Hey there
So I went to these two conventions in Birmingham on 26th & 27th March.
I have gone the the Neuro every year for the past 3 years but the Naidex was new to me.
They were both amazing conventions. I would say the I preferred the Naidex to the Neuro purely for the fact that it seemed more client based than corporate based. The only downside was the fact that due to the amount of people in wheelchairs, motorised wheelchairs & scooters the walkways could’ve been wider as there were a fair few traffic jams going on.
I know these events are all about the selling but you can get put off from going pretty easily or get into debt. For example while in the Neuro Convention I was speaking a guy (I won’t name the company) about when I used the bit of equipment in my rehab and some the issues I had. We chatted for a bit then I left. Walking round again the next day saw him again and said hi. He then spoke to another colleague and explains what we were talking about the previous day. She then the explains the solution to the issue and I say thank and go to leave. She then informs me they can do me an offer of the equipment if I get it today. I ask how much it costs. She tells me £1000!!! I explain I don’t have that kind of money. Her response “it’s ok we do payment plans”. I say no thank you and leave.
Why do facilities or equipment that would help disabled people live a better life so ****ing expensive!! Because we are disabled you think it’s your right to rob us blind!! Do you think we have an endless supply of money. Most of us have to fight every couple of years or so to prove we are disabled and need our benefits. Greed pure greed! That doesn’t just apply to that certain company it applies to plenty.
Ok rant over now the good stuff.
The amount of businesses and charities at these events always amazes me. Especially this year like I said the Naidex felt more personal. Certainly some things had a more realistic price range.
Here are a few of companies I chatted with. There are 3 that I am going to focus on in other blogs.
Brickhouse Farm Cottages www.brickhousecottages.co.uk. These are based in Lancashire and are holiday cottages that are completely set up for disabled guests. They have track hoists, kitchen that rises and falls, profile beds, recreation area for children, dog friendly and the winning point for me they have a hydro pool.
Para Dance UK www.paradance.org.uk exactly as the name states. This is inclusive dance training for anyone who wishes to teach dance to disabled people. You might be the next John Travolta or Olivia Newton-John yet. Tell your group/charity.
AccessAble www.accessable.co.uk. This is brilliant. You can do this on line or even download the app. Basically you tell it what you are looking for, a pub, restaurant, hotel etc and where then it will give you a list of all places and you pick from a drop down menu your requirements and it will filter out the ones for you. Pure brilliance. I love it.
Church Farm Barns www.church-farm-barns.co.uk. Another holiday cottages place. This one is on the north Norfolk coast, near Hunstanton. I spoke to the daughter of the gentleman that own this. It us3d to be a farm then her mother got dementia and wasn’t very mobile so it couldn’t be a fam anymore. So they converted to holiday homes homes. All have wet rooms, level access throughout, again hoists, profile beds and family and pet friendly. Because the family have had personal experience with disability they have a greater understanding of needs.
Saebo UK https://uk.saebo.com Of course I went and said hi to the lovely Saebo team of Amy (@SaeboUk Twitter) & Glyn (@saeboukglyn Twitter) Their rehab equipment is a reasonable price for the average joe rehab patient. In fact I am now the proud owner of a Saebo Glove. Post to follow. The variety of rehab equipment they have offer is amazing (I wrote a post called NeuroExpo The World of Saebo in June 2017) go back and have a read I’m not typing it all again or just click the link and go to their website.
I could spend all day talking about all the different businesses and charities that were there but I’m not going to. Instead have a look for yourself on the events websites. www.naidex.co.uk & www.neuroconvention.com.
Laters 💋
My new brain 