Two Views of ADHD

Book Review by Brenda Channer

So, you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. Or someone you love or work with has been diagnosed…where do you go to find out what it’s really like to be neurodivergent in a neurotypical world?

There are two really good recently published books that thousands are finding helpful. 

The first is ‘This is ADHD’ by Chanelle Moriah, a Wellington author who has brought homegrown clarity and accessible information to a subject plagued by disinformation or simply a vacuum. 

This book is currently being reprinted so make a note and look for it in a month or so.

The second is ‘Dirty Laundry’ by Richard Pink and Roxanne Emery. 

This couple live in London, they are articulate, prodigiously talented in their chosen fields and Roxanne has ADHD. What began as a midnight TikTok video has grown up and become a wonderful little book full of their hard-won wisdom. 

It explains how to navigate the chaotic and challenging wiring of Roxanne’s brain in a relationship and in the world without judgment or shame but with humour and patience, kindness and boundaries.

They have chosen 10 symptoms of ADHD and then separately they discuss what its like to experience each one and ways to manage it constructively. The genius of this approach is that the book is equally useful for those with ADHD and those living alongside them. 

However, you encounter ADHD (I have friends and a family member) this book will litter your day with many ‘AHA!’ moments and leave you with a much deeper appreciation for neurodivergence. Oh, and it will make you laugh – check out the ADHD Dictionary at the end!

If you are social media savvy, check them out on @adhd_love. The book is available at your local bookshop.

New end-of-life care facility for Wairarapa whanau

A community-funded end-of-life care project marks a new partnership between Carter Court Rest Home and Hospice Wairarapa to improve palliative care for locals needing in-patient support.

The project will establish a newly-equipped palliative care space in Carterton.

Hospice Wairarapa is collaborating with The Carter Society, which operates Carter Court Rest Home, to renovate the area to provide quality palliative care for those in need of it.

Located at Carter Court Rest Home, it will undergo a $145,000 renovation to make it a fit-for-purpose space. It will have a bedroom, bathroom, whānau area and kitchenette, as well as a pull-down bed for whānau use. The area will also have its own fully-accessible external access.

Carter Court will provide day-to-day services and patient care with support from clinical services, including the specialist Wairarapa Kahukura palliative care nursing team. Hospice Wairarapa Chief Executive Gretchen Saulbrey said the $145,000 funding it is providing for the room’s renovation had been raised by the Wairarapa community and ring-fenced for such a service.

“The community has been asking us to provide an in-patient palliative service for some time but the cost of establishing and running a standalone facility would have been prohibitive,” she said. “This partnership between Hospice Wairarapa and the Carter Society is an innovative approach to solving this problem. 

“By working with established health providers with strong links to the health system and our community we are able to offer people improved choice with their end-of-life care decisions, while also ensuring we are setting up this palliative service to be sustainable in the long term,” she added.

Ms Saulbrey said locating the palliative care room at Carter Court in Carterton had the added benefit of a central Wairarapa location, access to the Carter Court care team, the specialist Kahukura palliative care nursing team and other medical and social support, while still having a home-like environment that is accessible for all.

“This room provides another option for a high level of care that is also designed to be comfortable and welcoming for whānau,” she said. “Small things like providing space for whānau to be together, a bed for family members to use and external access to the room will make a big difference to the experience patients and their families have during the end-of-life journey,” she noted.

“We will be working with a small group of clinical experts, iwi representatives, Māori and Pasifika health providers to finalise room design plans to make sure we get this right.”

FOCUS  through its role as the Wairarapa Needs Assessment Coordination Centre, and Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand will fund ongoing patient care costs.

Renovation of the room will begin in September 2023 and it’s expected to be open for use in early 2024.

Help plant next-gen community trees

By Angela Brown, Community Board

Spring is in the air – a great time to get out and connect with your community and get back into the garden. Here is an opportunity to do both.

The Community Board recently allocated funds for a tree planting project at the Golf Course – a space which will be available for the community to visit. 

A planting day is set for 15 September from 9 a.m., so come along and bring a spade.

A selection of these new plants have been sourced locally from the Featherston Native nursery – Pae tū Mōkai o Tauira. 

The Martinborough Tree Group organised a visit to the nursery, and it was amazing to see what they

have achieved. Their dedicated team collect the locally-sourced seeds by hand and nurture them until they are ready to be returned to the land. They are not generally open to the public but do look out for their next open day or support one of their planting events.

If trees and planting are not your thing there are plenty of other ways to get involved with your community. A connected community is a resilient community. … Continue Reading