Grey Power September 2019

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NZ GREYPOWER MAGAZINE » SEPTEMBER 2019
Book Review
ACC A National Plot?
By Sandra Crashley 2019
Published by Loveley Books, Opotiki, NZ
ISBN 978-0-473-47197-2
The purpose of this
book is to expose
the deficiencies
in the way Government
agencies, and in particular
ACC, fulfil the requirements
of the law in their
dealings with the public.
According to the author,
the whole purpose and
spirit of the original ACC
legislation have been altered
beyond recognition
and no longer serve the
people who seek help.
This theory is based
on the personal experience
of the author over
the years. Mrs Crashley
is British-born and a migrant
to New Zealand 45
years ago. In the past, she
has had much experience
in being an advocate for
those who are struggling
with various authorities to
get their rights and this is
the reason for her undertaking
to write the book
– a case of gross mismanagement
of a young sole
parent whose injury at her
part-time work caused her
to give up work altogether
lit the spark, and she
cites many other instances
of people who did not
receive their entitlements
from ACC.
Mrs Crashley’s problems
with ACC appear to
have been at least partly
caused by a skating accident
and botched (illegal)
pelvic surgery in England.
Her association with the
department in New Zealand
was the result of various
accidental falls, which
ACC insisted were due to
her age or a rare genetic
condition, and nothing
to do with the previous
medical misadventure or
accident. Therefore, as
her latest injuries could be
put down to “age-related
degeneration”, she could
not access ACC funding
for her physiotherapy and
other resulting medical
needs.
The author has obviously
kept meticulous
records, much to the discomfiture
of certain ACC
personnel, and she gives
many details of these, together
with the full text
of letters to various doctors
and officials. She has
clearly suffered from the
incompetence, attitudes
and alleged duplicity of
ACC staff and various local
medical persons.
Her knowledge of the
legislation has enabled
her to relate accurately
the original intent of the
ACC legislation and the
subsequent alteration in
its perspective, namely
recreating itself from the
Accident Compensation
Commission, an independent
body, into the Accident
Compensation Corporation,
which is subject
to government and pays
dividends into the national
coffers. The prevailing
attitude she experienced
was one in which the officials
looked upon any
claimants as potential rippers-off
of the system and
therefore to be denied assistance
if at all possible,
thus saving funds for the
organisation.
Much of her conclusions
she applies to the
personnel of other government
agencies, and
she is very vocal in her
criticism of the National
government during its last
term of office. She is vehement
in her condemnation
of the treatment she received
and her determination
to achieve a change in
the legislation governing,
particularly, ACC.
While many elderly
people will read this book
with great sympathy and
relate to much it contains,
Reviewed by
Kilian de Lacy
See also our letters,
page 40
I found the endless repetition
of medical misadventures,
accidents and details
of the way the author was
treated by the authorities a
deterrent to my enjoyment
of the book. In addition, it
could do with some tidying
up with regard to grammar
and spelling – it was
self-published so presumably
there was little or no
independent editing.
That being said, Mrs
Crashley makes a very
strong point, one which
would resonate with anyone
who has had problems
obtaining their entitlements
from the Corporation.
Energy, Vitality and Maintaining Independence
When we think about our energy
and vitality, quite often we are
thinking about being able to do what
we want to do. It’s about maintaining
our independence no matter our age
and continuing to get out and about
either locally or abroad.
The challenge has always been, how
do we maintain this independence
as we age, how do we ensure that
we don’t have to rely on others. This
is where a healthy diet and keeping
moving is important.
The main reason for losing
independence is the loss of our
mobility from serious joint issues
and inflammation. The inflammation
of joints is one of the key areas to
the degradation of our health and
wellbeing, as it occurs we find we don’t
move as much, weight is gained, social
connections are harder to keep due
to not being able to get out as much,
simple activities become a chore, and
our mood and outlook decline. We can
also feel consistently tired, and in time
inflammation can cause other serious
conditions.
The good thing is, rather than focusing
on fixing each little piece in puzzle we
can start with the route problem or
prevent the problem in the first place.
Here are some simple tips to reduce
inflammation:
DIET
There are some foods that can
increase inflammation, and some
that help to reduce it. Here’s a little
helpful list.
Increase Inflamation:
• Dried Foods
• Deep Fried Foods
• Refined carbohydrates
• Excessive alcohol
• Processed meats
• Food Addatives
Decrease Inflamation:
• Fruit
• Cruciferous Vegetables
• Oily Fish
• Turmeric
• Nuts & Seeds
• Garlic
EXERCISE
It’s not about hitting the gym, or
getting out to run a marathon, but
if that is your goal then by all means
we applaud. For many, the simple
act of getting out of the house for
a walk, going shopping, or visiting
our favourite places can be a
challenge, little and often is the key
here, especially if you haven’t done
anything for a while. Using things
around the home, like a couple of
cans for resistance, and vacuuming
for cardiovascular can help make a
difference.
STRESS LESS
Reducing stress is important to help
reduce inflammation. The more
we stress the higher the levels of
stress chemicals, like cortisol, course
through our body. Though this is great
when we are in fight or flight mode, its
not great when we should be relaxing.
Take time for you, do something you
enjoy, even if it is only for a short time
each day. Have a period where you
can remove some of those things that
increase your levels of stress.
SLEEP
Ensuring you get a quality night’s
sleep is vital to helping the body
combat all sorts of challenges. When
we have broken sleep, or constantly
wake up feeling tired, we can be sure
that our body isn’t working at it’s
optimum. Deep, restful sleep helps
the body to regenerate, and do what
we want to do during the day.
SUPPLEMENTS
There is a vast array of supplements
out there. The thing to remember
is that not all supplements are
created equal, and consideration
should be given to tried and tested
products. Look for well researched,
independently batch tested products
that support your specific needs.
Ensure what you are taking is what
is described on the bottle, and always
check the use by date.