Thursday, April 26
Today was our first official day at Las Obras, a long term residential care facility for individuals with disabilities. Most residents at Las Obras have lived here their entire life after being dropped off shortly after birth or as young children. The lovely staff at Las Obras welcomed us with open arms and let us work with patients throughout the morning.
Most of the residents at Las Obras have severe mental and physical disabilities which provided a challenge for our creativity. Intervention primarily consisted of stretching, sitting balance, and simple ambulation. Even though the majority of patients could not communicate, the morning was full of smiles, singing, and laughs.
Following the morning at Las Obras, our team split into two groups for the afternoon. One group went to Ensename a Pescar and the other went to a clinic in Pastores, a nearby town.
My team went to Ensename a Pesca which turned out to be an experience to say the least. The "school" we showed up to to work at had become a construction zone. The school was no longer there. Instead, the head of the school took us to a shelter which was basically a cement floor covered by a roof. We later found out that Ensename a Pesca had recently been torn down by the government and the 71 children with disabilities that once went there no longer had a school to attend.
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| The building at Ensename a Pesca |
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| Working with the community members |
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| Outside of the facility |
The day was still a success though! We were able to see around 20 patients who had traveled (walked) from all around the community seeking therapy. Communication was definitely difficult and the language barrier was extremely challenging, but it was comforting knowing that we were able to provide therapy to individuals who otherwise would never have been able to see a physical therapist.
Natalie Stein, UNC DPT '18
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