Practical aspects of state assistance to families raising children with disabilities were discussed in Богушевск
Ten mothers from such families, many accompanied by their children, came to the event from different districts of the region. They were pleasantly impressed by what they saw at the social institution. The living conditions, nutrition, accommodation, and leisure activities for the children are at a decent level. The pupils have access to an interactive floor, a smart speech therapy mirror, a variety of educational and developmental board games, and simulator rooms: a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a utility room, a post office, a train station, and a shop.
It is no secret that about 30% of the boarding school's pupils have musculoskeletal disorders. To teach them to walk, develop fine motor skills, and maintain muscle tone, various methods are used, from exercise equipment to physical therapy sessions. Through months of hard work by instructors, medical staff, and the children themselves, they take their first independent steps!
Occupational therapy is another factor that contributes to increasing the self-esteem of the children. Having learned to do something with their own hands, they feel useful, and perceive work as a source of well-being and self-realization. Knitting with needles and crochet, embroidery, beadwork, and printing on mugs and clothes – various types of handicrafts are accessible to the young people here. Boys willingly engage in the carpentry workshop, and girls in the sewing workshop. Often, the skills acquired here become the foundation for a future profession for those individuals who have been restored in legal capacity.
It was important for the parents to see this with their own eyes and to share it with families in their home communities. After all, the institution provides a respite service, and since April of this year, children can undergo rehabilitation at its facility.
– By decision of the regional executive committee, rehabilitation services in the boarding school are provided free of charge, – emphasized Vera Astapenko, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Regional Executive Committee. – For a period of up to 30 days once a year, a child with a disability can be placed in an institution where they will be under the supervision of staff around the clock. During this period, the child will be able to use the facilities provided for the pupils for therapeutic physical exercise, cognitive development, and the acquisition and development of daily living skills. The opportunity to communicate with peers and adults who are not family members is important, as it promotes adaptation to society.
The rehabilitation department has 10 places for children with the 4th and 3rd degree of health impairment. Currently, the issue of expanding the categories of children with disabilities who can undergo rehabilitation, and opening a department for the rehabilitation of children not only with psychophysical but also with general diseases is being worked out.
In addition, the boarding school provides a respite care service for families raising children with disabilities. For a period of up to 56 days, a child can be placed in the institution, allowing parents to resolve accumulated issues during this time.
To obtain a referral for respite care, as well as for rehabilitation, one should contact the territorial center for social services at their place of residence.
An engaging discussion took place during the roundtable. For instance, Sergey Petukhov, chief physician of the Vitebsk Regional Children's Rehabilitation Center "Vetraz," highlighted the system of medical rehabilitation for children with disabilities established in Belarus. Its therapeutic and rehabilitation stage begins while the child is still in the hospital. The next stage, early inpatient medical rehabilitation, follows immediately after discharge, when the child is admitted to the rehabilitation department of the regional children's clinical center. Subsequently, the outpatient stage commences, allowing parents to utilize the services of healthcare facilities at their place of residence – physical therapy, massage, and physiotherapy rooms – without waiting for sanatorium vouchers. Unfortunately, adults often do not take advantage of these mechanisms and pay insufficient attention to the home rehabilitation stage. Consequently, at the next inpatient rehabilitation stage, state institutions have to restart the child's recovery process from scratch.
Participants of the dialogue platform, including parents, representatives of the regional children's clinical center, the regional branch of the Republican Center for Health Improvement and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment, the "Zhemchuzhina" Children's Rehabilitation and Health Improvement Center, the Vitebsk City Center for Correctional and Developmental Education and Rehabilitation, the Vitebsk Republican Unitary Enterprise "Farmatsiya," and the religious mission of the charitable Catholic organization "Caritas," agreed that all available opportunities should be utilized to improve the condition and quality of life for children with disabilities.
"Vitebskiye Vesti"