International Lymphoedema Framework - LYMPHO NEWS

LYMPHO NEWS

Dear All,

First of all, a happy new year to you all!

It doesn’t seem possible that we have managed to get to the end of a frustrating year with all the lockdowns, inability to travel, vaccination passports, and PCR tests. And the bewildering numbers of people worldwide who have contracted the virus, some mildly but many needing hospital admission. And how did that affect the lymphoedema community worldwide? So many services were cancelled as staff were directed to more acute areas of work causing ongoing concern and frustration to the people living with it. In places like Kerala, India, it looked as though a complete service might have to be closed because there was no funding – but through charities, including the ILF, the service is still running.

In the midst of all this, we at the ILF, were able to continue our work in promoting the management of lymphoedema internationally continuing with further evidence produced by the LIMPRINT study, work done in conjunction with the Welsh Framework on genital oedema, a publication on chronic oedema outcomes, and research around the Quality of Life in children with lymphoedema. Much of this has now been published and you will find the link to these within the newsletter.

After having to cancel the 10th ILF Conference twice during 2021 it was a great relief that it went ahead in November. Over 900 people attended either in person or online and the range of speakers, workshops, posters, and the time to network was, according to evaluations, certainly worth waiting for.

So here we are in 2022! We are excited to tell you that we have a new Framework in Saudi Arabia – we are gradually moving into parts of the world we have had no contact with before. Welcome to the Saudi Arabia Lymphoedema Framework.

Dr S. R. Narahari of the Institute of Applied Dermatology in Kerala, India, has been appointed as an ILF Director and will head up a stream within the charity to look at the needs of providing lymphoedema resources within poorly resourced countries.

And, lastly, some recognition for a patient in South Australia – Monique Bareham - through her work and the work of other members of the Lymphoedema Association of South Australia, the South Australian Government is now running a subsidy scheme for compression garments. For this work Monique has been named the SA Local Hero.

We are so looking forward to working with you all and keeping you updated in 2022.

With best wishes,

Christine Moffatt on behalf of the ILF Board of Directors

Changes in Board of Directors

It is our pleasure to announce a change in the ILF Board of Directors.

Professor Sue Gordon, Flinders University, Australia, has stepped down after serving the ILF Board of Directors for two years. We would like to express a deepfelt thank to Sue for her outstanding contribution to the ILF.

Dr S. R. Narahari has joined the Board of Directors as new director with a special focus on low-resource countries.

Dr Narahari is a dermatologist and the director of the Institute of Applied Dermatology (IAD), an internationally acknowledged centre for morbidity management and disability prevention of Lymphatic Filariasis and other lymphoedemas. It is located in resource-poor primary health care and a challenging setting in Kasaragod, Kerala, India.

He pioneered clinician-led bedside integrative medicine by combining therapeutics of Ayurveda & Yoga with Biomedicine for lymphoedema. He leads integrative medicine research, intersectoral collaborations, and patient-centred care and education to meet the needs of chronic diseases.

The organisation’s current goal is to analyse remaining lymphoedema data and set up satellite lymphoedema treatment services in endemic regions of Lymphatic Filariasis. To date, Dr Narahari has published 85 papers. All his work in IAD is honorary.

We look much forward to working with Dr Narahari as our new director.

Saudi Arabia new National Lymphoedema Framework

We are proud to announce that Saudi Arabia Lymphoedema Framework (SALF) has joined the ILF as a new national lymphoedema framework.

SALF is a non-profit organisation that works nationally to uphold the philosophy of the ILF and collaborates with other national frameworks in other parts of the world.

The mission of SALF is to improve the management, training and research in lymphology, lymphoedema and related disorders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Patients and health care professionals are the center of the work of SALF. SALF aims to promote and facilitate the best possible standards of care, connecting HCPs in one platform, influencing the research, and encouraging training and education, which are following the National Transformation Program 2030.

SALF is lead by President Dr Asma Alderaa and the Executive Committee.

Find the complete list of national frameworks here.

New Industry Partner

We are happy to welcome Lympha Press as new ILF Industry Partner.

Lympha Press is a leading global brand in treatment of lymphoedema, lipoedema, nonhealing wounds and venous disorders. 

Mego Afek offers a full line of devices from a compact system designed for quality home treatment, made with consultation with manual lymph drainage therapists and offers a choice of five treatment cycles using pneumatic compression therapy and smart garments systems to the most advanced system. the most advanced system.

The Lympha Press systems offering state of the art features and therapy modes, for hospitals and clinics.

Lympha Press offers one of the world’s most versatile and advanced dynamic compression therapy systems with proven clinical evidence in over 20 peer-reviewed publications.

Watch ILF 2021 on-demand

Did you miss an interesting presentation during the ILF 2021 Conference - or would you like to watch one or more sessions again?

It is possible to watch parts of the scientific programme, the

industry symposia, and the industry workshops on-demand. The videos are available until 15 March 2022. Please notice that CME credits are available until 18 February.  

If you did not attend the conference, it is still possible to register for on-demand watching.

Recently published ILF publications with open access

Learn More

Sign up to become an ILF Affiliate - it’s completely free and will ensure you stay informed about the goals and activities of the ILF and the work of our national frameworks around the world. ILF Affiliates benefit from:

• Reduced fees at future conferences
• Regular updates on activities and resources
• Opportunities to network with national lymphoedema frameworks
• Opportunities to influence future activities and direction.

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