------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: "Laurence Bathurst" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Date sent: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 10:54:46 +1100
Subject: Re: quantitative index of disability
Priority: normal
> Hello,
> I'm interested in the value of physical exercise as a means of
> improving quality of life and psychological health for people with
> disabilities who attend daycare facilities.
Tend to agree with Mark here. The evidence is overwhelming. What
the research in Australia has established is that we don't all have the
same access to physical activity for health or enjoyment. People with
disabilities are certainly one of the groups identified as having less
access to opportunities (Active Australia Campaign - NSW physical
activity task force equity forums).
The phycical and "qol" should not need to be re-established and
should be based on the same evidence as for other people. The
major variable should be the improvement in "qol" gained from the
participation and engagement in what might otherwise be for them, a
boring and meaningless babysitting experience (day care - unless it
is staffed by my graduates :-)).
I am sure that the way in which excercise programs are introduced
and structured will also have a bearing. The message of Active
Australia is "Exercise: It should be taken regularly, not seriously". It
seems most important that creative ways of providing people with
opportunities for exercise will be where the REAL benefits are
acheived. Such as (as mark suggests) getting them out of the day
centre. Barriers do not necessarily correlate with the 'magnitude' of
the disability but more often in the minimal creativity of the people
who program their lives.
addition to qualitative
> work I am planning on using questionnaires to assess general health and
> well-being. To do this I would like to also take into consideration the
> severity or magnitude of the existing disability. Is anyone aware of a
> scale of measurement that is available to provide some form of index for
> this. I am aware of a survey that was completed in 1988 which did this
> very thing, but the scale is designed for completion by many
> participants, whilst my study is effectively a series of case studies.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Rodger Graham.
>
> School of Psychology
> Queen's University Belfast,
> University Road,
> Belfast BT7 1NN.
>
Best regards
Laurence Bathurst
School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Sydney
P.O. Box 170
Lidcombe NSW 2141
Australia
Phone: (62 1) 9351 9509
Fax: (62 1) 9351 9166
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Please visit the School's interim web site at
http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best regards
Laurence Bathurst
School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Sydney
P.O. Box 170
Lidcombe NSW 2141
Australia
Phone: (62 1) 9351 9509
Fax: (62 1) 9351 9166
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Please visit the School's interim web site at
http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|