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my hero my dad

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maria83
maria83 Community member Posts: 4 Listener
edited September 2014 in Cerebral palsy
hi my dad is 55 yrs old and has cp. he has 4 children worked most of his lifeand has 6 beautiful grandchildren, he is my inspiration.
From birth his mother was told to put him in a home as there is no outlook for him, she refused and with the help of his twin sister grew up in a loving family was well educated and went into employment.
He is deaf but was brought up to lipread.
As the years have gone i have watched him get physically worse and he is now almost wheelchair bound and is in alot of pain with severe spasms and his spine is curving he is only 55 yrs old.
He is undergoing physio therapy but this seems only to make his condition worse.
I am sorry for the long post but would love some advice and support so i can support my father the best i can.
Thanks
Maria
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  • ScopeHelpline
    ScopeHelpline Community member Posts: 207 Courageous
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    Hi Maria
    You might be intersted in the Scope information on Aging and Cp that can be found at:
    http://www.scope.org.uk/help-and-information/cerebral-palsy-and-associated-impairments/aging-and-cerebral-palsy
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  • panther
    panther Community member Posts: 251 Courageous
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    Hi Maria
    I'm sure you will find the ageing and cp factsheet Scope have advised you to read useful as a starting point. I'm forever printing copies and giving to various physios, gps, etc to try and help them understand what I'm trying to explain.

    There are many of us on here that are dealing with problems supposedly caused from ageing and cp some of us are finding that we are having problems at an ealier age than others. I was in my earlier 30s when doctors started to tell me my problems were being caused through wear and tear on my body due to trying to expect too much of my body with the cp as well. At that age it was hard to accept and I fought against it for a long time but eventually had to stop work so I could have a life that didn't just exsist of getting up going to work and going straight to bed when I got home and spending most of the weekend in bed due to pain and fatigue ready for the following week at work!!

    I'm happy to talk to you more if I can be of any help and I'm sure many others will have advice for either you or your dad if you wanted to get him to join in as well. Take care Helen
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  • Noah
    Noah Community member Posts: 425 Pioneering
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    Wow your dad sounds like a real inspiration to us all.

    A little idea, try and do as many things with your dad that make him feel relaxed, this helps the spazms, and makes everything else a little easier. Focus on what he can do, and help him enjoy it, by being there. I recently got invovled in Wheel chair tennis, which is amzing. there is so much help out there and clever things to make our lives a little more mangable.

    A couple of other ideas are:

    Swimming, this takes the wieght off the joints and helps reduce spazm, while still helping to build tone.

    Sauna, this helps relax the musels.

    Music tharopy.

    Dance and movement tharopy.

    Use two sticks not one, as this helps take the weigt of the joints and can help straighned the spine. keeps the body more upright, distruptes the wieght more evanly. I use two walking poles which are amazing.

    Ostipath. amazing at realiging bones, not really sure how it works, but helps me lots, with reducing pain.

    Keep telling him how amazing he is which i'm sure you do to keep his spirits as high as possible.
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  • mafala
    mafala Community member Posts: 71 Listener
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    Hi Maria,
    It must be hard for you seeing your dad be so uncomfortable. My son is 8 and has severe CP and it really inspires me to hear about your dad and how he has lived his life.


    People get aches and pains as they age, particularly if they are sedentary. These age-related aches and pains are much more severe in people with CP, because their bodies are under a lot more strain. Noah's advice is very good. Exercise, or any physical activity is the best reliever of pain. Our bodies and our muscles are meant to move. If you don't move, you get a vicious circle of tightness, stiffness, spasm and building of lactic acid in the muscles, which is what causes pain. Sometimes pain stops people from moving and the pain becomes worse. You should try and get your dad into gentle exercise, like swimming or something else he might enjoy. You could try and get him a referral to hydrotherapy through the physiotherapist, or try and get access to any heated pool. Getting massages could also be beneficial. Anything that gets the body moving and improving blood flow to his muscles should help reduce pain and improve his well-being.

    All the best.
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  • maria83
    maria83 Community member Posts: 4 Listener
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    Thankyou all for your comments. I just thought i would let you all know dad is have hydrotherapy and physio once a week for the next 6 weeks and if this doesnt help they will try other options. Unfortunatly aswell as the spine problems he now has hip problems so bit more worried but i know he will get the help he needs now.
    I just wanted to add that if it wasnt for his mum (my nan) he would have been put into a care home as a child. But her and his twin sister spent so much time getting him walking talking and educating him (he didnt walk till he was 7 yrs old!) . Sadly my nan passed away from cancer early this year but i will always remember her as a very strong woman wh cared for her family.
    They do so much more for children with cp nowadays than they did before its very good. Just shows the amount of work you put in anything is possible.
    Stay Strong
    hugs
    Maria
    x
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