Increasing SMU’s Physiotherapy Capacity

The SMU Director in an Oline Learning Session

Physiotherapy is one of the most important aspects of Stars Ministry Uganda (SMU) services to children with disabilities, whom we call Stars at SMU. The situation of Stars, who are mostly immobile, is made worse by limited care by caregivers who are either away looking for their families’ livelihoods, or without knowledge on how to offer Physiotherapy to their immobile children. Physiotherapy became even more instrumental during the COVID-19 season, where movements have been limited. This need was heightened by the fact that the places where these services could be attained remain closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown. “We don’t want our children to retrogress from the progress we had made with them before the lockdown”, reported the SMU Director, Mrs. Sylvia Kalyebara.

To increase SMU’s capacity to serve the Stars better, our physiotherapist, SMU Director and a few parents of Stars have been undertaking some online training in physiotherapy techniques. The training which ran for five weeks was offered by Adapted Spiral Praxis, an organization reaching out to people with disabilities, providing families with high-quality somatic programs for children, teens, and young adults with special needs/disabilities.

The training is greatly improving the lives of some of the Stars. Nabaale Gift, for example, who was not able to participate in the therapy sessions, is now interested and able to participate in the therapy sessions. Gift is able to understand and respond to all the communications made during the therapy session. The parent of Gift, who is participating in the learning, stated that “I have mastered the skills that I have been learning from the sessions. I have been practicing them with Gift at home though I am still being acquainted with a few of the skills”.

The training has given the physiotherapist and parents common goals to work towards while working with the Stars. The goals range from helping Stars to be able to move arms, raise the head, roll on their own, balance on propped elbows, among others. “We can see tremendous changes; children are interested in engaging their arms to reach out for objects, some now feed independently and others with minimal supervision during feeding,” said Eric the SMU Physiotherapist. “Children with spastic cerebral palsy are more relaxed with less tense joints and muscles hence can move their arms and legs with improved ranges of motion” he added.

The SMU Physiotherapist added that “Balance and posture have improved for some children as they can now maintain postures like sitting for longer now, especially those affected by Cerebral Palsy”. Some of the Stars SMU serves are affected by Cerebral palsy (CP) – a non-progressive condition of the brain that affects and posture of the child.

It is the goal of SMU to equip Stars’ caregivers with basic Physiotherapy knowledge and skills, so that they can take good care of their affected children at their homes.

Get involved with SMU today by sponsoring a star. Visit our “Get Involved” page on this site for details on how to give or get in touch.