Livewire Parents, The Starlight Foundation and Mobility Shop

Nov. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- It has become common practice to employ the services of an organisation or facility to educate the children about their specific disability, how to cope with life issues and assist them in creating friends and participate in other social activities. ‘Livewire’, an off-shoot of the Starlight Foundation, was created to do just this and soon became the ‘Facebook’ for kids that wanted to connect with other children between the ages of 10 and 21 who live with a serious illness or disability. While Livewire was addressing this issue however they noticed another demographic that required a similar network; the parents of the very children that used their services.

‘Livewire Parents’ was born out of the necessity to provide these parents with a way to share advice, problems and solutions with other adults living under similar circumstances. This service employs a wide range of tools such as forums, live chat and a personal or shared journal that allows the user to disclose or keep track of their journey and experiences. This service is free and available for parents and carers alike on the provision that they are responsible for a child that is living with a chronic health condition or disability. Its users are vetted and controlled by the Australian Federal Police to comply with all privacy laws and is a project supported by funding from the Government under the “Clever Networks” scheme.

Helping parents cope with the challenges involved while raising a child with a disability is only one obstacle that ‘Livewire Parents’ helps over-come. The foundation has authorised Australian business ‘Mobility Shop’ to be its official recommended supplier of mobility and rehabilitation products. “One of the most frequently asked questions to the original Livewire site was ‘where can I buy an XYZ product?’. ‘Livewire Parents’ is designed to answer questions, so the Mobility Shop is the answer!” At the moment the website is simply linked from the official site under the tab ‘Shop’. Ryan Besso from the Mobility Shop says “it is our hope that in the not-too-distant-future we can offer ‘Livewire Parents’ a re-skinned page that tells the user it is the official shop. We are also going to be working in a donation to Starlight that will accrue with every purchase from their users.”

The Mobility Shop has always focused primarily on stocking equipment for the aged and frail. A recent survey taken by the Mobility Shop says that 95% of users who buy from their site are elderly or buying for someone that is aged and requires assisted living. “With our site now being visited by users of ‘Livewire Parents’ we will be looking at expanding our already vast product range with even more products- aiming more towards specific disabilities. We are also considering the possibility of venturing into toys and activities designed for various disabilities, too.” If you have a child or children that suffer from a disability and are aged between 10 and 21, you should check out www.livewire.org.au/parents and consider whether signing up will help tackle some of the challenges that arise from raising children with a disability. If you want to visit Mobility Shop, a door-to-door provider of mobility and rehabilitation equipment Australia-wide, you can do so by visiting www.mobilityshop.com.au, or by clicking the ‘Shop’ tab on the ‘Livewire Parents’ website.

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The Mobility Shop http://www.mobilityshop.com.au/ offers a wide variety of disability equipment and delivers all purchases up to the customer’s doorstep. With over 25 years experience in the rehabilitation aids industry, Mobility Shop has gone to great lengths to ensure that their range meet the three main criteria: great quality, great value and great selection.