Shediac Yoga
Pointe du Chene 90210 Shediac, NB, Canada

WHO CARES? Through my experience of trying to get a prosthetic leg since December 2018, here in New Brunswick, I have not been able to get a prosthesis even sta...rted. I have been working on this since December 2018. Not only do I have to deal with daily life with a missing limb, a fire loosing all my belongings, regular responsibilities that people have such as bills, etc, but I have spent many, many hours trying to get a prosthesis. The New Brunswick Prosthetic Program is helping to finance the three New Brunswick prosthetic clinics, not so much helping the province's amputees. I have seen prosthetists in Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton. The only help I got so far was to borrow a knee unit from the Nova Scotia Rehab Center. I spent a day for each of these places, driving there and back. I have corresponded with Angela Mullins 12 times trying to figure out how to get a leg! Angela has continuously informed me of the guidelines your department requires her to follow. I am finding some alarming facts about the New Brunswick Social Development Prosthetic Program. I am writing to you first as I would prefer to work with your department to improve your program. If the Social Development Department is unsure if this is important enough to work on, I can start collecting signatures from New Brunswick residents to help show the importance. I will gladly help with this program since I know it will help many people. There is money to help people in a tough situation, but it is not helping because the guidelines do not allow your employees to help amputees. With the guidelines in place, the New Brunswick Prosthetic Program is an economic development driven program, not a social development driven program. It is a very sad, sad, sad situation. I was told by the prosthetist in Moncton that many of her clients are addicted to drugs and alcohol. I can see how Social Development NB can help these people by changing their policies. Marc Polley (Below is a draft letter explaining what is happening. I can spend more time to improve the letter.) To whom it may concern. I am a New Brunswick resident who has an amputated right leg. I have managed to remain a contributor to society, and even perform volunteering actions in my community, despite needing to overcome a great challenge. I have been successful in life partially because I have been supplied prosthetic limbs by the Alberta Medicare system, The Nova Scotia Medicare system, and private insurance. The daily life with a prosthesis including, being limited in the amount of standing hours in a day, limited abilities, time away from work for appointments, time away from daily responsibilities for appointments, the time that amputees cannot wear their prosthesis due to break down of the prosthesis or breakdown of patient skin is a life long challenge for amputees. On top of the challenges more obvious from the outside observer, in New Brunswick, there is a great financial challenge for amputees to deal with. Amputees in New Brunswick can only get "funding" if they have no way to pay out of their own pockets. Once an amputee proves that they cannot pay, the amputee will find out that the New Brunswick Prosthetic Program is more of a benefit for the prosthetic clinics than it is for the amputees. The New Brunswick Prosthetic Clinics mark up their products and services to a point that all the money allowable from the program does not benefit the amputees. All three New Brunswick prosthetic clinics are quoting approximately $35,000 for a prosthesis with similar components. I contacted a prosthetist from Nova Scotia, and asked for a quote. The quote came in at $18,571 for the same prosthesis. New Brunswick Social Development Department says that they have a maximum of $20,000 towards prosthetics for amputees. The simple solution would be to purchase the prosthesis from Nova Scotia, which the client is willing to incur costs of travel and time to obtain. But the person who approves funding for Social Development N.B. is not allowed to approve the purchase of devices from other provinces. "Device must be purchased in New Brunswick" is a clause that is detrimental to the prosthetic program. "The lowest cost prosthesis which will help the patient perform basic needs." Is another clause which is detrimental to the NB Prosthetic Program. A prosthesis required for an amputee to meet basic needs for a person who will stay home and allow the government to pay their living expenses is different from the prosthesis which a person who goes to work and pays for their own expenses. I can see that the Minister of Social Development is very busy and cannot micro-manage every program that falls under social development. And as the Minister of Social Development does not have any experience wearing a prosthetic leg, it would be impossible to have a knowledge of what it's like to need and wear a prosthetic leg. Therefore, the program has guidelines which do not allow the program to help amputees. Before an amputee can even get into this "program", they need to prove that they do not have any money to contribute to purchase a prosthesis. Other provinces take care of prosthetics as a basic need and it's paid for by their medicare systems. Not New Brunswick. :( If someone would like to help. Please start a petition for me. I can push to make it hear by sharing it with people. But I am all by myself here trying to do way more than I can handle. The last time, I just left the province. It's not an easy thing to do... leave all the people behind. What other options do I have? I would not be surprised if I have to move to Nova Scotia so that I will be taken care of. But I want to help change a policy. There are many amputees stuck at their home, on drugs and alcohol, because their situation is impossible. Let's be the change in this world! Let's join together and each person make a little effort, which will be a massive help to the cause by sharing this message to friends, calling the minister during work hours, or leaving a message on their phone, sending an email to the minister, or whatever you think will help the cause. Please share this post so that more people can see it and possibly help. What can you do to spread this story? Or help encourage the decision makers to change the rule so that they the people rather than making 3 people in the province rich! Here is the minister's email address if you want to ask her why she refuses to help me. The more people that send emails to her the better: [email protected] . You can also call her and ask, or follow up on your email: (506) 453-2001. Thank you <3 I love you all <3 Marc Polley

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See you tomorrow for a free yoga class at 9am. :)

Come join us for a FREE YOGA CLASS followed by a FREE KIRTAN at the Dieppe Farmer's Market, Sunday April 22. Followed by many other interesting Earth Day activities. Yoga starts at 9am and Kirtan starts at 10am. Bring your friends and Family :)