The Ambulatory Regimen Support social response team focuses on persons with Cerebral Palsy or related neurological conditions through its evaluation, guidance, therapeutic intervention and social education activities, developed by the APCB’s interdisciplinary team. The objectives of this social response team are:
Creating upper tier developmental facilities for persons with Cerebral Palsy and related neurological conditions;
Promoting social integration, specifically of the scholastic, workplace and community variety;
Implementing augmentative Programs and providing alternatives for communication, autonomy, orientation, mobility and support for social bodies that comprise the target populace;
Optimizing family interaction;
Involving all of the community in the treatment process in a continual and articulated manner, optimizing current resources and the formal and informal assistance networks
Evaluation and computer skills training are part of the assistance Programs offered by the Ambulatory Regimen Support staff
The APCB’s treatment model presupposes therapeutic accompaniment in accordance with the individual specific needs of persons with Cerebral Palsy, dependent on their specific condition. This is a specific and specialized response to Cerebral Palsy, treating individuals over 6 years old diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and/or related neurological conditions. Handling the requirements of these clients are interdisciplinary teams, made up of therapists for Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy, Social Services, Psychiatry and Physicians.
Sessions held by the Ambulatory Regimen Support social response team generally last 50 minutes, given that these usually begin on the way to Treatment Rooms, through a range of exploratory games, interacting with those passing by along the corridor, giving help and correction with the rate of ambulatory progress or the motion of the wheelchair. The following video gives an example of this work from the perspective of an APCB client:
The principal aspects of treatment provided by APCB are compiled in documents headed Personal Development Plans. These provide an outline of all mandatory treatment, with monitoring undertaken throughout the year, and to verify all outlined goals.
The Communication Book is an implementation strategy of Augmented & Alternative Communication methods that improve communication with all parties, consistent with each person’s capacity for enunciation (wich example made in the APCB)
As part of the Ambulatory Regimen Support service’s social response, the APCB offers our clients the following help:
Health Care, including regular physiological medical consultations, in the care of specialists in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and psychiatric help
Social Support, including the offer of assistance in technical concerns by Social Services professionals
Personal and social development activities, including culture related activity, physical sports, intellectual, educational and social stimulation.
Activity to stimulate the senses, as part of therapeutic support proffered through physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy
Activities relating to domestic routine, through outreach Programs as part of seeking out the context of a client’s life accompanied by Social Response staff
The study of posture and the implementation of its correct application in significant client activity are central to the treatment Programs offered by the APCB. The color Green indicates correct posture and Orange denotes posture requiring improvement
The participation of family/caregivers throughout the process, nominally with participating in therapeutic sessions and treatments throughout a client’s life, allows for the evaluation of specific procedures in consultation with medical specialists, with a view to the sharing and giving of strategies for the improvement of an individual’s development.
Illustration of a positioning strategy (on Left) and its application in an individual client's daily routine in bed (on Right)
Context Intervention Days
Context Intervention Days are very special occasions for Ambulatory Regimen Support specialists who get to fully outline and plan out activities to complement regular sessions in various areas of treatment. Context Intervention Days allow technicians to go into homes, educational contexts, workplace contexts or other contexts, widening the scope for action to improve the participatory and developmental capacity of the person with Cerebral Palsy or related neurological complications.
Through Amplification and Alternative Communication systems it is possible to transcend communication difficulties
Interdisciplinary Teams Evaluations
Each and every client in the Ambulatory Regime Support social response undertakes an annual evaluation with professionals of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Therapy, Psychology and Social Work. Team evaluation is a valuable opportunity for clients, caregivers and professionals to regard the client functional profile and participation, study the most important aspects of treatment up to the present time and consider new goals and targets to aim for.
The possibility of evaluating each and every client with professionals in differing specialist branches allows for the implementation of a holistic approach for persons with Cerebral Palsy or related neurological complications
Sources
Images: APCB thanks all its clients, families and workers for kindly allowing their personal image usage for the illustration of the services provided by the organization.
