I need a new washing machine!

daska

We have a charity near us that provides second hand equipment - try ringing your local council and asking what the local charities are. Don't be put off if they say that they don't do electricals, ring them anyway, they might do them and if they don't they may well know who does!

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

What are you talking about?

I'm simply informing you that in many European countries, even the wealthier ones - parents don't have a choice, they have to either work or do without. Even if you have a severely disabled child in Poland, you're expected to work to pay for it as part of your parental obligation. I know of one mother locally who has to care for her child during the day, then has to work at night - how she does it, I don't know, but this is the reality of the situation here.

In this respect, disabled children in the UK are extremely fortunate.

I very much doubt that the pregnant OP doing the washing in the bath cares much about the reality in Poland when immersing her arms in another tubful of suds.

katieloumatt

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

What are you talking about?

I'm simply informing you that in many European countries, even the wealthier ones - parents don't have a choice, they have to either work or do without. Even if you have a severely disabled child in Poland, you're expected to work to pay for it as part of your parental obligation. I know of one mother locally who has to care for her child during the day, then has to work at night - how she does it, I don't know, but this is the reality of the situation here.

In this respect, disabled children in the UK are extremely fortunate.

Once again how you can have the audacity to say disabled children in the UK are exteremely fortunate is beyond me...

Broken_hearted

katieloumatt wrote: »

Once again how you can have the audacity to say disabled children in the UK are exteremely fortunate is beyond me...

They are I was in Africa many years ago and disabled people were begging on the streets. In other parts of the world they are use by gangs to beg for money as they evoke sympathy.
At least here there is access to treatments and equiptment to improve their lives and money to live on. Not to mention 100s of charities to apply to.

tiamai_d

Anyway, thank you all for your suggestions (the useful ones) and also for the not so useful ones (you special folks always make me glad I'm not like you, or live in poland where the only hobby seems to be trolling through public forums in order to spout crap).

Turns out it's just the water pump thats gone, so £15 from ebay and hopefully it will be in working order again till June/July time when we will have a bit extra to splash out on a new one.

katieloumatt

I'm really pleased for you that the repair won't cost too much. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, let us know how you get on. Hoping things settle for you soon

KLM

kazzah

I work with a disabled children charity ( on a full time voluntary basis) and i have a counterpart who works for her disabled childrens group in Poland
I have met her several times - mostly when she has brought her child over for assessment for surgery from Poland
she paints a slightly different picture from PolishBig Spender

she decided in the end to take her child for surgery in the USA rather than the Uk and i commented on the difference in the costs of the UK vs USA

she told me that there are MANY MANY ( her words not mine) charities and wealthy people who donate money to families with disabled children to enable them to access treatment, goods and services and that it is possible to get lots of support that way.

Not quite the same picture as we have heard from PolishBig Spender!

Broken_hearted

Not the same picture from the media either they seem to agree with the lack of support for disabled children elsewhere, most being dumped in orphanages as the families can't afford to care for them.

PolishBigSpender

kazzah wrote: »

she told me that there are MANY MANY ( her words not mine) charities and wealthy people who donate money to families with disabled children to enable them to access treatment, goods and services and that it is possible to get lots of support that way.

Not quite the same picture as we have heard from PolishBig Spender!

The fact that the system relies on 'wealthy people' and 'charities' to provide for these disabled children should tell you quite a lot, shouldn't it?

The Polish State provides very little for disabled children. For a start, a bribe is often mandatory to get your child operated on if it's not an emergency case. There are no benefits available for disabled children - the parents are expected to pay to maintain them, and as such, you often see severely disabled children kept inside because there simply aren't the facilities available for them. The situation in cities isn't so dire - but in rural places, a disabled child can often receive next to nothing in terms of support, care and schooling outside of what is provided by the parents.

Compare and contrast to the UK, where having ADHD can be a passport to a lifetime of benefits.

UK children are exceptionally fortunate in that having a disability doesn't stop you from achieving in life. In Poland, unfortunately, disabled children are often left to rot in orphanages and the like. There might be some support from wealthy people and charities - but in a country poor enough to require people to pay for life saving medication, is anyone really surprised that I find disabled UK children exceptionally lucky?

The fact that the woman mentioned could afford to take her child for surgery in the United States (something that our NFZ system will not pay for under any circumstance!) suggests that she is a rather wealthy type. She's likely to be rather out of touch with the realities of Polish rural life.

Just to keep up the seasonal cheer -

http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/news/artykul106090_poland_celebrates_easter_with_tonnes_of_food_for_charity_.html

When things like this are going on, UK children can consider themselves exceptionally lucky as none of them need to go hungry as the result of their disability. For Polish children with a disability, the unfortunate ones can expect a rather miserable life.

Edinburghlass_2

I suggest then that you channel your energies into helping these kids in your own country rather than spending your time knocking every parent of an ADHD child.

Glad the OP has her washing machine problems sorted out.

daska

Edinburghlass wrote: »

I suggest then that you channel your energies into helping these kids in your own country rather than spending your time knocking every parent of an ADHD child.

Glad the OP has her washing machine problems sorted out.

Ditto!

IMO if PBS transferred the time spent on here winding people up to helping the kids who need it in Poland then life would be much more pleasant for everyone - especially the disabled polish kids.

How 'bout it PBS? Are you prepared to do the right thing?