CP Family Network's guide helps parents find resouces for their children with Cerebral Palsy

Aug 26 2009

What started with the frustration of three families in three different states to find resources for their children with Cerebral Palsy has turned into the CP Family Network's "Survival Guides" for all 50 states. The non-profit organization announced today the completion of the last guide.

"As a parent of a daughter with Cerebral Palsy, I am well aware of a parent's need to find resources for our children. It has taken us almost two years, but we now have comprehensive listings of national and state-by-state cerebral palsy resources," said CP Family Network editor Lee Vanderloop.

The free guides, called 'Survival Guides,' are organized by topic: education, medical, respite care, therapy, recreation, and transportation. "When resources change, we also can alert caregivers who register with the site, ensuring they are always up to date with what's available to help adults and children with cerebral palsy," Vanderloop added.

The CP Family Network site also offers a downloadable Care Notebook to help cerebral palsy caregivers organize, track, log and share medical and other key information about their child or adult. "The notebooks are based on parents' experiences of trying keep track of important information over many years. It can get overwhelming. This organizational system can really help," she said.

Also available free on the site are sample cerebral palsy life care plans and a copy of the booklet, "Beyond Birthing Classes: How Parents Can Help Insure Delivery of a Healthy Baby from Pregnancy, Labor thru Delivery."

The booklet was written by Howard Janet, JD, a Maryland attorney who has devoted his career to helping parents and families affected by Cerebral Palsy and the author of Patients' Rights, Doctors' Wrongs.

CP Family Network is dedicated to empowering Cerebral Palsy families through education. It is designed and written by CP families through a grant from (http://www.myadvocates.com) Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC, a national law firm specializing in helping families affected by cerebral palsy.

"All families -- no matter what the cause of the CP - -have one thing in common: they are always seeking answers and help for their children. We are delighted to be able to provide the Survival Guides for them, " Janet said.

Source: http://www.myadvocates.com