NATIONAL STROKE WEEK 7-13 August 2023

Living Well: Promoting adherence to stroke secondary prevention behaviours by imparting behaviour change skills (GU ref no: 2022/308)

National Stroke Week 2023 encourages the community to fight stroke together, so that you and your loved ones can continue to enjoy life during and after recovery.

Fighting stroke together aims to bring people together to share knowledge, support and resources to help prevent strokes form occurring and to aid in the recovery process for those who have experienced stroke.

People who have had a stroke are at a higher risk of having another stroke.

Making healthy changes can help reduce this risk, but not everyone gets the right support after they leave the hospital. That's why National Stroke Foundation, along with experts at Griffith University, developed "Living Well After Stroke".

This program teaches stroke survivors how to manage their own health by helping them make changes to their behaviour like eating more healthily, increasing physical activity, and taking medications regularly.

The intervention is expected to improve patients' healthy behaviours and teach them how to make further changes independently. The goal is that this program will help prevent recurrent stroke and transform how we care for stroke patients in Australia.

Chief Investigator:

Professor Kyra Hamilton, Director, Health and Psychology Innovations (HaPI), School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University

Co Investigators:

Professor Joy Parkinson - ACU, Dr Stephanie Smith – Stroke Foundation & Griffith University, Tom Caitens, Andrea Sanders and Dr Lisa Murphy – Stroke Foundation

Get involved or find out more:

https://strokefoundation.org.au/what-we-do/prevention-programs/living-well-after-stroke

Contact:
Professor Kyra Hamilton

kyra.hamilton@griffith.edu.au

or

Dr Stephanie Smith

Living Well After Stroke Coordinator

Stroke Foundation

ssmith@strokefoundation.org.au

Visit our websites:

HaPI Lab: hapiresearchlab.com

Stroke Foundation: https://strokefoundation.org.au

DESIGN CAFÉ PILOT

Co-designing solutions people want and need

Last Saturday, 22 July at Griffith University’s Gold Coast Campus, “Design Lab” Lead - Mathew McShane delivered our first Inclusive Futures Design Café Pilot program.

The Design Cafe is a community building and technological engagement project that brings together engineers, designers, and occupational therapists with people with disability, to explore engineering and technology solutions to challenges people face every day.

Together with people who have lived experience, the program put forward new, co-created solutions for development, and thus provided valuable enhancements to people’s lives.

“We had an amazing opportunity to collaborate on inclusive designs during this event, truly embracing the essence of co-design. It was remarkable to directly learn from users and understand their unique challenges, while actively involving them in the design process. Such involvement has often been overlooked when designing for disability, but this event showcased a refreshing approach to human-centred design.”

For more information on future Design Cafés, please contact:

Matt McShane

m.mcshane@griffith.edu.au, or

Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability

inclusivefutures@griffith.edu.au

Congratulations to the Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and Griffith University staff, students and ambassadors with disability who competed in the 2023 Gold Coast Marathon this weekend.

A shout out to several members of our team who powered home to the finishing line in their respective races:

Katie standing next to Running Guide Simon. Both smiling and showing their finisher’s medals.

KATIE KELLY OAM PLY & SIMON FOSTER

Inclusive Futures Engagement Council and Gold Medalist para-triathlete (Rio 2016 Paralympics) Katie Kelly and her amazing guide Simon ran a powerful race together in the full marathon 42.2km (F45-49) today with a time of 3:47:56 – Congratulations Katie and Simon!!! We are in awe of not only your combined endurance and stamina, but your incredible teamwork!

“Today I could run because of people like Simon. A father of two, with his own business, he found time to train with me on the weekends and run today. That’s community at its best. And today despite the challenges of running with less than 5-degree vision, I felt free. I was reminded again why we must always stay focussed on celebrating what we can do today.” Katie Kelly OAM PLY

MICHAEL DOBBIE-BRIDGES OAM PLY

Michael—a former Paralympic tennis champion and Inclusive Futures Engagement Council Member raced the 21km (M40-44) event on Saturday, with a most impressive 2:07:42 time – Epic result, Michael!

Kudos also to Michael and Katie, who teamed up to raise money for the Sports Access Foundation, which supports children with disability to play more sport and live healthier and happier lives.

DR MARETTA MANN

Maretta, our very own Inclusive Futures Strategic Development Manager, ran an exceptional race in the 10km (F45-49) with a 53:30 time. Exceptional time Maretta!

And lastly, a shout out to JUSTIN PAMENTER, from Griffith’s Learning Futures team, who ran his second fastest time in the 10km, with 59:37 (M50-54).

Congratulations to all the athletes and citizens with disability and chronic conditions who competed. Awesome achievement everyone!

Did you participate in the event? Let us know, so we can celebrate with you!

Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability, Griffith University would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest team member Dr. Talitha Kingsmill, Research Fellow. Dr. Talitha Kingsmill is a Non-Executive Director, consultant, educator and solicitor with 25 years’ experience across the private, public and NFP sectors in law, education, educational leadership, research, digital citizenship, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance and policy development.

With 18 years of experience working and raising a family while living with a vision disability, Talitha is a passionate advocate for equitable, accessible opportunities for all.

Talitha believes that access in all its forms is fundamental to equitable opportunity so that individuals may live their best lives. Her lived and professional experiences provide rich insights to the confronting and very real challenges and obstacles for people living with disability and equip Talitha to be a powerful and articulate disability and inclusion advocate.

Talitha’s doctoral research concerned the integration of digital citizenship (safe, responsible and respectful online engagement) in secondary school curriculum. She has published and presented within Australia and internationally in the field of building individual and collective digital citizenship capacity. In 2017, Talitha was awarded an Australian Council for Educational Leaders Research in Educational Leadership and Management Award for exceptional academic achievement in advanced studies in educational leadership.

Talitha understands that a collective voice achieved through consultation and collaboration is powerful, and passionately advocates for this.

Dr. Kingsmill will be working with Prof. Elizabeth Kendall to establish and develop the Queensland Disability Research Network (QDRN) – an enterprise led by researchers with disability and researchers with a particular focus or expertise in the disability sector across Queensland universities.

FIND OUT MORE:

https://qdn.org.au/meet-your-nominees/dr-talitha-kingsmill/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tkingsmill/

Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability:

https://www.griffith.edu.au/research/inclusive-futures-reimagining-disability

CONTACT:

t.kingsmill@griffith.edu.au or inclusivefutures@griffith.edu.au or qdrn@griffith.edu.au

National Pain Week is Australia’s annual awareness event for chronic pain. National Pain Week takes place in the last week of July each year and aims to support and provide awareness to the 3.6 million Australian’s living with chronic pain.

This week Griffith Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability, together with The Hopkins Centre has teamed up with Dr Nicholas Aitcheson, Rehabilitation and Pain Specialist, at Metro South Pain Rehabilitation Centre to raise awareness, further explain acute and chronic pain, how the body feels pain, current treatment options and lifestyle solutions.

Keep an eye out each day this week, as we share information, tips and tricks that can help you can create a new life path with pain and why you should do it.

Acute pain vs chronic pain

Picture a child with a band-aid vs a person with pills and injections and ongoing pain.

Our upbringing often tells us that pain is associated with body damage and that we need to rest and get other people’s help to fix it. This works for acute pain, but in chronic pain we need to take control of our own lives, actively work on changing our bodies and minds and find new ways of existing, instead of trying to return to a life that we miss and are nostalgic about.

Relying on rest leads to deconditioning, isolation and weakness. Relying on other people can lead to dynamics of disempowerment. Similarly, relying on medications and surgery leads to reliance on interventions that promise only temporary relief and can have serious side effects.

Check with your health professional that you are safe to proceed (most people with chronic pain are sore but stable and are safe to move). Then gently and progressively start to actively create a new life for yourself.

The graphic below shows the difference between Acute and Chronic pain.

Chronic pain is like a malfunctioning, overly sensitive alarm system.

In acute pain our alarm system is working well. If there is body damage or the potential for damage, then we feel it and do something about it.

In chronic pain the alarm system reacts too strongly with only very small input. It is like a smoke alarm going off when you are cooking toast or a car alarm going off when it rains. The alarm does not accurately represent the threat to the body. Often in chronic pain, the body is stable and safe, but the alarm system is still going.

The brain drives the pain

Pain is felt in the brain. What we are starting to understand is that our mood and the way we think about pain affects the strength of the pain signal that reaches our brain. If we are really worried about the meaning of the pain, then the pain tends to be worse. If you can successfully change your thinking around pain, then you can “decrease the volume” on the pain signal by affecting the pain signal transmission in the spinal cord and brain.

Here are some thoughts that may be unhelpful and some ways to address them:

My body is broken. It wouldn’t be so painful unless there was something seriously wrong.

Pain can exist without damage. Amount of pain does not reflect amount of damage. Think “sore but safe”, “hurt not harm”

This pain means I’m never going to be able to do anything I enjoy again.

Think of the things you can enjoy now even with your current condition. Enjoy those things and gently find ways to expand the things you enjoy.

My back is so sore that I’ll probably be in a wheelchair soon.

Pain is often not indicative of damage, especially not the kind of nerve damage that leads to paralysis.

I might not be able to work for much longer because of this pain and then I won’t be able to support myself or my family.

These are reasonable thoughts to have, however worrying about them can make pain worse. Trying to address unhelpful, repetitive thoughts can help with your pain.

I need to protect my body. That’s why I keep my muscles so tense.

Muscle tension in itself usually leads to worsening of chronic pain. Gentle relaxation and movement is much more beneficial.

Low mood, anxiety, excessive worry, poor sleep all increase pain as well, so dealing with these tends to improve pain.

Movement as a way to teach the brain

Sometimes our brain is unable to realise that our body is not broken and it needs the body to lead the way.

Slowly progressing activity with a relaxed and attentive attitude can help the brain to learn how the body is able to move in relaxed and less guarded ways. Tai chi, Feldenkrais, gentle yoga and qigong are all movement practices that can help in this way. Pacing yourself and slowly increasing your activity (rather than trying to go too hard too soon) can help with this approach.

Find out more by reading the Pain Revolution fact sheets:

https://www.painrevolution.org/factsheets

For more information, contact:

Dr Nicholas Aitcheson
Rehabilitation and Pain Specialist
Metro South Pain Rehabilitation Centre

Nicholas.aitcheson@health.qld.gov.au

A Griffith University and Queenslanders with Disability Network-led research initiative to discover the lived experience of Queenslanders with disability was released at Australia’s Disability Strategy Forum in Brisbane today.

The first annual Voice of Queenslanders with Disability report which aims to inform policy to remove barriers to access and produce equitable outcomes for a diverse Queensland, was funded by the Queensland Government and delivered in partnership with Queenslanders with Disability Network.

Griffith researchers adopted a unique approach to gathering survey information by engaging nine citizen scientists with lived experience of disability to enable participants to share their stories authentically and transparently about challenges and successes in their lives.

Griffith Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and Hopkins Centre Research Fellow Kelsey Chapman said the initiative examined a range of areas which impact daily life for Queenslanders with disability.

“The findings reflect a meaningful step towards understanding what life is like for Queenslanders with disability, their family and carers, and the organisations that support them,” Ms Chapman said.

““Participants called for improved standard of living and social protection for Queenslanders with disability, to improve economic security, accessible housing, increased employment opportunities, and support lifelong learning.”

Read more about the report in Griffith News: https://news.griffith.edu.au/2023/06/19/first-annual-report-reveals-lived-experience-of-queenslanders-with-disability/

Please email inclusivefutures@griffith.edu.au for a PDF copy of the dashboard (see below).

Image 1: Left: IFRD Researchers Kelsey Chapman and Dr Camila Shirota stand in front of the Queensland’s Disability Plan pull up banners, Top Right: Craig Crawford MP delivers the Ministers Address to attendees from the stage, Bottom Right: Panel 2 sit on the stage, including Katie Kelly, A/P Michelle Villeneuve and Jennifer Cullen with moderator Peter Tully. Bottom: Logos – Griffith University, Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and The Hopkins Centre.

Image 2: Top: Panel 2 on the stage including Kevin Cocks, Katie Kelly, A/P Michelle Villeneuve and Jennifer Cullen with moderator Peter Tully, Bottom Left: Craig Crawford MP delivers the Ministers Address to attendees from the stage, Bottom Right: Mathew Ames sit in his motor chair and addresses the audience. Bottom: Logos – Griffith University, Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and The Hopkins Centre.

Image 3: The Sunshine Troupe performing a western style line dance on stage at the Australia’s Disability Strategy Queensland Forum. Dancing in time to the music, the troupe are wearing western attire, consisting of black jeans and boots, shiny gold belt buckles with longhorn bull head and fringed or embroidered collared western style shirts and black cowboy hats. Bottom: Logos – Griffith University, Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and The Hopkins Centre.

Below: The Queenslanders with Disability Dashboard infographic

SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WITH A DISABILITY

This scholarship supports a commencing student with a disability, who is experiencing financial hardship and/or educational disadvantage.

• Targeted: to commencing students with a disability.
• Value: up to $20,000
• Level of study: Undergraduate
• Apply by: 4pm Monday 19 June 2023

APPLY NOW!

https://www.griffith.edu.au/scholarships/scholarship-listings/matt-levy-inclusive-futures-scholarship

More information: inclusivefutures@griffith.edu.au

Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and Disrupting Violence Beacons, Griffith University together with the team from Sport and Gender Equity @ Griffith (SAGE) presented a panel discussion about inclusive sport at the Sports and Social Justice Symposium on Friday, 2 June, hosted by the School of Health Sciences and Social Work.

What can sport and exercise do for social justice, human rights, and social inclusion?

This Symposium brought together some of Griffith University's most talented interdisciplinary researchers, partners, and alumni to amplify the national and international potential of sport and physical activity for social justice. Featuring a special guest presentation by University of Melbourne Fulbright Future Scholar Dr Kalyn McDonough, Symposium participants explored ways that Griffith University's existing international calibre research in exercise science, social work, sport development, social justice, tourism and leisure, sport management, disability rehabilitation and inclusion, and violence prevention can converge to promote health, wellbeing, and justice across diverse communities in Australia and internationally.

Building toward the Brisbane Olympic Games in 2032, this was a key opportunity for all interested staff, students, alumni, and partners to generate new interdisciplinary connections for community benefit and impact.

Panel

The panel included Dr. Georgia Munro-Cook PLY, Matthew McShane PLY, Glen Woods, Dr. Diti Bhattacharya, A/Prof. Popi Sotiriadou and Prof. Simone Fullagar.

Event aims

• Developing principles for high impact interdisciplinary research in sport for social justice
• Promoting connections, collaboration, and strength across SHS and the university
• Generating a collaborative vision for future research in sport for social justice
• Developing a foundation to guide future research
  
  

Audience and stakeholders

• Staff, Faculty, Students, and alumni in School of Health Sciences and Social Work
• Related research concentrations and individuals across Griffith University
• Existing and prospective community and industry research partners and collaborators
• Prospective higher degree by research candidates
  
  

Inclusion and Inclusivity in Sport: Challenging Inequities?

• What is sport for social justice?
• Excellent and equitable approaches to promoting sport and physical activity across the life course
• Human rights and sport: Challenging inequality, exclusion, and the “isms” (racism, sexism, ableism, homophobism, heterosexism, ageism)
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Do large scale sporting events increase violence and disadvantage?

Thank you to Kelly Clanchy and Paul Harris (organisers) and the panel for hosting a most impactful and interactive session that was enjoyed by all.

An accessible recording of this symposium will be available shortly - please check back soon for the link.

FIND OUT MORE:

Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability: https://www.griffith.edu.au/research/inclusive-futures-reimagining-disability

Disrupting Violence Beacon: https://www.griffith.edu.au/research/disrupting-violence

School of Health Sciences and Social Work: https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-health/school-health-sciences-social-work

SAGE: https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-business-school/departments/tourism-sport-hotel-management/sage-at-griffith

CONTACT:

s.fullagar@griffith.edu.au or alternatively inclusivefutures@griffith.edu.au

Author: Dr Chris Edwards, Adjunct Research Fellow

The concept of neurodiversity which celebrates the range of natural brain variations holds great importance for me as a neurodivergent individual. Neurodivergence refers to brain functioning that is different from the majority and encompasses conditions such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. The concept of neurodiversity challenges societal norms that have historically stigmatised neurodivergent people. In this personal narrative, I will explore why it is crucial for universities to create inclusive environments that accommodate neurodivergent students and staff.

Higher education is increasingly attractive to neurodivergent individuals due to better career prospects, increased earning potential, and improved well-being. However, universities often lack the necessary support systems for these students, resulting in unsatisfactory experiences and higher dropout rates. These experiences also apply to neurodivergent staff, staff who are often well placed to support these students.

As a neurodivergent individual, I understand firsthand the challenges posed by the physical environment of university campuses. Noise, crowded spaces, unpredictable routines, and sensory overload can have a significant impact on mental health and well-being. Moreover, societal barriers and a lack of understanding and support for hidden disabilities hinder effective engagement in higher education.

To create inclusive environments, universities should involve individuals with lived experience in the design or redesign of spaces. Flexibility and adaptability are key, allowing for varying sensory needs. Modifications do not have be expensive - simple changes like reducing visual clutter, modifying lighting, rearranging furniture, and establishing sensory-friendly spaces can make a significant difference.

Greater understanding and awareness of neurodiversity are essential across the university community. University-wide initiatives, workshops, and training programs can promote diversity, educate individuals about different lived experiences, and provide additional psychological and social support for neurodivergent students. Online social options, mentorship programs, and communication aids can also enhance their university experience.

Inclusive teaching practices, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), can foster a more inclusive learning environment by promoting flexibility. By emphasising strengths and reducing the need for a formal disclosure, UDL benefits both neurodivergent and neurotypical students. Modifications such as structured learning opportunities, flexible learning methods, clear instructions, and providing learning materials in advance can make a positive impact.

Creating inclusive university environments for neurodivergent individuals is crucial for their academic success and overall well-being. Through embracing neurodiversity, universities can provide the necessary support and accommodations. Collaboration, awareness, and inclusive practices can pave the way for an educational landscape that values and celebrates the unique contributions of every individual.

Find out more about Dr Chris Edwards:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0617-674X

Read Dr Edwards’ latest publications:

'Exploring Identity Importance for Autistic Adults and Associations with Disclosure Experiences: A Brief Report'

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2023.0005

'Using Experience Sampling Methodology to Capture Disclosure Opportunities for Autistic Adults'

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/aut.2022.0090

Image: Professor Tamara Ownsworth, Research Director, The Hopkins Centre together with Julia Robertson, Hopkins Centre Ambassador and Griffith Alumni.

On average each day, 6 Australians are diagnosed with brain and other central nervous system cancers and 4 will die from such diseases. Brain tumour broadly encompasses three subtypes: benign (non-malignant) tumor, lower-grade glioma (less aggressive initially, but risk of progression or recurrence over time) and high-grade glioma (malignant). Compared to other cancers, people with brain tumour typically face greater disease burden and have the largest lifetime cost per person.

Individuals with a brain tumour of any kind experience considerable stress related to their diagnosis and complex neurocognitive impairments which significantly impact their mental health and that of their caregivers. Yet, there is minimal investment directed towards psychosocial care and a lack of research on ways to improve the well-being of these individuals and their families. Current statewide services available for people with cancer in the Queensland context include screening for distress and the delivery of up to five telephone-based support sessions with a nurse counsellor or psychologist. However, these services are not targeted to the specific needs of people with brain tumour who require an extended and specialised psychosocial intervention to address the complex cognitive, behavioural, social and emotional consequences of brain tumour.

In a major step to address this gap, Griffith University and Cancer Council Queensland (CCQ) collaborated in 2010-2013 to conduct the first clinical trial of psychosocial support for people with brain tumour; the Making Sense of Brain Tumour (MAST) program. Delivered face-to-face in people’s homes, this 10-session program (1 session p/w) was found to significantly improve mental health and quality of life (QoL) for people with brain tumour relative to standard care. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25251838/

Our MAST research informed international palliative care guidelines, with the European Association for Neuro-Oncology rating the evidence for the MAST program as higher in quality than pharmacological interventions for mood disorders. Yet, barriers associated with face-to-face therapy in a clinic (e.g. transport, distance, debilitating symptoms) restrict people’s ability to access the MAST program. We therefore trialled the feasibility of remote delivery of the MAST program through the use of video conferencing. As part of a work-integrated learning project, Julia Robertson worked with Professor Tamara Ownsworth to develop a person-centred guide to using Zoom videoconferencing.

Funded by a NHMRC Partnership Grant with Cancer Council Queensland and Metro South Health, we evaluated a telehealth version of MAST (Tele-MAST) with 82 people with brain tumour and their family caregivers. Compared to standard care (5 sessions of telephone-based support), Tele-MAST was four times more likely to reduce levels of depression, and also improved quality of life. Due to the established effectiveness of Tele-MAST, we are now evaluating the nationwide implementation of our program through a MRFF Brain Cancer Survivorship Grant. People living anywhere in Australia who have access to an appropriate device and internet can participate.

People interested in taking part are encouraged to read more about the study and express their interest through the following link. We are recruiting until August 2023.

https://healthcheck.griffith.edu.au/brain-tumour/