News

Austin Health has commenced a study on a new drug which stimulates the defecation centre in the lower spinal cord and empties the bowel at a time convenient to the patient.

The bowel study will be testing a new drug to facilitate emptying the bowel of spinal cord injured people. This study has started at Austin Health, Melbourne.

Many spinal cord injured people lose voluntary control of bowel function: they are unable to initiate bowel emptying when they wish, and they are unable to delay emptying to a convenient time. For some people this is a devestating problem.

Austin Health have developed a drug that stimulates the defecation centre in the lower spinal cord, which remains intact after cervical or thoracic injury. Thay are currently recruiting males aged between 18-45 years, who have sustained a T6-T12 SCI within the last 12 years.

The study has been approved by the Austin Health Human Research Ethics Committee and is funded by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).

If you would like further information, or wish to particiopate in this project contact  Melinda Millard:

03 9496 5906 or melinda.millard@austin.org.au

Austin Health is currently searching for people with SCI to participate in the SCIPA (Spinal Cord Injury + Physical Activity) Full-On Project which examines the effects of exercise on recovery, health and well-being after spinal cord injury.

Regular physical activity through upper body training is effective in improving fitness and psychological well-being in people with spinal cord injury. However there are now reports that regular and intensive activity-based therapies promote neurological improvement. These therapies include partial body-weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT), functional electrical stimulation-assisted leg exercise, and exercises to improve control of trunk and lower limb musculature. There is some evidence that these interventions may improve an individual’s ability to move and perform functional activities, however this has not been rigorously tested in a randomised controlled trial.

Full-On is a randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of a comprehensive exercise program exercising the paralysed limbs and upper body musculature with an upper body strength and fitness program. The centres involved will be spinal units in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand. Austin Health is the Melbourne spinal unit participating in this trial.

Participation in the project involves undertaking an intensive exercise program three times a week for 12 weeks and attending assessments. Participants must be 18 years of age or over, have completed their primary rehabilitation, and will need to have medical clearance to participate.

This study has been approved by the Austin Health Human Research Ethics Committee. If you would like further information, or wish to participate in the project, please contact

Ms Janette Alexander – Victorian Spinal Cord Service

03 9490 7285 or Janette.Alexander@austin.org.au

Thanks to a new iPhone and iPad app, people with a spinal cord injury now have a wealth of information at their fingertips to help them get back on track after a life changing injury.

The app is based on ‘Back on Track’ the comprehensive guide to life after a spinal cord injury, developed by Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA).

Created in collaboration with Apps-House<http://www.apps-house.com.au/>, the app is a one-stop-shop of information covering transport, financials, legal matters, employment, bladder care, assistance dogs, clothing, disability service providers, accessible places to visit and news and information about spinal cord injury.

The app builds upon SCIA’s drive to use technology to assist people with a spinal cord injury. In March of 2012 ConnectAbility, a joint program with IT business solutions provider ASG Group, started distributing iPads to newly injured people in the Spinal Unit at the Prince of Wales Hospital. The App will be preloaded onto these iPads and available for anyone else to download for free.

SCIA client Andy Farrell said life is certainly easier thanks to the new app. “I’m sure it wasn’t top of mind for Steve Jobs when creating these technologies, but they have revolutionised the lives of some people with a spinal cord injury,” he said.

“Due to my disabilities I don’t have the full use of my fingers and hands which makes it difficult to read a book, operate a traditional mobile phone or use a computer. The technology of the iPhone and iPad makes it easy for me to use with just a light touch or quick swipe. SCIA’s new smart phone app allows me to have quick and convenient access to vital resources and information. In the short time that it was launched, I have already benefited from the information the app has made readily available.”

Peter Perry, Chief Executive of SCIA said, “newly injured people have a lot to learn and often people who have been living with a spinal cord injury or another physical disability for a long time can become out of touch with the latest services, products, technology and innovations in treatment that can help make their everyday lives easier. SCIA’s app will help share this crucial information with people, helping them remain informed about the broad range of options out there to help them get on with their lives and avoid social isolation.”

At this stage, the app is available on iPhone and iPad and SCIA hopes to launch it on Android in the future.

To download this free app search ‘SCIA’ in the Apple App Store or visit: www.bit.ly/SCIAAPP<http://www.bit.ly/SCIAAPP>

Have you ever wanted to;

Offer a patient perspective to help improve the quality and safety of services in the Victorian Spinal Cord Service?

• Provide advice on how to communicate clinical quality and safety issues to patients of Austin Health?
• Make sure that quality and safety issues for patients are at the forefront of decisions made about services?
• Speak up on behalf of patients?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions then why not consider joining the Spinal Cord Services’ Quality Safety and Risk Committee.

The committee meet once each month and all your expenses would be covered.

For more details contact Mel Gregory (03) 9490 7284 or Mel.Gregory@austin.org.au.

THE RIDE tells the story of four aussie blokes (three with paraplegia and one with quadriplegia) who swap their wheelchairs for quad bikes and ride 5000km across the outback, to visit the crash sites where their lives changed forever.

Fuelled by both humour and disarming honesty, THE RIDE is a wild traverse across the terrain of the human spirit, as four men make peace with the tragedy of their past.

Producer/director Sandra Cook says, “THE RIDE has many dynamic elements-heartbreaking stories of loss, a cautionary tale, and extreme adventure travel…all against a backdrop of survival and resilience”.

If you are interested in hosting your own screening of THE RIDE,  the film makers are able to provide you with a copy of the film for this purpose. To find out more contact the film makers directly at www.theridemovie.org/contact.

Producer/director Sandra Cook says, “We have spent years bringing this film to life. We now need your help to get the story out there and give it the life it deserves”.

The film makers have recently launched a campaign to raise money to take the film on a national tour around Australia. If you would like to help the film makers take THE RIDE on a national tour by pledging to the crowdfunding campaign visit the website www.indiegogo.com/theridedocumentary.

Cameron Toomey: Lacrosse coach, family man, accountant and friend with C5-C6 quadriplegia.

I played lacrosse at state and national level before my accident, and used to run, ride and lift weights – I was very active.

I’m still the same person with the same interests now – I’ve just found new ways of doing things.

Now I coach the lacrosse team I used to play for, and I love it. I get out on my handcycle, and I still lift weights. I have friends around for dinner instead of playing golf. Maybe you can’t do the same things, but you can still do things.

Tendon transfer operations gave me a strong grip in each hand. Being able to open a door, shave yourself, even open a can of Coke – these are big things.

It’s important to take responsibility for your own life. I shop online, and get the lawns and cleaning done. I work as an accountant. Nicki and I are building a house and that’s another full-time job! I stay involved, because it’s too easy to get caught up in dependency.

You have to be super-organised to deal with the change you’re going through. And you can still get satisfaction from the things you enjoyed before your injury – just in a different way.

Wheelies with Wings is a charity and a non profit organisation. Its purpose is to offer people with physical disability the opportunity to gain a flying experience. Flying can give people a huge sense of freedom and achievement and therefore for many, this goes on to be a lifelong passion!

Wheelies with Wings offer scholarships to help people gain flying experience. A couple of  ‘Introduction to Flying’ courses are held every year and applications are now open for the October course. More details and the application form are available on their website.

Lots of other information and stories of individual experiences are also available on the Wheelies with Wings website and face book page.

Help us to create better supports for people with SCI living in the community.  AQA Victoria are keen to hear your feedback on the things that matter most to people with SCI living in the community and the supports and services that can best meet their needs. AQA want to hear from people with SCI, carers, service providers and anyone else who is interested in improving supports. To complete a short survey please CLICK HERE.