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The Naandi Community-based Rehabilitation Intervention for PSCIs
The Naandi Community-based
Rehabilitation Intervention for PSCIs
Samarthya reaches out to People with Spinal Cord Injuries (PSCIs)
through a community outreach programme that presently covers 3districts:
Raichur, Koppal and Vijayanagar.
People with spinal cord injuries suffer from many physical discomforts
like pressure sores and psychological conditions like depression. This is
compounded by the lack of mobility appliances, low access to resources to teach skills
of daily living, as well as low access to resources to adapt their, often, inaccessible
environment.
To overcome some of these issues, this intervention reaches PSCIs in
their homes. PSCIs and their families are supported by a
sensitisation/awareness programme on spinal injuries. Counselling, Community
support, independent living skills, referrals for aids and appliances, as well
medical follow-ups and linkage with social security benefits is provided. This
is followed up regularly.
The mission of this intervention is to “promote social inclusion of
persons with spinal cord injuries to enable and empower them to become
contributing members of their society”.
Interestingly enough, many PSCIs who were lying in darkness in a
forgotten corner of their homes have now adapted their home fronts into shops
and have become contributing members to their household economies.