If you have cerebral palsy, which is shortened to CP, then your ability to move is affected. CP is the result of an injury to your brain sometime before the age of two, either before or during birth, or later on. The symptoms caused by CP remain for life, though they may lessen over time as a result of treatment or exercise and as you grow and develop.
What can it be like to live with cerebral palsy?
- You may have difficulty coordinating your muscles, which affects your speech and movements.
- You may have difficulty expressing your wants and needs, writing and putting together coherent sentences.
- You may have social problems in relation to communication difficulties.
- You might easily get tired out from communicating, especially when you're asked too many questions.
- You may have a low endurance threshold and your medication might make you drowsy.
- You might need help with various kinds of everyday and fun activities.
Having cerebral palsy means that one or more muscles do not really work as they should. This could be anything from scarcely having any noticeable problems to major difficulties with movement. It is very rare for cerebral palsy to be hereditary. A lot of adults with cerebral palsy have lives that are just like anyone else's, with education, work and family lives.
The more severe your cerebral palsy is, the more functional impairments you will also have. But if you get good treatment, exercise and other forms of support, it needn't be an obstacle in your life. Some people do not need any aids at all while some need a lot, and others can walk short distances, for example, but use a wheelchair for longer distances.
How can we help you
At Abilia, we have a wide range of different aids that can make daily life easier for you if you have cerebral palsy. For example, we have aids that can help you with communication. If you can write but not speak, you might benefit from a text-to-speech machine (Lightwriter), or a pointer device with symbols (PODD) to help you be involved in social situations. The right communications support can help you to have a better daily life. It can help you to express yourself and to cope with more by yourself, which in turn will help you to be less dependent on others. In order to be independent in your own home, we have aids for opening and closing doors, controlling TVs and music systems, switching lights on and off, etc.
We individually adapt our products based on your specific needs – whether you have communications problems, cognitive functional impairments or reduced mobility. Our aids can, for example, support you in communicating and participating in social situations. They do this by helping you to express yourself simply and in ways that are right for you.
