It makes therapy possible and makes it fun
Cerebral palsy is a complex disability that impacts
people’s lives in various ways but it commonly
affects strength, movement and posture. As the
most common physical disability in childhood,
34,000 people in Australia and 17 million worldwide
live with cerebral palsy.
Parents who have children diagnosed with cerebral
palsy can often feel overwhelmed when it comes to
diagnosis, treatments, and appropriate therapies for
physical development.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) has been operating for
almost 75 years and helps families overcome these
feelings. CPA provides family-centred therapies, life
skills programs, equipment and support for loved
ones living with cerebral palsy or other neurological
and physical disabilities. CPA was started by parents
of children living with the condition to ensure their
children could gain access to an education and to
specialist therapy services.
CPA is the oldest organisation of its kind in the world,
and its centres and services make it invaluable to the
cerebral palsy community, particularly in regional areas
where specialised care is not always easily accessible.
Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation supports
CPA because of its life-changing programs that enable
treatment for clients in regional areas. With a focus on
new technology, our 10-year partnership gives families
access to leading concepts in therapy that might only
be otherwise available in major cities. Children can
maintain or increase development in the important
early years and families are not forced to travel far from
home to seek the best care for their child.
Most recently we’ve helped bring the groundbreaking
Magic Carpet – an innovative projection technology
that helps improve physical and cognitive functions
via an interactive video carpet – to regional centres
spanning Newcastle, Port Macquarie, the Central
Coast, Dubbo and the Northern Rivers.
For six-year-old Eadie Ross, the Magic Carpet provides
a controlled environment to build strength, skills and
balance, but also incorporates the excitement of
interactive games and patterns; and even her big sister,
Ruby, can join in a therapy session.
Eadie’s therapist, Anna Mills said “The Magic Carpet
therapy challenges her balance but she never hesitates
to get back up. This technology makes therapy
possible, and it makes it fun”.