MSWA Bulletin Magazine Summer 17

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
DR GREG BROTHERSON
Welcome everyone, to the Summer Edition of your Bulletin.
The great news is how delightfully well MSWA is travelling,
which was announced at the Annual General Meeting in
October. MSWA has once again set another all-round record
for providing services to the Membership and the neurological
community, another record contribution to research and the
achievement of another remarkable financial performance.
The building of the supported accommodation and service
complex at Butler will commence shortly. Wilson and
Beechboro will be renovated and new premises leased
in Joondalup. You will find a precis of the Annual Report
included, and Sue Shapland puts a human face to what a
hectic year it has been.
MSWA is performing extraordinarily well, which is a great
comfort to vulnerable Members now that Aged Care packages
are Commonwealth policy. This is of particular concern
especially for those people who are over 65 years of age
and do not qualify for the generous provisions of the National
Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), simply because they are
too old.
How is that for being ignored? There is no magic wand to wave
and no cure for multiple sclerosis to support such prejudice.
Nothing has changed except people now find themselves on
the wrong side of the Government’s arbitrary cut-off point. But
times have changed and there are health and safety matters
to consider which will double the cost for classified level four
people. But the rub is that they weren’t even consulted about it!
INSIDE | SUMMER 2017
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 3-4
MEMBER SERVICES XMAS CLOSURES AND REDUCED COVER 4
FROM THE DESK OF THE CEO 5
A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER –
MEMBER SERVICES 6
GROWING OUR LOCATIONS, AN UPDATE 7
PROFESSOR BILL CARROLL APPOINTED PRESIDENT
OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF NEUROLOGY 7
ROUND-UP OF RESEARCH AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST 8-9
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2017 10-11
JEWEL OF THE SOUTH WEST 12
MS NURSES AUSTRALASIA (MSNA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE 13
BUILDING DREAMS 14
CHRISTMAS CHEER 15
THE BENEFITS OF SOUND 16
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX –
BOXING FOR PEOPLE WITH MS 17
Thankfully, MSWA is able to help, but this doesn’t mean the
government policy is well thought out. It does not pass the
fairness test.
For those Members who qualify for the NDIS, they will have
access to the best facilities and service provision on offer
and spread throughout this great, generous State of Western
Australia. Certainly, in my 34 years as a Board Member and
31 as Bulletin editor, MSWA has never before arrived at
such a high point in its development, where Members and
Clients with associated neurological conditions can now feel
secure living at home in the community. Members have never
before had access to such a range of quality services as
those currently on offer by MSWA, and the NDIS team give a
sample of one day in the life of one of the team, in their
informative contribution.
There is one group in the neurological community, who for
a multitude of reasons, including love, always seem to be
exploited. They are the live-at-home carers who, more than
ever in this changing world, need a break and some respite
from the relentless nature of the caring role they have
undertaken. I remember well the first Medical Director of
MSWA, Dr Ted Stewart-Wynn, telling me in 1984: “you would
be stuffed without your wife to look after you!” Of course, he
was correct and since then MSWA has gone out of its way to
look after the carers of people with multiple sclerosis. The
original City Beach Respite home (an Empire Games Athlete-
Village home), followed not long after in 1989.
continued over
INTRODUCING ‘LOUD & CLEAR’ – AN MSWA POETRY CLUB 18
CELEBRATING OUR CARERS 18
SURVIVING THE HEAT WITH MS 19
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN MSWA NDIS TEAM MEMBER 20-21
TRAVELLING WITH DYSPHAGIA 21
CAMPS AND RETREATS 22-23
A DAY TRIP TO NORTHAM 23
MUSING ON MOUSING 24
POWER. THE COMMODITY OF KINGS 25
THAT’S LIFE WITH NARELLE 26
MSWA STAFF IN FOCUS 27
VOLUNTEERING 28
FUNDRAISING NEWS 29
BUSSELTON TUESDAY ART GROUP 29
ALBANY OUTREACH GROUP NEWS 30
BEECHBORO LODGE OUTREACH NEWS 30
WILSON OUTREACH NEWS 31
MSWA BULLETIN SUMMER 2017 | 3