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Institutional care, however, is very costly, and is usually possible only if government
pays for it. Few governments of developing countries are willing or able to do that. This
means that in poor countries—and especially in the rural areas—most support and
assistance for these families must come from the communities themselves.
In areas where a community rehabilitation program exists, the program can play an
important role. It will usually be neither desirable nor possible for the program to take
complete or continual care of the severely disabled child. Yet, the program may be able
to help in several ways:
• The community rehabilitation workers can regularly visit the home of the severely
disabled child and give suggestions, assistance, and friendship.
• They can help make or provide special seating or equipment that can help the
family to manage the child more easily.
• They can teach the family ways to help stimulate the child’s development and
can plan with the family a step-by-step approach toward reaching realistic goals.
• Perhaps they can start something like a ‘day care center’ where the rehabilitation
workers, different parents of disabled children, other concerned parents in the
community, or unemployed young persons take turns caring for the disabled
children for part of the day. This could be done on a volunteer basis. Or money to
pay for caretakers could be raised by the community, either through donations,
raffles, bake sales, musical events, or other fund-raising activities.
It is very important that the mother and family have rest periods from caring for their
severely disabled child.
Such rest periods can
often make the difference
between whether or not
they can handle difficulties
and keep treating the child
in a loving, supportive way.
In some cases it may be
better to provide ‘day care’ in
the child’s own home. Again,
the community may be able
to provide either volunteers
or paid care-providers.
Whatever the case, often
it is too much to expect
the family of a severely,
multiply disabled child to
care adequately for the
child, unless the community
offers generous help and
support.
Disabled village Children