Hope Alexander MPH

Archive for the ‘Hope’s Commentary’ Category

It’s been very busy here of late, and a little behind posting. News on the recent “2011 Consumers Reforming Health Conference” will be posted very shortly.

Hope attended the inaugural annual Conference of the Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law [AABHL] in Adelaide in July 2010 and has become a member. The AABHL will replace the Australasian Bioethics Association and Australasian and New Zealand Institute of Health Law and Ethics which have traditionally held joint meetings.

Several of the delegates had studied for a degree in philosophy and then undertaken a law degree. There was a mix of attendees: philosophers, health law people, bioethicists, public health people and GPs, nurses and allied health practitioners.

There were two smaller groups, those advocating for euthanasia, and some like myself, opting for the Advance Health Directive such as the one passed into law in Western Australia in February 2010.

Hope is now on Facebook, another way you can keep up to date on health consumer issues:

Please feel invited to add yourself and recommend to your friends, family and colleagues.

Hope will be participating in a poster presentation for the Public Health Association of Australia (WA Branch) at the 2010 State Conference: Global Issues, Local Solutions – Thinking outside the box, at the Tradewinds Hotel, East Fremantle, 18-19 November 2010.

PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA (WA BRANCH)

State Conference 18 – 19 Nov 2010

Global Issues, Local Solutions: Thinking outside the box

Tradewinds Hotel Fremantle WA

Hope’s abstract has been accepted for a poster presentation at the above conference.

The title of her presentation is “Customised exercise enhances quality of life in chronic conditions”.

Summary of paper: This paper offers reflective comment on a practical and holistic approach to enhancing the life of a person with a chronic condition. It demonstrates how a customised exercise program can not only rehabilitate the physical body, but can also invigorate and stimulate the intellectual and psycho-emotional aspects. An enhanced quality of life can be achieved, so that the person can live as well as possible, for as long as possible, in the community.

Hope was invited to contribute to DVD content and attend a focus group, the outcome of which will be used to to develop a DVD for WA consumers with a long term condition.

The researchers are particularly interested in learning about the experiences/difficulties we or someone we care for have encountered in managing a long term condition and ways we have overcome them.

This study has been approved by the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee. The Principal Investigator is Professor Duncan Boldy of the Centre for Research into Disability and Society, School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work, Curtin University. The Project Officer is Doctor Setareh Ghahari.