nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Old CP and Ageing factsheet

panther

Hi I'm hoping someone may be able to help I'm trying to locate the original CP and Ageing factsheet that Scope originally produced that was specifically for people.

I'm wanting to find that factsheet to include with my PIP form as it detailed the issues that someone with cp can face. The current factsheet Scope have on older people have is no good for me as it is too general.

So wish Scope hadn't taken out that CP and Ageing factsheet.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Sam_Alumni

@alexwhite can you help?

AlexW_Scope

Hi @panther

Hope this helps with your form.

Problems people with CP report as they get older

Whilst there is not a wealth of published scientific evidence on the physical effects of ageing and cerebral palsy, surveys have highlighted some of the problems that people encounter. What is clear is that people with cerebral palsy age in the same way as non-disabled people (primary ageing) but some people with cerebral palsy may also experience secondary ageing effects. These are likely to be the long-term effects of the original impairment.

Some of the more common problems reported by people in their thirties and forties or, sometimes, a little earlier:

Increased levels of pain and discomfort
Osteoarthritis (pain and stiffness in the joints)
Increase in spasms
Increase in contractures (shortening of muscles)
Less efficient motor control (body parts involved in movement)
Joint problems
Tight muscles
Gastro-intestinal (digestive system) problems
New or increased back pain
Emergence of or increase in incontinence
Loss of joint flexibility
Reduced energy levels and fatigue
Some risk factors associated with loss of function

In many cases the reasons for the emergence of new problems or aggravation of an existing condition is not too difficult to understand.

Below are some factors that may contribute to secondary ageing effects.

Poor wheelchair seating and posture
Spinal deformities
Contractures
Absence of appropriate movement of limbs and joints
Persistence with walking when it is increases in difficulty
Exhaustion
Ending of long-term physical therapy
Weight gain
Severe learning disability
Ignoring the body’s warning signals (such as pain and stiffness)
Physical injury
Inappropriate orthopaedic surgery
Absence of appropriate rehabilitation following surgery

Poor wheelchair seating and posture may mean that there is inadequate support. This can make existing spinal problems worse, causing pain and discomfort and sometimes loss of function in the limbs. Through lack of appropriate exercise, tight muscles may develop into contractures causing deformities in limbs. Persistence in walking when the legs are adversely affected may cause long-term problems elsewhere, such as arthritis in the joints and pain and discomfort in the back, as other muscles try to compensate for the awkward movement. Physical exhaustion may follow from taking too little rest, resulting in an overall decline in physical and mental functioning.

Many people with cerebral palsy push themselves to their physical limit and thus have little in reserve. Consequently, recovery can take much longer following an injury or illness and, unless there is a rehabilitation programme following the injury or illness, recovery to previous levels of functioning may be slow.

Orthopaedic surgery has merit in the treatment of certain aspects of cerebral palsy, such as the prevention of spinal deformities and contractures. However, orthopaedic surgery on people with cerebral palsy requires particular expertise so it is important to consult a surgeon who has some expertise in cp or who has experience in operating on people with various forms of cerebral palsy. Inappropriate procedures may be recommended by surgeons who do not have specialist knowledge of cerebral palsy and again, lack of appropriate rehabilitation following surgery may contribute to delays in recovery, or even deterioration in physical functioning.

Hope this helps, Alex

panther

Thank you Alex that's exactly what I was looking for. Hopefully this will help.
Is it possible this could be put on the website for those of us with Cp that are going to be going through this process of DLA to PIP

AlexW_Scope

Hi @panther

Our CP specialist officer starts on Monday so @speedincaesar will take a look at this when he has started his new role.

Best wishes, Alex

wilko

@panther, I hope they read the fact sheet but from what I know is DWP,don't want any information about your condition downloaded ect sent in with your pip form only recent and upto date medical evidence from medical,professionals who have treated you or appointment letters.

panther

Thank you @alexwhite it would be so helpful. Was talking to a friend earlier who also has CP and she was as upset as I was that this information had disappeared from your information section. Because like me she would often copy it and attach to her benefit forms.

For many of us as adults we've had no CP related medical input since we were children and the GP just says try this tablet or increase this one etc, I went to my Drs last year and said I didn't feel my medication was working and she told me that she didn't know what to suggest as she knew very little about cerebral palsy and all she could do was discuss my case in a practise meeting and see if any of the other doctors had any suggestions, they didn't!!! So we are left to battle on.

We so need a one stop place where we can get specific CP related information and not overall general disability information.

Best wishes
Helen

panther

@wilko I've always submitted additional information with any of my benefit forms as advised from the website www.benefitsandwork.co.uk who have very comprehensive guides on how to fill any of the benefit forms in.

So I will continue to add additional information with the PIP form. Benefits and works is a good website to access the guides fully you pay a yearly subscription but I used their guides when I did my ESA tribunal and won, again when I had a reassessment of my ESA and continued to be in the support group. Before I decided to try and look for work. And I'll be using their PIP guide to help me fill out the forms when they arrive

wilko

@panther, well done you as long as they read the extra information, I fully know about the benefits and work site I am a member but have not needed to use the resources to henance my claim, I was totally honest and presented all my medical Infomation and I must say I had a good and fair acessment for pip and was awarded what I expected to receive.

panther

@wilko I'm honest on any of my forms but when I haven't had any medical intervention that was CP related since I was a child, have no consultant that I see on a regular basis and a drs surgery who when ever they write anything tell you they don't know what to write as they don't know enough about CP and aren't able to tell them any more than we increased this medication as patient was getting more pain. Then adding additional information is always useful that may help is always useful

BeccyJ

Hi @panther

I just wanted to let you know that the document @alexwhite quoted from is actually a PDF file on the Capability Scotland website. The link is below.

http://www.capability-scotland.org.uk/media/57670/ageing_12.pdf

I’ve got copies of it for the same reason. It’s the closest thing I have to medical evidence of how my mobility and functionality have changed since childhood

I’ve had a similar experience to you in accessing CP specific treatment and advice. It basically comes down to no one having any expertise in CP in adults. It really needs someone to do some co-ordinated research. Without research there is going to be no scientific evidence on which to build medical treatment and advice. If Scope isn’t going to spearhead this, who is?

I thought I’d let you know that I’ve been trying (for nearly a year) to find out what Scope’s standpoint is regarding CP. Their charitable objects state it exists for “especially those with CP”. They have a responsibility to us. The MS society and Arthritis Research UK are just two examples of charities fighting hard for research and better support for those affected by specific conditions. People with CP don’t have this and, in my opinion, the support we now get from Scope pales in comparison.

The thread I started which discusses this is linked below. We’ve had some responses from a director at Scope to some of the points that have been raised. @emmaliv is trying to get support in this too. If you feel you can contribute, it’d be great.

https://community.scope.org.uk/discussion/33360/better-care-for-adults-with-cp#latest

panther

@BeccyJ Thanks for the link the full factsheet used to be on Scope's website.

Scope used to be for people with cerebral palsy. I used to at times do some media interviews for them etc.

I'm not sure why Scope decided that it would be better to cover general disability but there are a number of us who were regulars on the forum who dropped off as Scope changed and kind of lost it's way.

I only came back on today to track down the factsheet then complain a lot when it wasn't there!! Not impressed with how things are like you say we need a voice just for cp and not just one person.

Will look at the links tomorrow

BeccyJ

@panther

It is so good to know that more and more people are saying the same thing. The fact that so many of us feel this way about the lack of interest in CP in adults and also Scope’s change of direction is very telling.

@emmaliv and @forgoodnesssake recently met with Mark Atkinson (Scope CEO) and @quinrah and other Scope representatives and there’s some information about that meeting on the thread I’ve linked to above. @Bubbles83 and I were both invited too. Unfortunately we were unable to attend but I am looking forward to seeing what develops.

panther

@BeccyJ I've just tracked down someone who used to be on here all the time like me but stopped once it became less CP related. She instead set up a facebook group for adults with CP which I have just joined.

But if we can get Scope to go back to what they were as the voice for those of us with CP it would be good

Bubbles83

@BeccyJ thanks for tagging me, i was more then annoyed at not being able to attend the meeting, but i've read the minutes and ........ . @panther this is something that has been discussed in great detail (you can find the full thread in the link above) unfortunately scope has made it clear that is is now a pan disability website and there's not much more we can do, as an adult with CP i have made my feelings clear ( along with the rest of us) it's a sad state of affairs.

Takecare

panther

As you've probably seen from one of my earlier comments I'm not impressed been on here since 2010 and during that time there was a really strong core group of people on most evenings. From what I can see most of us have now given up since Scope changed their focus to more general disability. So they lost a wealth of knowledge

BeccyJ

@panther thanks for the info
@Bubbles83 no problem

I think people with CP are making their feelings on this issue very clear

Even the population affected by polio has its own charity (https://britishpolio.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/) - and polio was eradicated from this country 30 years ago.

By contrast, CP affects 1 in 400 of the population. That may even increase now more and more babies are surviving extreme prematurity

To even consider leaving that proportion of the disabled population without unique representation, and with no voice calling for unique research, is appalling.

The ball is now most definitely in Scope’s court. Something needs to change soon. Either it is the charity “especially” for CP or it isn't.

A clear and well publicised statement has to be made about Scope’s purpose and intent.

panther

@BeccyJ @Alexwhite I agree was really disappointed to see how much it had changed from when I was last on here. I started by phoning the helpline as couldn't find what I was looking for. And was told oh we have one adviser that specialises in CP. 1 what good is that to us when there used to be a team.

Feel really let down by Scope it feels like they have lost their way or are just giving up on us and considering us unimportant any more

BeccyJ

@panther

It does feel very much like that.

I had a quick look at the stats for CP cases compared to Polio cases

In 2016 there were 37 reported cases of polio worldwide (Source: World Health Organisation).

By contrast it is reported that 1800 babies are diagnosed with CP each year in the UK alone. Up to 4 in every 1000 live births worldwide. According to one Australian website a child with CP is born every 15 hours in that country.

The work of the British Polio Fellowship is extremely worthy and every effort should be made to ensure it is fully eradicated and that those affected by it receive all possible support. The work of that and any similar organisation should be given whatever resources are still needed.

Even though there hasn’t been a new UK case since the 1980s there is still a need for an active UK charity supporting those who are affected.

CP is still a common diagnosis each year, which can have a massive impact on a person’s life. Like many conditions, there remains no cure. It does, however, remain the only impairment (that I know of and that anyone I’ve spoken to knows of) that has no major national charity. Scope freely admits that it wants to be known as a pan-disability charity, not a CP charity

The lack of interest in researching CP throughout the lifespan is a worldwide issue. The statistics prove it remains a common condition - but for there to be no major national CP charity interested in lobbying for that research to be done is in my opinion unjustifiable.

Interestingly I once came across a report that postulated that there may be some similarities between Post Polio Syndrome and what is known as Post Impairment Syndrome in CP.

The British Polio Fellowship’s National Treasurer is quoted on their website as saying:

”The British Polio Fellowship has helped provide me with a community and support for what are a very special set of health problems that only people with Polio may understand. I have no doubt that without the help of the charity and the support of many of the members, including my husband, I wouldn’t have felt the confidence to enjoy such a great career.”

I would be interested to know what she would say if she were told that all of her needs and challenges were actually the same as that of any other disabled person and that all of her needs could be met by a generic pan-disability charity?

Bubbles83

At the risk of being controversial here, the majority of CP cases, mine included where a direct result of failings during the pregnancy and aftercare, i obtained my medical records years ago, and although i was premature, the damage was done because my mother wasn't listened to and monitored, even after i was born catastrophic errors where made, which ultimately resulted in playing a apart in my CP back in the 80's i think they where still learning but there's still being no clear acknowledgement or link between medical negligence and CP.
they are historic cases like mine being dealt with in solicitors officers all over the world as parents of children and adults alike reorganise that they where some big failings and that CP does simply 'not happen' as my mother was lead to believe, what im try to say in a round about way is maybe that's why companies and charities have distanced themselves because they don't want to be associated with a mass cover up.

Richard_Scope

Hi @panther, @BeccyJ and @Bubbles83
I have read the threads on this subject with interest as all of the issues that have been raised have affected me. By way of introduction, I have just started in the role of Specialist Information Officer - Cerebral Palsy for Scope.
I am really keen on working with you and others to improve what we offer to people with our disability and their families.