Tonys Newsletter

Love Valentine’s Day - www.bray.ie

 

Calum’s First Two Years

Calum is a half twin, his twin brother Donnacha and he were born on the 19th November 2008. Calum weighed 7lbs 5 oz and Donnacha was 7 lb 9oz. They were born 2 1/2 weeks early. Even though the hospital told us they were non identical, we found it hard to tell them apart. Some of our friends and family still have difficulty telling them a part. We were told they were perfect however our Public Health Nurse noticed he was not lifting his head properly. Thanks to her intervention we started physio and discovered he had torticollis and hypertonic muscle issues. Calum has always been a very determined, humorous and patient child. Through use of a physio tool called the wedge, regular physio and chiropractic care, Calum eventually began to develop his muscle tone and his torticollis was cured. Calum lagged behind his twin brother Donnacha, however he always loved to play and interact with all his brothers. He wanted so much to walk when he saw the rest of them running and playing and in his determined way; he started first walking on his knees. At this time we were also attending a speech therapist and despite us reading and playing with him for hours there was very little speech development.

Calum is off to Manchester on the 28TH Feb for the operation and his family just got the news that the HSE are going to pay the €60,000 for the operation. They are still trying to raise funds for the costs involved post operation.

http://calumgeary.wordpress.com/

 

Being told that your child is a bully will come as a huge shock to most parents, but it is vital that you stay calm and act to address the situation immediately.

Colman Noctor – Psychotherapist, Dean Clinic, Dublin

Statistics from The Anti-bullying Centre in Trinity College:
Results from Minton & O’ Moore bullying survey (undertaken in 2008):

35% of primary students and 36% of post-primary students have been involved in bully/ victim problems in the last 3 months. (either as bully or victim)

Childline statistics: – (they are still compiling and analysing for 2011)

In 2010 there were a total of 11,065 calls, texts and messages from young people about bullying.
In October 2010 the ISPCC released a report containing findings of their survey of over 18,000 children and young people in Ireland on internet use.

It was reported that 26% of the secondary aged young people said that they or someone they knew had experienced bullying online (cyberbullying) and less than 10% had told anyone other than friends about it (like a parent or teacher).

What is defined as bullying?

The school yard is made up of a combination of boisterous young people and sensitive young people and therefore issues will arise with this combination. Sometimes banter and slagging can be viewed as an important developmental task and children need to develop a robustness to be able to cope with a certain degree of this type of interaction if they are to survive in real life.

However, when someone is being negatively affected by the behaviour of another and it is pointed out that this person is upset by this interaction; if the behaviour continues with the purpose of actively attempting to make the other child upset
- then this is bullying.

Bullying is a serious issue that can have serious consequences and should be treated as such.

Why do children bully? The Reasons.

Common Beliefs:

There are many reasons children bully others. There is a common belief that they can have strained home lives, are not getting enough attention at home, or have other family issues. Children who come from abusive homes or whose parents use violence to solve problems also may bully others.

Self Esteem:

However the most accurate reason children bully is because they have low self esteem or a poor self image. Contrary to this many times bullies are confident and popular and pick on children who are smaller and unpopular. Children with low self esteem may need to bully to communicate to the world that they are strong socially, physically and emotionally when in reality they feel quite lost and inadequate.

We must draw an important distinction between confidence and self esteem. Confidence can occur in certain areas of our lives without necessarily equating to good self esteem. Confidence can be seen as how we outwardly project ourselves into the world where self esteem relates to our relationship with ourselves and our self belief and self worth. Therefore indicating that self esteem is a far more sustaining quality for emotional growth then confidence.

Stress:

Children may also bully because have no other way to deal with stress. If children are not taught the proper way to solve problems, they may resort to bullying.

Children bully to compensate for their own problems, to gain a feeling of power, or to make themselves feel better. They turn to bullying as a way to solve these problems because it seems like the best way.

Gratification for bullies and onlookers:

Children may find gratification in the misery of others and in that way they are no different to adults. We can all recognize our own enjoyment of watching people squirm in discomfort and many entertainment shows are developed on this concept. There is an uncomfortable enjoyment to watching someone make a fool of themselves and characters like David Brent from the Office, Alan Partridge etc are build on this need in people.

Other factors:

It is recognized that factors within the home, school and wider society influence the development of aggressive behaviour.

If aggressive behaviour is not challenged in childhood, there is a danger that it may become habitual.

Other factors in wider society include violence portrayed on cinema screens and on television. Research suggests that children who constantly view violence on TV and videogames develop more aggressive tendencies and less empathy with victims of aggression.

Are there certain personality traits to watch out for? Who Bullies?

For most people when you talk about a child who bullies others as the big class brute being the perpetrator, however the profiles for bullies and victims goes much further.

Often the profile can be those who are bossy, quick witted and popular.

Traits to watch out for:

- Displays a strong need to dominate and impose themselves on others and to be popular or cool.

- Intimidates smaller children or siblings

- Brags about actual or imagined superiority

- Hot tempered, easily angered and low frustration tolerance

- Tendency to cheat in games and hate losing

- Oppositional toward adults

- Premature anti-social behaviour.

What should you do if your child is identified as a bully? Stopping the bully.

All children must be given the opportunity to cease behaving a certain way as in some cases they may be unaware that their behaviour is having the effect it is having. But the issue must be taken seriously.

- Take the issue seriously and avoid excuses.

- Instruct your child to stay away from the child who is upset

- Closely supervise their interaction with peers and prompt if you feel your child is overly controlling or aggressive

- Increase your child’s awareness of their behaviours

- Use positive discipline by rewarding positive behaviour to enhance their self esteem and self belief

- Zero tolerance policy at home for any teasing, hitting, pushing or shoving siblings.

- Make the child replace anything that they break belonging to another child and demonstrate consequences

- Develop a sense of empathy and get your child to understand that their behaviour has an effect on others and try to relate it to how they would feel if it happened to them.

- Encourage problem solving skills
Failure to act gives a silent but powerful message that aggressive behaviour is appropriate and acceptable.

 

My Magazine “All Kinds of Everything” is now online - www.allkindsofeverything.org – have a look & lot me know what you think by leaving your comment

 

 Mick Casey – Editor

 

 Alan Quinlan – Former Munster and Ireland rugby star

Alan suffered from anxiety-related depression on and off over the years, but it’s only really in the last year or so that he’s learned to manage it and is much more positive about things now than in the past.

Elaine Geraghty – CEO, Inspire Ireland

Inspire Ireland is a charitable organisation that uses technology to provide support to young people through the tough times in their lives. It does this through progammes such as its flagship service, ReachOut.com.
The purpose of a service such as ReachOut.com is reach young people as early as possible so that they can learn and understand about their mental health and well being and by so doing, prevent personal troubles from escalating to the point where crisis intervention is needed.

Clair Swinburne – author of “So what do you think?”, a guide for the teenage mind. (Proceeds donated to reachout.com)

Clair is an experienced teacher who has taught in the UK and Ireland and for many years has worked as a pastoral leader and mentor. In London she trained in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and has led training for teachers on NLP processes and attitudes in the classroom. When Clair moved back home to Ireland over three years ago, she began developing a ‘Personal Development’ module for the transition years based on all her experience in psychology, studying NLP, creating and delivering trainings.

Her positive interaction with teenagers prompted her to write the So what.? book series.

She is currently working with Mental Health Ireland in helping review the materials sent out to schools to promote positive youth mental health.

Today Alan meets 17 year old Denis Vavasour who went through a very tough time when he lost his mum to cancer 2 years ago.

STATISTICS:

- At any given time, 1 in 5 young people are experiencing a mental health problem.

- 1 in 4 young people would not talk to anyone if they had a problem with depression.

- Onset of mental health problems is as early as 12 years of age.

- In a survey of young people using ReachOut.com,

– 91% agreed that ‘anyone can experience a mental health problem’ but,

– Well over half (59%) would not want anyone else to know if they had a problem.

– The most likely sources of mental health support from a list of suggestions were ‘a friend’ and ‘ReachOut.com’, indeed 72% of respondents had previously turned to a friend to get help through a tough time while 35% had spoken to a health professional

Using the Internet to Reach Out to young people and support them:

Young people in Ireland are increasingly going online to find information and for entertainment. Nearly 90% of young people aged 16-24 in Ireland use the internet, with 71% of these using it every day or almost every day.

*Above provided by AWARE – www.aware.ie

 

Teresa Mc Court – Welfare Expert

Illness Benefit

PRSI Condition:

To get Illness Benefit you must have:

- At least 104 weeks PRSI paid since you first started work and

- Have 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*)

Or

- Have 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year(2 years prior to your claim) and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.

*If you do not have 13 paid contributions in the relevant tax year, the following years can be used to meet this condition:

- The 2 tax years before the relevant tax year

- The last complete tax year, or the current tax year.

Rates:

No payment is made for the first three days of illness.

Illness Benefit rates are graduated according to your average weekly earnings in the relevant tax year. (which is 2 years prior to your claim, i.e. claim in 2012, the relevant tax year is 2010)

Weekly payment in 2012 for claims started in 2010 or after

1. Average weekly earnings in relevant tax year – €300 or more

Personal rate – €188

Qualified adult rate – €124.80

2. Average weekly earnings in relevant tax year – €220 – €299.99

Personal rate – €147.30

Qualified adult rate – €80.90

3. Average weekly earnings in relevant tax year – €150 – €219.99

Personal rate – €121.40

Qualified adult rate – €80.90

4. Average weekly earnings in relevant tax year – less than €150

Personal rate – €84.50

Qualified adult rate – €80.90

Taxation of illness benefit

Illness Benefit (excluding any increases for child dependants) is considered as income for tax purposes and it is taxed from the first day of payment.

How long is Illness Benefit paid?

If you have 260 or more PRSI contributions you can get Illness Benefit for a maximum of 2 years. People who were getting Illness Benefit before January 2009 can continue to receive benefit for as long as they are ill until they reach 66.
If you have between 104 and 259 weeks PRSI contributions paid, you may be entitled to Illness Benefit for up to 52 weeks.

Work and Illness Benefit

You may be able to do part time rehabilitative work (up to a maximum of 20 hours a week) and keep your Illness Benefit. You must get written approval from the Department of Social Protection.

Invalidity pension

PRSI: To get Invalidity Pension you must have at least:

- 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance

- 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete tax year before the date of your claim

The last complete tax year is the year before your claim. For example, if you claim Invalidity Pension in 2012, the last complete tax year is 2011.

Medical criteria

A doctor employed by the Department of Social Protection decides whether you are medically unfit for work and qualify on medical grounds for Invalidity Pension.

To qualify you must:

- Have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months.

- Or be permanently unfit for work

Rates 2012:

Invalidity Pension

Aged under 65 – weekley rate € 193.50

Aged 65 – weekley rate € 230.30

Qualified adult under 66 – weekley rate €138.10

Qualified adult over 66 – weekley rate € 206.30

Qualified child – weekley rate € 29.80 (full-rate), €14.90 (half-rate)

Tax implications

Invalidity Pension is a taxable and should be reported to your tax office as soon as your payment starts.

Invalidity Pension and work

You may be allowed to do rehabilitative work (up to a maximum 20 hours per week) and keep your Invalidity Pension. You must get written approval from the Department of Social Protection.

Extra benefits with Invalidity pension

- Entitlement to free travel pass

- May be entitled to the Household benefits packageBottom of Form

Disability and illness

An overview of benefits available to people who are sick or have a disability

Illness Benefit

Information about Illness Benefit, a payment made to people under 66 who are unable to work because of illness.

Invalidity Pension

Invalidity Pension is a social insurance payment that may be paid to people in Ireland who are incapable of work and getting Illness Benefit for at least twelve months immediately before the date of their claim.

Disability Allowance

A weekly payment to people that have an injury, illness or disability which is expected to last more than a year.

Blind Pension

The Blind Pension is a means tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people normally living in Ireland.

Treatment Benefit Scheme

The Treatment Benefit Scheme is a scheme run by the Department of Social Protection that provides dental, optical and aural services to people with the required number of PRSI contributions.

Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme

The Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme provides a range of benefits for people injured or incapacitated by an accident at work or while travelling directly to or from work.

Injury Benefit

Injury Benefit is a weekly payment made to employees in Ireland who are unfit for work as a result of an accident at work or because they have contracted a disease due to the type of work they do. Find out more.

Disablement Benefit

Disablement benefit may be payable to you if as a result of an accident at work in Ireland or a prescribed disease contracted at work, you suffer a loss of physical or mental faculty.

Medical Care Scheme

An insured employee in Ireland that is injured at work or who contracts a prescribed occupational disease is entitled to social welfare benefits.

Domiciliary Care
A monthly payment made to the carer of a child with a severe disability who lives at home.

 

Mary Moore – Podiatrist

Website – www.marymoorepodiatry.ie

In the athletic community the current theory proposed by many is that barefoot training can strengthen and condition the smaller neglected muscles of the lower limb, thereby helping to enhance performance and prevent injuries. At the same time a trend has emerged by shoe companies to design footwear that increase muscle activity and attempt to mimic barefoot walking/running.

Many shoe companies have recently introduced “barefoot” functional footwear into the marketplace, with the most common brands being Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT), Nike Free, Reebok Easytone, Sketchers Shape-ups, and Vibram Fivefingers.

It is important to note that they are designed and constructed differently but all aim to increase muscle activity.

In Ireland and the UK, Fit flops sandals and shoes are very popular their footwear features a patent-pending MicrowobbleboardT midsole which they claim can help increase the time that your muscles are engaged every single time you take a step: Is that beneficial to all? Research so far is focused on case studies, major 2 year research study not published yet.

 

The annual St Patrick’s Day Harbour2Harbour Walk is now almost upon us. It’s a 16.2 mile walk around Dublin Bay and it’s your choice whether you begin at Howth Harbour and walk to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, or vice versa. The walk starts at 10.30am from each harbour and takes approximately 5 hours to complete.

As you can see from the photos of previous years, it’s a great day out for family, friends and individuals. So come along and help raise awareness and funds for the fight against depression, all while getting a stunning view of Dublin Bay – http://www.aware.ie/get_involved/fundraising/harbour_to_harbour_walk/

 

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Harbour2Harbour Walk: Registration

 

The registration fee is €15 per individual or €25 for a family.

Late registration will also be available on the morning of the walk itself starting at 9am at either the Harbour Plaza in Dun Laoghaire or at The Bloody Stream in Howth.

This week’s groups are listed below and also we have added additional groups including a new Saturday 12noon group. To attend, just log in through http://support.aware.ie at your chosen time and click the meeting name to enter the room. Use the link in the right-hand column to refresh the page if you have logged in before the room has been opened by a facilitator.

7pm Monday 6th February – Depression Support Group
7.30 Monday 6th February – Depression Support Group
8pm Monday 6th February – Depression Support Group
8.30 Monday 6th February – Bi-Polar Support Group

7pm Tuesday 7th February – Depression Support Group
7.30 Tuesday 7th February – Depression Support Group
8pm Tuesday 7th February – Depression Support Group
9pm Tuesday 7th February – Depression Support Group

7.30 Wednesday 8th February – Depression Support Group
8pm Wednesday 8th February – Depression Support Group

7.30 Thursday 9th February – Depression Support Group
8pm Thursday 9th February – Depression Support Group
9pm Thursday 9th February – Depression Support Group

7.30 Friday 10th Februrary – Depression Support Group

12noon Saturday 11th February – Depression Support Group

Regards
AWARE
Kind Regards,

Aware

Aware Online Support Groups: http://support.aware.ie
Aware website: http://www.aware.ie/
Email: info@aware.ie

 

On yesterday’s Newstalk Breakfast Show,Agnes Rowley,a sufferer of depression,and Dr.Declan Lyons,Consultant Psychiatrist at St.Patrick’s University,discussed the many forms of depression and how it can be de-stigmatized.Newstalk received a huge reaction to the discussion,which you can listen to via the link below.

 

Listen here: http://www.newstalk.ie/programmes/all/breakfast/listen-back/

 

 Aware:- www.aware.ie