Shining a spotlight on Spina Bifida Awareness Week

Spina Bifida Awareness Week starts today! This week, we are shining the spotlight on the importance of good continence services for the thousands of families and individuals in the UK living with the condition. 

A study conducted by Shine of over 1000 people living and ageing with spina bifida highlighted that a quarter of people with spina bifida do not regularly see any specialists, and around 6 in 10 only receive reactive care rather than proactive support. Many health issues are interdependent and have the potential to be prevented or their impact minimised by early intervention, regular checks and reviews, and a multidisciplinary approach to care. 

People with spina bifida experience varying degrees of neuropathic bladder and bowel when damage to the nerves interferes with normal bladder and bowel function.  

The focus of this year’s Spina Bifida Awareness Week is on raising awareness with professionals across continence services and the GPs who refer patients to them, highlighting best practice on supporting and caring for the complex needs of the spina bifida community.  By using this opportunity, the charity is shining a spotlight on how vital it is that people with spina bifida have access to the right healthcare support and services to manage their continence, which otherwise not only impacts their health but on all aspects of their lives. 

Shine’s CEO, Kate Steele, says 
“Shine continually promotes good continence care and supports our members from birth through to adulthood because we know the difference this can make to long term health and wellbeing for people living with spina bifida”. 

We are also delighted to announce that we are able to improve and develop our continence service for children as we have been endorsed by BBC Children in Need for the next three years.

Shine is asking people to celebrate Spina Bifida Awareness Week this October by getting creative. Are you a keen baker? Like to get your steps in? Or perhaps your colleagues at your workplace love to fundraise and raise awareness. There are so many ways you can support Shine and raise vital funds for us to continue to provide specialist advice and support for children and adults living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Find out how you can take part, or to make a donation by visiting the website www.shinecharity.org.uk