Coventry and District Osteoporosis Support Group

Dear Supporter,

The summer went by all too quickly, as far as I’m concerned – perhaps we’ll be reimbursed for July with a Vitamin D-rich September or October.

Welcome to new NOS members.  We’ll be delighted to greet you personally if you decide to come to our next meeting on Thursday 24th September.  If you are a reader of Osteoporosis News, you’ll find that the meeting’s theme of Mobility Aids is very topical.  Participants will have a chance to sample many of the myriad gadgets which are designed for every possible situation.  Glen Till is bringing along a buggy, a chair which rises to aid standing up and much else besides.  Use this golden opportunity to find out what might work best for your or someone else’s needs and to cost the alternatives.   As usual we will meet in St John the Baptist Church Hall (walk to the left of the church door and around the back), in Coventry City Centre on the corner of Spon Street and Corporation Street, from 2 to 3.30 pm.  The entrance fee of £2.50 includes refreshments.

Just before Glen’s presentation we’ll have a brief AGM to present to you our Committee for reelection and to elect new members.  We shall be extremely sad to lose Chris Spiers who has done sterling work as Catering Manager and also as Minutes Secretary.  Jane Davies-Sayer is fortunately willing to take over Chris’s roles.  However, we still need ‘new blood’, so we’ll welcome any offer of help, however limited.  Please contact me (details below) if you are interested.

 On 12th November we’re delighted to welcome, for the first time, an acupuncturist, Eileen Gilmore.  Advocates of acupuncture say that it stimulates the brain and spinal cord to produce natural pain-relieving chemicals.  It can also be used to block pain messages to the brain (in China it’s used for major operations). Come and judge for yourselves.

 At our June meeting we were treated to a presentation by not one, but three young women in secondary health care: a nurse, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist.  Between them they explained what could be the causes of falls in our aging population (one-third of people over 65 fall each year) and how our local health authority deals with people who’ve fallen and fractured.  Each professional deals with a patient from her particular perspective, and they complement each other.  The result is a programme tailored to the needs of the patient, often resulting in six weeks of twice-weekly rehab sessions at the Aylesford Resource Centre in Hillfields.  One startling fact emerged in the course of their talks: anyone on regular medication should have a GP medication review every three months.  Read the report on our website for further details.

 We’re happy to report that the city has increased the provision of exercise classes suitable for people with balance and mobility problems.  We have an extensive list on the website and we can print the selection of classes for anyone who requests a copy.

 Walkathon May 09Our own exercise effort in the Coventry Leofric Lions Walkathon last May yielded the grand sum of £450!  Huge thanks to all who participated and doggedly raised money from friends and neighbours.  We think that joining the Lions’ Walkathon will become an annual event.

 Further to the report in Newsletter No. 4 on the setting up of support sessions at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton for people newly diagnosed with osteoporosis, we can add that we’ve had several very successful meetings, with good feedback and, we hope, the possibility that one of the participants might start an NOS support group in Nuneaton.  The success is largely due to the hard work and dedication of Donna Baldwin who operates the DXA scanner and who is coming to speak to us next year (see the enclosed programme) to answer all your questions on DXA scans.

 Our own big project is a Study Day on Osteoporosis for Health Professionals which we will hold at the University of Warwick Medical School on April 16th next year.  The programme is nearly finalised and most of the speakers booked.  Watch this space.

 And finally: to celebrate World Osteoporosis Day on 20th October the Committee is hosting a morning Tea / Coffee Party on Friday 23rd October at Lynne’s house, 51 Morningside, Earlsdon from 10 to noon.  Bus 12 runs frequently from Pool Meadow and Lynne’s house is an easy walk from the stops at either Dalton Road or Belvedere Road.  A donation of £2 will secure a beverage and some home-baked goods and a warm welcome, while raising money for the National Osteoporosis Society. 

Hoping to see / meet you at one or another of these events, best wishes from

Lynne Adams (024 7667 6683)

Email: noslynne@yahoo.co.uk