The beautiful Crieff Hydro Hotel was the location for what was hopefully the first of many meetings specifically aimed at people with inherited metabolic disorders (IMD) as well as their parents and carers. This meeting was to give people who live in Scotland, a chance to meet others who are similarly affected by IMD’s and Nutricia was delighted to support this event.
The fact that there was a meeting at all was down to the hard work of Barbara Cochrane from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the Clinical Network who organised a great day for all those who attended.
As well as work shops for children of all ages, there were also discussion groups for the older people attending where they were given the chance to talk about any and all the issues that affect them. The morning workshops for the younger children were designed to give their parents and carers a chance to attend these discussion groups. To do this the children were kept well occupied!! Mona Taylor, a professional home economist who specialises in cooking for a restricted diet, had the children decorating food for the upcoming Christmas holidays.
The afternoon saw the older children and teenagers go off to do some outdoor activities, and the younger children were treated to a special visit from ‘The Animal Man’ and his collection of cuddly critters!! This again freed up their parents to come and discuss more issues that they face, primarily diet adherence. Mona had prepared lots of different low-protein recipes for the parents and carers to come and finish off. This was to give them new ideas for recipes especially with Christmas around the corner and another opportunity for them to mix in an informal setting.
The overwhelming consensus amongst those who attended was that this event was definitely a success. The real value of meetings such as these is the chance to come and meet people in the same situation, especially for the children affected. Confidence and friendships can be built at events like this and this is why we hope this meeting will be taking place again next year.