How Cerebral Palsy Is Being Treated

Chronicle (Levin), 6 July 1948, Page 2

How Cerebral Palsy Is Being Treated

Once again the members of the various women's organisations in Otaki and district were privileged to hear Mrs. Howard Flanders, honorary adviser to the Crippled Children Society, when she gave an address at the Anglican Hall on Friday afternoon last. The meeting had been arranged by the committee of the Women's Division of Federated Farmers, and the speaker was introduced by the president of the' local branch, Mrs. S. Blackburn. Since her last visit to Otaki Mrs. Flanders has been engaged in making a survey of the cerebral palsy cases in the Wellington area, and for the past three months has been working with apparently "incurable" cases in the Home of Compassion, where with the complete co-operation of the nuns there, some remarkably successful results have been achieved. Patients who have been fcedridden and helpless are now able to stand, walk and feed themselves. There are approximately 1500 persons of $11 ages in this country who, from birth or through injury, are aflicted with cerebral palsy, and many of these have had very little treatment; but Mrs. Flanders is emphatic that If children between the ages of one and five years can have the advantage of the treatment which she has studied and practised in the clinics of Great Britain^ Switzerland and California during the past 32 years, they will receive great benefit, and will certainly be trained to become useful and happy people. The recent visit of Dr. Carlson, and his report to the health authorities, for the proposed establishment of clinic homes in the four centres has brought this work more before the upblic, but the great difficulty will be the staffing of such institutions, as these special cases call for infinite patience and time to be spent by those who are treating them. Mrs. Flanders proposes to make a tour of the northern districts of the North Isiand for the purpose of contacting as many women's organisations as possible in the hope that by this means'many people will hear of the work and the need that exists for assistance to carry it out.