Hola Amigos. It´s been quite a while since I´ve managed to put a blog up but hopefully this one will be comprehensive and full of interesting facts for you to digest - all about the project I´ve been doing!
FISIOTERAPIA
All is going well in the Cochabamban working world, approaching the 4 week mark and what should be the last week of my first physiotherapy project at CONSIPE, the centre for children with special needs. So I opted to work in the mornings and afternoons which takes me from 8.30am to about 6pm with a 2 hour lunch break where I get served a hefty meal and try and make it back to work for the afternoon. In the mornings I have been working alongside a physiotherapy student, Mayda who I believe is in her third year out of the five they have to study for here – they have placements too, but only need to do mornings or afternoons, otherwise classes start at 7am, which sounds a lot worse than those 9am lectures that we used to complain about!
My project started off slowly with a few days off in the first 2 weeks due to large road blocks held by teachers and other groups of people on strike, blocking all the bridges out of the city - which meant either myself or the children could not get to school. (Apparently they always happen at this time of year when everyone demands a pay rise, crowds marching down the streets with air guns etc etc.) At least they´ve stopped now and I can get on with things!!
There is a vast range of conditions present at the school, some patients attend classes there for the whole day and some patients are external, just coming for their physiotherapy appointment every morning. Generally I have been assigned to Antony, Edson, Santiago and Bairon who all have a form of cerebral palsy, requiring a range of treatments from stretches, mobilisiations, sensory work and standing or walking practice. Afternoons consist of working with more children (Autistic, downs, various other learning difficulties) from the school where the focus is more on gross motor coordination, fine dexterity and balance – with a lot of circuits involving exciteable children!! No wheelchairs around, everyone is either carried in by their parents or can walk independently (not without significant problems though...)
I´m refered to as Clarita at work and luckily the spanish is coming along nicely (give or take the odd bit of pronounciation that they don´t understand.) I am able to communicate with parents about what I want them to do at home in terms of postural management, use some medical terminology (hit and miss) and most importantly get the children to do what I want with simple language… “up, down, turn over, don´t cross your legs, flat foot, walk well, one at a time, straight knee, jump, hop, crawl, sit….” By no means fluent but at least I know the useful things, particularly knowing how to tell Edson off who is one cheeky cochabambino!! There is a clear different in the lack of resources and care pathways for the children (involving orthopaedic management, options for using equipment) but I suppose this has made me more innovative with some treatments and exercises. Some treatments are different but there is some definate overlap as well which means there has been an exchange of information.
HYDROTHERAPY
My primary aim was to encourage the use of hydrotherapy in the hot tub which has certainly taken some time to get the ball rolling. I have completed one written programme for hydro for a boy who comes in the afternoons with hemiparesis, complete with photos (Mariela checked it was legit spanish at the weekend which was nice of her!)
My focus is to now write programmes for the other children from the morning who now are allowed to go in the pool for the first time tomorrow (after speaking with their parents, the head teacher, doctor and other physios who are now on board.) Its all quite exciting, although the prospect of teaching material about hydro and physical management (the english way) to a proposed 15-20 students in spanish leaves me feeling a little dubious. Therefore I think I´m going to stay 2 more weeks at CONSIPE before moving onto the burns unit to really get it moving along nicely. After all it would be silly to leave when its just got going, especially as I have more strengths in the hydro field than with burns!! (just about...)
