Back On Track News
TASC Newsletter Achieve
Information
New ACC Attendant Care & Equipment Evaluation Guidelines

TASC helps to run “Back on Track” meetings which are held every 2nd Thursday afternoon at the Spinal Unit. We have guest speakers , mainly ex-patients who come and talk with new patients about their experiences on a wide range of subjects. These meetings are for current and recently discharged patients their families and whanau.

Some of the topics we cover are:
Housing Modifications, Care giving Agencies for ACC or M.O.H. Caregivers, Finding them and Keeping them, Caregivers, Their point of view, Being out and being seen, Role changes, Outpatients and Reassessment, Grief after Spinal Cord Injury, Sport and Recreation, Health and Disability Advocacy/Citizens advice Bureau, Technology,Employment,Working after a Spinal cord Injury, Health and Well Being/Alternative Therapies, Travel Experiences, Teenagers with Spinal cord Injury, Relationships and Sexuality After Spinal Cord Injury, Tips and Pointers about ACC,Financial Planning and Budgeting advice, Pain Management.
If anybody is interested in attending any of the above subjects you are welcome to attend.

Back on Track and other events comming up

Art Classes

There is still room for new artists, come and try out your talents you might be surprised as how good you are. Tuesdays 1 - 3 pm at the Spinal Unit.

Back on Track Meetings

TASC helps to run Back on Track meetings which are held every 2nd Thursday afternoon at the Spinal Unit. We have guest speakers who come and talk with new patients about their experiences on a wide range of subjects. These afternoons are very well attended.

(BOT) meetings will be held:
3.30pm until 5pm in the Dining Room
Auckland Regional Spinal Unit.
30 Bairds Road, Otara.
See map for details

Our Phone No is (09) 270 9033 or 2709071

Sex & Intimacy following Spinal Cord Injury

TASC & the Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit invite you to an informative evening to discuss topics surrounding sex & intimacy following SCI. The evenings are open to both singles & couples.
Cost - No charge (For ACC claimants ACC will assist transport & or accommodation if needed - if you are a MOH patient please contact us and we may be able to help with funding)

Health Professionals/Caregivers Workshop

2.30-5.00 pm (same venue and date as evening workshop) there will be a workshop on sexuality & spinal cord injuries for caregivers, counsellors, physios, nurses, OT's ect. The cost of this workshop is $50.00 pp. A certificate issued at the end of the workshop.

Next Workshop
Rotorua - 6.30 - 9.00 pm on the 30th October at Parksyde Community Centre 7-9 Tarewa Road.

For more information or book for the evening workshop please Email: tasc@woosh.co.nz or phone TASC: (09) 270 9033 or (09) 270 9071.
(Please RSVP 2 weeks prior to the date of the workshop as we need a maximum number to run it.)

Information

We Provide information for people with spinal concerns, eventually we hope to create a menu of different categories for you to use.

New ACC Attendant Care & Equipment Evaluation Guidelines

ACC has recently established a National Serious Injury Service.  As part of the research that was completed to inform the establishment of the service, it was confirmed that there is significant variation in the levels of Attendant Care that are being recommended by assessors.  This is largely because the assessment tool that is currently in use is subjective and consequently has a very heavy reliance on professional judgment, rather than objective evidence/information. 

The Serious Injury Service has a strong commitment to transparency, and consistency in decision-making. To this end, they have liaised with the Motor Accident Authority (MAA) in NSW and have their agreement to use their recently developed guidelines for Attendant Care support levels. 

Rather than spending a lot of money in reinventing the wheel and developing there own guidelines, they have put together a small group of 'expert informants' to review the MAA Guidelines, and using a consensus model, recommend whether the guidelines for support for each SCI level are applicable to NZ, or if not, why not, what the level should be and why.

The expert informant group are made up of clinicians and therapists from the two spinal units, 2 community assessors, 2 ACC staff members (one who is a wheelchair user), and they want to ensure that clients are also represented by way of a client representative from TASC and one from the Spinal Trust.  

ACC has anticipated that there will be two days work in this which is on the 11th of December at a workshop in Wellington. It is important for those who currently receive 24 hour care justify why they need those hours because these guidelines are reviewing a C1-C3 to 20-33 hour per day or a C5 to 18-20 hours per day. TASC urgently need your feedback through completing the word.document “SCI Evaluation of MAA Guidelines” and send them to Tom Callagher TASC Secretary.

ACC Guidelines (220 KB PDF) 
   
SCI Evaluation of ACC Guidelines (140 KB MSW)

Support

Free Counseling Service

Auckland Conductive Education situated in Tui Glen Henderson is offering free counselling for disabled people and their families/whanau. We are pleased to announce that, as part of our Community Support Services we are now offering free counselling.The counselling services are available on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9.00am to 2.00pm, and on Saturday by special arrangement.

If you require counselling please call John or Rebekah on 836 6830 and we will be happy to confirm an appointment.

ACC CONTRACTED HOME BASE REHABILITATION SERVICE PROVIDERS

These are just the ACC Auckland based contracted service providers and reasons why ACC have concerns for the use of non contracted service providers. We will be providing more providers for the rest of the North Island soon.

These are the concerns that ACC might have with a non contracted provider:

ACC can not guarantee that the non-contracted agency has:
• Back-up staff in case of carer sickness or unavailability
• The required safety equipment and protective clothing
• Provision of services after hours, weekends and on public holidays
• Arrangements for clinical supervision of the attendant care provider
• A quality management system (for instance, accreditation)
• Appropriately skilled staff.

ACC Auckland based contracted service providers:

Baptist Action Auckland Home Healthcare - Dee Parks
Suite 12, Ground Floor, Newcall Tower, 44 Khyber Pass Rd, Auckland
(09) 302 2299

Christian Healthcare Trust - Max Robins
97 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland
(09) 522 4585 ext 207

Drake Personnel (NZ) Limited - Debbie Hague
Level 2, 8 Pacific Rise, Mt Wellington, Auckland

Focus 2000 Ltd - Sally Fisher
13 Coyle Street, , Auckland
(09) 846 6295

Geneva Health International Ltd - Denise Omar and Serina Coughey
Level 2, Hewlett Packard Building, 137-147 Quay Street, Auckland
(09) 916 0200 or 0800 436 382

Health Vision - Sue Doherty - Christine O'Toole
Level 1, 18 St Marks Road, Newmarket, Auckland
(09) 522 5012

Healthcare of New Zealand - Dianne George (Auckland)
Level 5, 90 Symonds Street, Auckland
(09) 303 3546 or (09) 303 3574

Home Based Healthcare - Vaine Williams-Joseph
Pasifika Integrated Health Care Ltd, Unit A / 145 Target Road, Glenfield, Shore City, Auckland
(09) 441 3474

Howick Baptist Homecare - Valerie Sugrue
139 Union Road, Howick, Auckland
(09) 534 5199

Langimalie Clinic - Lavili Ahokovi
29 Hill Street, Onehunga, Auckland
(09) 636 3629

Pacific Island Homecare Services Trust - Deo Prasad
Unit 2/269 East Tamaki Rd, East Tamaki, Otara, Auckland
(09) 274 9153

Panacea Healthcare - Christine George
Cnr Taharoto & Northcote Roads, Takapuna, Auckland
(09) 489 0900

Piritahi Hau Ora Trust - Judy Davis
Tahiatai Road, Blackpool, Waiheke Island
(09) 372 8824>

South Auckland Home Care Services - Catherine Lamont
13B Ronwood Avenue, Manukau City, Auckland
(09) 263 1000

McIsaac Caregiving Agency
Throughout North Island
(09) 414 4530

The Salvation Army - Stella Johnson (Auckland)
The Salvation Army Homecare, 2 Valley Road, Browns Bay, Auckland
(09) 479 8950>

Wai Health - Anita Hakaraia
13-15 Ratanui Street, Henderson, Auckland
(09) 839 0288

Waiheke Health Trust - Glenys Stilwell
5 Belgium Street, Ostend, Waiheke Island
(09) 372 8893

Wesley Homecare - Carol Andrews
1 View Road, Mount Eden, Auckland
(09) 623 7631

If you require any further information contact your ACC case manager.