Three new Occupational Therapists join the Community Family Health Hospitals of the communes of Yungay, Bulnes and Coelemu. Initiative that is part of the Rehabilitation Program, aims to address the growing demand for rehabilitation and support the Assistance Network programs that seek to have a significant impact on the community, where professionals play a fundamental role in the recovery of users. .
In relation to this, the Director of the Ñuble Health Service (SSÑ), Elizabeth Abarca Triviño, stated that: “The investment to strengthen our teams reflects the commitment we have with the community hospitals of the Ñuble region, with the objective to provide comprehensive and quality care to the community. Through the work of these professionals, we hope to have a greater response capacity and a more complete approach to their care, especially considering that our Region has a high prevalence of pathologies such as Cerebrovascular Attack, or the incorporation of post rehabilitation. -Covid to GES, pathologies in which the role of rehabilitation is key in people’s recovery.
Likewise, Kinesiologist Andrea Muñoz Parra, Head of the Rehabilitation and Respiratory Health Section of the SSÑ, highlighted that, “considering the new GES Guarantee, as an Institution, we decided to include an Occupational Therapist in three of the five community hospitals that exist in the region, who is part of the basic team of the rehabilitation strategy, mainly because none of our hospitals had, until now, this specialist. We know that we still have pending challenges, but our commitment is to continue advancing in strengthening this network, for the benefit of the people of Ñuble.”
“The Occupational Therapist performs various functions, which include the making of splints and orthoses, cognitive stimulation, promotion and prevention work and with a strong community focus, developing intersectoral collaboration, linking us closely with community groups of people with disabilities, among others. activities,” said the professional.
Role of rehabilitation
Occupational therapists play a vital role in the recovery of clients who face physical, emotional and cognitive challenges. For this reason, Lilian Almendras, Occupational Therapist at the Yungay Hospital, said about her arrival: “I have been part of the team of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit here at the Community Family Health Hospital for two months, working with kinesiologists. and speech therapists, focusing on recovery with people with chronic diagnoses, with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, flat brain trauma, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, among other pathologies.”
“As an Occupational Therapist we always work with occupation as a means and end, and our goal is to make the person as independent and autonomous as possible and also achieve inclusion. All this is done through training in basic activities of daily living, instrumental activities, construction and evaluation of orthoses, and environmental adaptations. Also inside the room, there is a lot of work with the caregivers, training, group workshops and comprehensive visits with part of the team. Here we create networks so that the person not only rehabilitates and recovers some function, but also becomes part of society. This is very beneficial because there was a waiting list, and now the process is accelerated.”
To access these benefits, the user must be referred by the establishment’s doctor. These professionals work in collaboration with the rehabilitation team to care for patients on an outpatient or closed basis, depending on individual needs. In this way, they provide benefits to users who attend sessions two or three times a week, as well as those who can benefit from group sessions or home visits. In addition, they provide services to users who are hospitalized.
