Whānau Support

There is no doubt this will affect the whole family and can cause deep concern, fear and anxiety for not only the person with the impairment but also for you.

• What is going on?
• How should I respond?
• What does their future look like … what does my future look like?
• Can I cope?
• Is my pain even worth talking about? … after all it’s not me who has the spinal cord impairment
• Are there people who can help me?

These are all questions faced by new families every year in NZ.

Kim can help you. She has her own lived experience of supporting a family member with a spinal cord impairment and has helped many many people as their loved one has transitioned through Burwood Spinal Unit into a new way of living beyond.

We support positive futures for individuals and their whānau living with the effects of spinal cord impairment. Our services are free of charge and all you need to do is reach out to us and have a chat.

Our core objectives

– Providing critical emotional support

– Providing local and national information and resources to people living with SCI, and their families and caregivers throughout NZ irrelevant of their location

– Providing a nationally consistent service

– Providing all clients with relevant and appropriate positive peer support

– Presenting opportunities for natural connections to be made through social interactions to promote well-being and to encourage community engagement

– Creating and maintain a database of positive and productive people who are open to share their experience for the benefit of others

– Providing a community of information that is both relevant and current that encourages good decisions and promotes self-responsibility

– Encouraging holistic awareness for all those who are touched by the SCI experience.

– Offering hope at a time when life can be particularly challenging by connecting with others who have been there and are living happy, positive and productive lives.

Some of the key benefits of our service:

– Sharing of relevant practical experience promoting good health and well-being

– Friendships both local and national via social outings and online networks

– Growth in confidence and understanding

– Improving the experience of recovery and acceptance

– A sense of community and fellowship

– Providing empathy, acceptance, and hope

– Empowering clients and sharing knowledge and experience to encourage informed choice

– Believing that all life has value and is full of potential no matter what your level of disability. With the right attitude, positive & constructive support, almost anything is possible

– Sharing with others who understand the journey through lived experience really helps to make life less challenging

– Reducing the length of time, it takes to return to a state of relative well-being

– Promoting development of personal strengths.