CAHSGA SYMPOSIUM OVERVIEW 2007
It was great to return back to Sydney this year for our Annual CAHSGA Symposium. You can never underestimate the power of community and that’s exactly what these Symposiums have become. With a blend of regular and new faces it was great day.
Apart from the presentations arranged by our speakers there were many other highlights. Introducing personal stories throughout the day and focus groups have added a very real practical component to the day. It was great hearing an adult’s perspective on CAH from Rosalie and a teenage view on living with CAH from Anna.
Kate from CLAN shared about the improvements that have been achieved for families living with CAH in other countries. It was sad to hear of the hardships many families face but encouraging to hear of CLAN’s involvement in improving things for future children, particularly in Vietnam. (CLAN is very appreciative of any donations made towards their projects – donations over $2 are tax deductible)
Some of the feedback on focus groups was how great it was to sit around with other parents discussing specific issues. It’s great for families with younger children hearing from parents of older children.
We had three groups –
parents of boys
parents of girls and
adults
Another fantastic session on the day was introducing a ‘hands on’ lesson in injections. We are very appreciative of the time and work put in by two Clinical Nurse Consultants, Irene Mitchelhill (Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick) & Bin Moore (The Children’s Hospital at Westmead). They brought Solu-Cortef stock, needles and injection thighs. It was a great opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the injection process and extremely valuable for those who have not yet injected before. A lot of people made a positive step forward in overcoming their fear of needles and it was a unique experience being in a room of children through to grandparents practicing injections.
