Parents of children with cerebral palsy trained in basic physiotherapy
An association of persons with autoimmune and neurological conditions, Sharecare Ghana, has trained parents of children with cerebral palsy in basic physiotherapy and effective ways of managing their children at home.
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Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement and motor skills (the ability to move in a coordinated and purposeful way).
The disorder is usually caused by brain damage that happens before or during a baby's birth or during the first three to five years of a child's life.
The workshop
The workshop to train the participants of 50 parents, last Saturday, was held in collaboration with the Special Mothers Project, an advocacy programme on Cerebral Palsy. It also served as a skill learning platform for professionals and parents to interact.
The programme, which took place at the Accra Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic, was also supported by Diligent Care Services, a UK–based organisation passionate about helping parents of children with CP in Ghana to better handle their children and to network.
Another aim of the programme was to empower parents with knowledge of the illness and equip them to help their children lead an enhanced life.
A physiotherapist at the Accra Physiotherapy Clinic, Mr Augustine Acquah, took the participants through basic and practical physiotherapy techniques.
A dietitian, Ms Ruth Nyarko, also educated parents on the right combination of nutritious food to feed their children who had the illness.
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There is hope
Experienced mothers of children with the disease used the platform to mentor other parents in practical ways to handle their children.
Mrs Hannah Awadzi, the initiator of the special mothers’ project, said having a child with CP was not a hopeless situation because with the right love and a supportive environment, the child could grow up to be a responsible adult.
“We invited an experienced mother to share her experiences with parents and give them tips on how she was able to handle her own child who is now a successful adult.”
She said parents with CP children had the opportunity to network and meet other parents to share ideas and experiences.
Sharing her experience with the Daily Graphic, Ms Esi Enni, who has a-six-year old daughter with the disease, said she got to know of her child’s sickness when the child was six months.
“I noticed that her neck control was not all that good but I thought it was going to be okay but when I took her to hospital, I wasn’t told immediately that this is the condition of my child.”
She said she was later told her daughter had the disease when the child was close to a year.
Ms Enni, who said treatment was very expensive, called for the creation of more awareness of the disease.