First Ever E-Magazine | December 2011 | www ... - Oshwal Centre

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Barnet Asian Carers Groupby, Suresh P. ShahAfter much pressure from Asian community LondonBorough of Barnet decided to start day centres for Asianresidents. Initially a room was allocated within an existingday centre for Asian residents and the numbers werelimited. The services offered were not adequate for ourneeds.In a s hort time, carers of Asian members visiting all daycentres in Barnet came within the group. This assisted indirect negotiations with Barnet on some issues.SupportFor carers the group provided the following support:In early 90’s a few of us got together to form Barnet AsianCarers Group (BACG). When BACG was formed initiallythe activities were primarily focussed on i ncreasingawareness for Asian residents.The initial hurdle was that members were not prepared tocome to day centres. Some preferred to stay alone athome and were reluctant to join a day centre. During aquick survey we found the main reasons were:• A perception that people would talk about them goingto a day centre• Children unhappy and also felt guilty if someonetalked about them• Some parents were not allowed to leave home forsuch an event• Lot of distrust about servicesHowever as our group became more formalised westarted to tackle the shortcomings in services beingoffered.CampaignsThe group was involved with following campaigns:• To ensure one good vegetarian meal was provided tomember’s coming to the day centre as well asproviding a ‘ meals on wheels’ service for housebound elderly people• To ensure continuation of Asian day centres whenBarnet announced cuts in budget.• Training sessions were held to teach how to handledisabled human body• Training sessions on relaxation techniques• Training on how to tackle pressure of looking afterdisabled or old members of family• Information on services available in Barnet• Counselling service• Diwali get togetherThe group was recognised by Barnet and listed in theirdirectory.The group continued for several years but sadly due tolack of support was wound up. During its existence lots ofassistance was given by Nila Patel, Ramnik Shah andSaroj Parekh.Finally running such groups brings a lot of satisfaction asit adds value to people in need. Such carers group can bestarted easily and once the aims are finalised then it isbest to affiliate with the local or national carer’s group. Acontact also needs to be maintained with local authoritysocial department. Many established charities are alwayswilling to assist. Sky is the limit of what the group wishesto achieve.Article by,Suresh P. Shah• To ensure more beds were provided where Asianresidence facility was available• To request more respite care beds for Asians.Oshwal News E-Magazine of the O.A.U.K. 13 December 2011 Edition
Obsessive Compulsive Disorderby, Chandu ShahA PersonalExperienceMy wife Kanta and I act as carers toour son Deepan, who was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in 1989. He was 22 years old.Deepan was a very bright student and achieved a BSc (Hons) inFinance at the London School of Economics.He was on h is way to becoming a chartered accountant, butduring final year at the university he began to have problems. Afriend who is a Consultant in America noticed something waswrong with Deepan's behaviour during our holidays in USA. Hesuggested that we get medical advice in UK and any helpneeded.At the beginning of his illness, people and community membersused the words like ‘pagal’ and ‘ganda’. We did not knowwhom, besides the GP, we should speak to and get help from orguidance, i.e organisations / local council / Care Centres / ourown community.In fact, when we contacted Oshwal Welfare section, they had noinformation available at that time.Today Deepan is still a v ery smart person, but he i s deeplyaffected by his mental illness. He is terrified of germs and doesnot leave his flat except for two days when he goes to the DayCare centre. K anta and I dedicate over 100 ho urs a w eekbetween us to his care, house keeping, shopping, cooking etc.plus transporting to day care centre twice weekly and for all hismedical appointments.My son has a s evere illness, but he i s still my son and thewonderful intelligent person he has always been.I am glad to see Enabling Network being formed within theOshwal Community who will be able to provide a signpost andguide all the community members suffering from variousdisabilities.About OCDObsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a seriousanxiety-related condition. It has 3 main parts:• Thoughts that make you anxious (obsessions)-thoughts, worry, distressing pictures in the mind, doubts,the need for perfection and ruminations that will not goaway.• The anxiety you feel (emotions)- tense, anxious, fearful,guilty, disgusted or depressed. You feel better if you carryout your compulsive behaviour, or ritual - but it doesn't lastlong.• The things you do to reduce your anxiety (compulsions)-correcting obsessional thoughts, carrying out rituals,checking and rechecking, avoidance, hoarding and theneed for reassurance from others that all is well.OCD sufferers may achieve diagnosis and treatment late partlydue to a lack of understanding by the individual and healthprofessionals and partly because of the feeling ofembarrassment, guilt and sometimes even shame associatedwith what is often called the ‘secret illness’.It’s important to remember that severity of OCD differs markedlybetween people but each person’s distress is very real. Peoplewith OCD are not ‘mad’ or dangerous and do not carry out theirunpleasant thoughts. Most people with OCD know that theirthoughts are excessive or irrational but the anxiety they feelmakes the thoughts difficult to ignore.The cause of OCD is much debated but it is likely to result froma combination of factors. In addition to this, the cause for oneperson may differ from that for another. OCD can run in familiesand, in some cases, may be associated with an underlyingbiochemical imbalance in the brain.TreatmentOCD is indeed a c hronic, but also a v ery treatable medicalcondition. Most people can learn to stop performing theircompulsive rituals and to decrease the intensity of theirobsessional thoughts through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT). C BT is a f orm of talking therapy that focuses on theproblems a per son has in the here and now and helps themexplore and understand alternative ways of thinking (thecognitive approach) and to challenge their beliefs throughbehavioural exercises.For some people a combination of CBT and medication can beeffective. Medication may reduce the anxiety enough for aperson to start, and eventually succeed in therapy.Support and HelpThere are various organisations and charities that providesupport and information such as MIND, OCD ACTION, OCD-TODAY AND OCD-UK. The royal college of psychiatrists alsohas information leaflets on OCD.A person with OCD can learn to manage symptoms so that theywon’t interfere with daily functioning. This allows them to regaina much-improved quality of life, but it is also possible, with theright support and treatment to achieve a complete recovery fromOCD. Fortunately, the medical profession is slowly starting tounderstand and identify OCD symptoms much more effectively,resulting in an improvement in treatment; however, it does stilldepend on which part of the country you may live in. OCDsufferers and their families need to seek help and support andknow that the help is out there and they are not alone.Oshwal News E-Magazine of the O.A.U.K. 14 December 2011 Edition
Page 4 and 5: EditorialOn behalf of the Oshwal M&
Page 6 and 7: ~ What is Enabling Network? ~which
Page 8 and 9: What is it like in Inclusive Educat
Page 10 and 11: Never Give Up HopeBy, Parul ShahMy
Page 12 and 13: Who looks after Carers?by, Varsha D
Page 16 and 17: Riks’ StoryContributed by, Anthon
Page 18 and 19: Neuro-diversityOrlando Bloom, Whoop
Page 20 and 21: ~ Neuro-diversity ~DyslexiaMany peo
Page 22 and 23: ~ Global Developmental Delay ~Her p
Page 24 and 25: ~ Peaks and troughs of a Family Fac
Page 26 and 27: ~ ENABLING NETWORK ~Since the Works
Page 28: General InformationAs an Oshwal Mem

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