability, not that anybody has told me about them they probably have happened through need, so I would like to share them I hope they will be useful to you.

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Muddy boots

Muddy boots is set in the North East of Fife on the Glenrothes Cupar road, opposite Kettle produce.
The café / restaurant / shop is just a delight to be in. The shop sells everything from fresh laid eggs, fresh vegetables, organic bread, specialist sauces, ice creams etc.

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I was asked to write an article for the Scottish disability equality forum, I thought to myself, what could I write on and I thought, what’s close to disable people’s heart, it’s level access, dropped kerbs and toilets will you not all agree.

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Good morning everybody.

First could I apologise for being late, this is one thing about disability that people don't realise although I'm up at seven o'clock in the morning by the time my carers come in and help me to shower or wash, everything takes time so I can very rarely get to a meeting or an appointment before half-past 10 to 11 o'clock.

Could I ask who in the room either has somebody in the family who is disabled or knows somebody who is disabled?
If you could just put up you hand.

About six to eight children raised their hands out of each class. We had about four different classes.

I asked one of my carers if she could ask her grandchild (his name is Charlie he is six and quite a character) what would he say or do if he went to visit someone in a wheelchair, I was quite taken back by what he said------- he said I would ask if I could help them, or did they need something to eat and if the grandchildren were coming to play can I get the toys out, I have to say from a six year old that was amazing........

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