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Managing conversations challenged Luana

Luana Waru first noticed her hearing was deteriorating when she found it difficult to manage conversations, particularly with her whanau. The Gisborne woman found trying to hear was frustrating and hard.

A word in your ear …..

Hearing loss can lead to communication breakdown and result in frustration and isolation. Check your hearing.

Could you be missing out?

Sometimes hearing loss can deprive a person of important life signals e.g. the kettle boiling, a tap at the door.

A guide to moving with special needs children

Children find it harder to cope with change. A significant change such as moving to another country can be difficult for adults too. The whole exercise is unsettling for kids and it can be unnerving for children with special needs. It is not sufficient for the transition to be well planned. The special needs of…

Marae-based programme offers variety

A highlight for participants on the Ngā Mara Ātea marae-based cultural day programme at Kirikiriroa Marae in Hamilton in late 2018 was setting up the Christmas trees in the central business district at Garden Place.

The Cow Shed Story

Joanne Pudney is the mother of a 21-rear old who has high and complex needs. She writes about him and the solution they found in their own back yard. Jack is nonverbal, incontinent, has restricted mobility, and Addison’s disease – and is unable to self-regulate physical and emotional stress, which, translated, means very challenging behaviours.…

Trying The Good Life

Everyone is different, and the support structures will have to take in whole of life views, says Michael Pulman, one of the clients trialling Enabling Good Lives. “At present we focus too much on care and hours of need. The reality is that it varies, and we need contingencies for people with evolving health needs.”

For whānau, family and carers

For people with disabilities