Cebral palsy.

jessicabirch

Hello. I am a carer, I care for people with spinal injuries. However as from monday I will be caring for someone with Cebral Palsy. I have no clue what to expect other than this gentleman is speech impaired, cant speak at all and he has a keyboard to communicate. What can I expect with someone with cebral palsy? Is there any challenging behaviour? I have very minimal knowledge on this condition. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

chiarieds

Hi @jessicabirch You have definitely found the best community to help, as Scope is the main charity/help for people with Cerebral Palsy (CP)..

I'm sure you will receive advice in the morning from people with CP, or a good knowledge about this.

I would, however, like to welcome you to this community & thank you for posting. It's also great to read you're a carer, thank you.

chiarieds

Hi [email protected]

I hope perhaps @Richard_Scope might help you here, please.

In the meanwhile, if you look at the top of the page & go to 'Advice & support,' then 'Online advice & support,' then scroll down & you'll see there is a section on Cerebral Palsy if you look down the left-hand side. Do look at the links there.

Ails

Hi @jessicabirch and welcome to the Community.  It is nice to meet you and thank you for sharing with us.  There are some members of the Community who have Cerebral Palsy and they would be best to guide you on this, but you have been given good information by @chiarieds so far.  I'm sure you will find this information useful.  All the best in your new role as I am sure you will find it very worthwhile.  If there is anything further we can help/support you with then please just let us know. 

forgoodnesssake

I don't have CP but my son does, and he also has no speech so uses a communication aid.  CP  is such a varied condition that it is impossible to say how a person might or might not be affected.  A good start would be to read the CP info on this site and then regarding his communication impairment this will be helpful (I know it talks about children but the principles apply whatever age) https://communicationmatters.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/other_ways_of_speaking.pdf.

And always assume that this person fully understands what you are saying.  Just because they may have problems with speaking doesn't mean they have any problems understanding!

Behavioural issues are not a regular part of CP but of course frustration etc can sometimes lead to different behaviours...but I wouldn't worry about that aspect at this stage. 

Richard_Scope

Hi @jessicabirch
We have some general information about what CP is  but no two people are affected in the same way. I can recommend the links and advice given by @forgoodnesssake and I would say always make sure the person is consulted and their opinions about their care are taken on board. 
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