Kelly English, a member of the Arthritis Patient Advisory Board of Arthritis Research Canada. Kelly speaks with Cheryl Koehn, President, Arthritis Consumer Experts, on life with rheumatoid arthritis during COVID-19. Learn how she is adjusting to life during the pandemic and how she is managing her disease and using coping strategies to deal with the stress and loneliness many patients are experiencing.
New York was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic due to high population density and the public transport system, but what happened to people with multiple sclerosis who got COVID-19 in New York? This study from New York University seeks to answer that question. We look at overall mortality and hospitalization rates and different disease modifying therapies such as Ocrevus, Gilenya, and Tysabri.
Here is the article I am discussing: https://nn.neurology.org/content/7/5/…
The Government’s coronavirus legislation includes emergency powers to change the law, for a temporary period, on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This may affect children on the autism spectrum who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, or who are waiting for an assessment to see if they need an EHC plan.
The Department for Education has set out guidance for parents, councils, schools and local NHS organisations on what has changed (and what should remain unchanged), and how these changes should be implemented in local areas. We have summarised the guidance and the impact this could have on autistic children and their families during the coronavirus outbreak.
Not all autistic children and young people will be affected by these changes> They apply to children who have an EHC plan. The changes may also affect children who are currently waiting for an EHC needs assessment, which is the process of identifying exactly what a child’s needs are and what support they require.
There have been two main changes to the law on support for children with SEND:
These are the only changes to the law on support for children with SEND. Schools and other education settings still have a duty to accept a child or young person who has an EHC plan that names the school in the plan. Even if the school or other education setting is currently closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, they must still accept the child onto their roll during this period.
Schools and other education settings still have to respond to a proposal to name them in a child’s EHC plan in the usual timeframe. The complaints process and families’ right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal is also still the same.
When your council and local NHS organisations are deciding what education and health care can be provided for your child during this period, they should consider:
If your council and local NHS organisations decide that they cannot provide what your child’s EHC plan says your child should receive, they should make alternative arrangements. Examples of alternative arrangements include:
Your council and local NHS organisations should:
The process of assessing your child’s needs and producing an EHC plan should continue during this period. The only thing that has changed is the time-limits for different stages of the process. The removal of time-limits should only apply for reasons relating to coronavirus, such as staff absence.
Your council should make decisions about your child based on your child’s particular needs and circumstances. Councils are not allowed to introduce ‘blanket’ policies affecting all children. For example, there should be no blanket removal of time-limits for carrying out assessments and producing EHC plans, or no blanket policy on what will or won’t be available.
Local authorities are still required to review your child’s EHC plan annually, this hasn’t changed. If your child’s annual review is due during this period and it is impractical to complete it for reasons relating to the coronavirus outbreak, the councils must make sure it is carried out as soon as reasonably practicable.
We are really worried that autistic children and young people will lose out on the support they need, and that the Government’s guidance won’t always be followed in local areas. We are particularly concerned about the impact these changes to the law will have on autistic children with the greatest needs. Even though the changes are temporary, the effects on children and young people could be long-lasting. We have set out what we’re saying to the Government about this in a news story.
An initiative that combines athletes, chefs and charity is delivering hundreds of free nutritious meals to some of the most vulnerable residents of London every week, including disadvantaged children reliant on free school meals.
The community kitchen initiative is the combined brainchild of London Rowing Club, catering company Dinner Ladies and City Harvest, an organisation that sources, collects and surplus food to feed the hungry. The initiative is also supported by a growing consortium of sports clubs, including Fulham FC and The Dons Local Action Group.
Stewart Harries of London Rowing Club said: “We’re acutely aware of the hardship that many families are facing, and we fully support Marcus’s campaign to win a government rethink on the school meal voucher scheme. Lots of children are already going hungry and we’re redoubling our efforts to feed as many as we can.”
“We’re swapping our oars for wooden spoons and opening our kitchen to the Dinner Ladies who are working their magic with the ingredients kindly donated from restaurants, supermarkets and the general public, distributed by Dons Local Action Group.”
Dinner Ladies, a catering company with all of their events cancelled, have taken the initiative to fundraise to help to keep the project going. Each of their private home deliveries (www.dinnerladiesltd.com/home-deliveries) gets the option to ‘feed a friend’ and donate towards the scheme. With help from volunteers they are currently cooking meals two days a week which are then delivered to community centres, hostels, mental health shelters and displaced people currently accommodated in hotels.
Lily Cai and Emily Plunket, the directors of Dinner Ladies, said: “The scale of the Covid-19 lockdown means that many of the real-life challenges faced by individuals in London are heightened. Children, for instance, who are dependent on free school meals, are often going hungry. Homeless people with mental health issues are struggling with the bigger gulf created by social distancing. We’re trying to fill as many bellies as we can with nutritious meals.”
Rowers, footballers and more are volunteering to help prepare meals and deliver them to the most in need.
Chairman at City Harvest, Steve Winningham said: “It’s fantastic to see this energetic partnership come together and see sportsmen and women burn calories to provide calories to people in real and urgent need. We’re grateful to our partners and to the many restaurants, grocers, supermarkets and the general public who are helping to make their surplus food go the extra mile at this crucial time.”
Meat and vegetarian options are made fresh on both cooking days, based on whatever the ingredients donated are. “It’s a bit like Ready Steady Cook, but on an industrial scale,” said Head Chef Emily Plunket.
Meals are then delivered by the team at City Harvest who rescue surplus food and who normally deliver 80,000 meals a week. Since lockdown they have delivered more than 1.7 million meals to those in need.
To make a donation visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dinner-ladies?utm_term=4PMN46JG5
To volunteer at the Community Kitchen email stiritup@dinnerladiesltd.com
On average, more than 180,000 people a month type “home workout” into the Google search bar. Of course, working out at home has grown exponentially in lockdown as gyms and leisure facilities remain closed.
Interested in the fitness habits of Brits in lockdown, GolfSupport.com sought to find out what fitness equipment has been bought most in the last 90 days and how often we are really using it! Plus, the golf experts spoke with Robert Leat, online trainer at Robert Leat Fitness, for exclusive tips on how to stay motivated working out at home.
GolfSupport.com surveyed 3,446 British people and found:
The most popular fitness equipment bought in lockdown is:
| Equipment | % Brits that have bought it in lockdown |
| Yoga Mat | 46% |
| Dumbbells | 42% |
| Resistance Bands | 42% |
| Kettlebell | 17% |
| Yoga Strap | 13% |
| Barbell | 8% |
| Balance Ball | 8% |
| TRX Bands | 8% |
| Yoga Block | 4% |
| Weighted Jump Rope | 4% |
Not only do 204,190 Brits Google it on average each month, but GolfSupport.com can reveal the humble Yoga Mat is the fitness equipment bought most in lockdown! In fact,46% of Brits surveyed admitted they had bought a Yoga Mat in the last 90 days. While other blossoming yogis went one step further to purchase a Yoga Strap (8%) and Yoga Block (4%.)
Dumbbells and Resistance Bands tie in second place for the most popular fitness equipment bought in lockdown (42%), while Brits keen to perfect their swing place Kettlebell (17%) in third.
HOWEVER, GolfSupport.com can reveal, while the 10 items listed above have been bought most, some items have been used more than others…
| Most Frequently Used Equipment (at least 3 times a week on average) | Least Frequently Used Equipment (at least once a week on average or not at all) |
| Dumbbells | Yoga Block |
| Barbell | Balance Ball |
| Kettlebell | Yoga Strap |
| Resistance Bands | TRX Bands |
| Yoga Mat | Weighted Jump Rope |
Bearing this in mind, GolfSupport.com asked Robert Leat, online trainer at Robert Leat Fitness, to share 9 top tips on how to stay motivated working out at home.
“It can be difficult to stay motivated at home, it’s not the gym you are used to and there are lots of distractions, so why not give these 9 tips a go!”
1. Have a structured routine
Make sure to have a workout plan that you follow when you exercise that outlines what exercises to do, how many reps and sets etc. Try to do workouts at the same time and same day as this will help it to become a routine habit.
2. Make a dedicated space
Have a space in your home that is your “home gym” where you work out. For me, it’s the living room or garden (depending on the weather.) I’ve put my resistance bands and kettlebells downstairs so every time I walk In I am reminded about working out.
3. Stick it in your calendar
Treat doing a workout as an appointment with yourself. Write your workouts in the calendar like you do doctors’ appointments and work commitments.
4. Video call with friends
I am more likely to do a workout if I am doing it with someone else, so get creative with video calls. Use something like Zoom, Google Hangouts or Houseparty and do a lockdown workout with your friends.
5. Crank up the music
Being at home means you can listen to whatever music you want as loud as you want, music is linked heavily to improved performance with exercise.
6. Just do a few minutes
Try doing just 5 minutes of exercise, or concentrating on just one exercise, and see how you feel. If you aren’t feeling it, end the workout there and try again later. Once you find your rhythm, extend by another 5 minutes as your fitness improves and build from there!
7. Find out what you enjoy doing
Figure out what type of exercise you enjoy and do more of that. It might be running, HIIT, bodyweight training or yoga. If you enjoy something you are more likely to want to do it.
8. Have a clear goal
Why are you exercising? How does it make you feel? What do you want to achieve and when by? Answer these questions and that will help you to stay motivated.
9. Hire a coach
If you are struggling, why not hire an online coach to work with you. An online coach will hold you accountable for your goals and help you to implement a workout programme that works for you. useful.