Aquatic Therapy Program Receives Praise
World Physiotherapy Day is recognized every September and, as such, the Department of Health is taking this opportunity to highlight their Aquatic Therapy Summer Program for their pediatric clients with special needs.
The Aquatic Therapy Summer Programme was taught by a small team of dedicated Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists. The program ran for four consecutive weeks in July on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at the pool of a private residence in Paget. Twelve children, aged two to 13 years, took part.
A spokesperson said, “The program has been a free offering of the Department for the last eight years and is intended for children aged between three months and 16 years who are already receiving therapy services through Department of Health.
“It was developed to give children with special needs a fun, rewarding and highly motivating play environment, while working towards their individual therapeutic goals.
“Parents have commended the program, in particular how stimulating and enjoyable it is for their children. Some of the feedback from parents has included suggestions for longer sessions and the hope that the program could be extended.
“Aquatic Therapy sessions included a ratio of two therapists to one child. Therapists participated in the sessions on a rotational basis to fit with their other scheduled clinical commitments.”
“Through this program, children received specialized therapy using water as a modality to achieve their functional goals,” explained Department of Health PT/OT Coordinator Teresa Trott.
“The advantage of using water is that it reduces the effect of gravity and allows children to move more freely and strengthen muscles in a way they are not able to on land. Plus, most children find the pool to be fun, making the potential for progress even greater.
“Our program seeks to maximize the therapeutic aspects of the aquatic environment, such as using aquatic exercise, posture and alignment activities, balance and gait activities, aquatic games, breathing control drills, and breathing activities. Most of the children didn’t realize that the hard work they were undertaking was therapy.”
“At the end of the four week Aquatic Therapy Programme, 100 percent of clients demonstrated improvement in selected functional outcomes which included increased relaxation to allow for better positioning during seated tasks and to reduce unwanted muscle contractures or stiffness, better head control and core strength to facilitate balance and the respiratory process, and increased physical activity to improve cardiorespiratory function and facilitate weight control.
“Other benefits included improved leg strength to facilitate weight bearing for transfers and lower body dressing, improved arm and leg flexibility to facilitate ease with dressing, and improved eye-hand coordination to assist with hand tasks such as self-feeding and handwriting.
“To be eligible for the program, the child must be between the age of three months to 16 years and currently receiving skilled therapy services from a registered Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist. Physician consent is required.
“Additional services offered by Physiotherapists within the Department of Health are Early Intervention services for children up to four-years-old, including assessment clinics at the Child Development Programme, school-based physiotherapy services, and community-based services for adults and seniors.
“World Physiotherapy Day is dedicated to physiotherapy professionals throughout the world and aims to recognize their commitment to keeping us all fit for life.
“For more information on Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy services, including the Aquatic Therapy Programme at the Department of Health, please contact the Community Rehabilitation PT/OT Programme at 278-6427 or 278-6428.”
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It does not matter who you are or where you come from ,we all need a diversion from the normal run of the mill day.
For some, they proclaim there is no tomorrow , there are hundreds of tomorrows and the next day, and the day after that.
Believe in your future.
Enlist in Government evening programs.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy .”.
“All play and no work makes Jill a poor girl.”
Having a hobby or a pass time where people can spend time pursuing an activity of their choosing is all good.
I don’t mean the TV or a spectator sport, that is not participating but having a worth while activity, there are thousands of different ideas to choose from, it up to you.
Make sure that it not the same as what you do for a living during a normal working day.
Work hard and play hard be a winner.
We all have our individual skills and talents, you never know what you can do unless you try.
It most important that people find an activity tailor made just for them.
For starters try the internet for ideas.
The gratification derived from achievement and success promotes self worth.