MH370 Mystrey. Whose concern is it anyway?

It is just over a month after the disappearance of the Malaysian airplane the MH370 which carried more than 200 people and the airline attendants. the whole world has joined in the never ending search of a more than 217,000 sq. km area in the Indian ocean. The search for this Boeing 777 has touched the lives of many and also united enemy states and countries who have joined together to find the ultimate truth about the where about of the huge bird of the sky.

The main question that remains with all of us is : should we be concerned as the citizens of the world? When looking at the issue  from the perspective of an ordinary South African who perhaps have never been exposed to an aeroplane or an airport for that matter, it is difficult to answer this question because  I would be looking at the issue as something that does not exist in my world. However this perspective is different when looking at the broader issue of its effect to the world and the also the effect to the relation between Malaysia and other countries.

 The families of more than 200 people who are spending sleepless nights thinking about their loved ones and their whereabouts which has lasted over a month now is an absolute trauma for them and their relatives and friends. These are ordinary people like me and you who their daily occupations has been affected just because someone wants to settle his political score with the Malaysian government but affecting innocent people in the same time.

Many people have come with different theories which are however not solving the problem yet brushing the skin of what seems to be the real problem that has resulted in the disappearance of flight MH370: That is Terrorism. This is a new phenomenon that is has invaded the 21st century and is increasing as fast as the virus in the computer. In just under the year we will be joining our colleagues for community services and in future some of us have desires of pursuing their careers over seas and including countries like Malaysia, Japan and the USA.This means one way or the other we are either directly or indirectly affected by terrorism hence my earlier statement : Whose concern is it anyway?

The disappearance of MH370 should not only be a concern to families of victims or the government of Malaysia. However this should be a cause for concern to each and every citizen of the world as this thing is the first of it's kind since the invention of the airplanes but it is indeed not the last. Nobody no one when the next plane will disappear and who will be the unlucky person in the plane that day. Terrorism was invented by people and it can be put to a stop by people united and speaking one voice. Therefore it is important to raise our voice and rebuke this demonic phenomenon in our midst.

Wishing the Malaysian navy,Australia and the rest of the countries involved  and all the countries involved a successful search in finding the bodies of those who disappeared.

The importance of preserving our water.

I recently drove past one of the informal settlements at Cator Manor Durban KZN, I saw a long queue of people with 25 litres of water cans  lining for water. Suddenly there broke up a huge fight between two women arguing who should get the water first. I told the friend of mine to pull over so that I can try to follow the story. As I was there looking at this "Kasi" drama one thing struck my mind: the importance of water in our  daily occupations and how can one undermine its role in our society.

The research regarding the determinants of World War III have highlighted that the next world war will not be fought over oil, nor mineral resources, or politics, but by the shortage of water. Water is becoming a scarce resource everyday and we are not quick to realise it because we still have water when we flush our toilets, water our gardens and shower during the night. However, this is not the case for the Cator Manor community, as the 25 litres of water is used to cover almost all the occupations within the house, such as bathing, drinking and cooking for the family per day. These are the people that understand how it is to go to a clinic having not had a bath all day due to water insufficiency in the household. These are the people who can use one basin of water for multipurpose reasons, such as bathing, then taking that same water to wash clothes, and thereafter water the plants with it, etc.

A challenge that one may perhaps pose is to start realising that ordinary lives of people somehow depend on the availability of water. An 18 year old girl, for example, will not feel comfortable with herself in a first year University having not had a bath due to lack of water at home. This might not affect only her hygiene, but may also contribute to her low self confidence resulting in poor performance in class.

What we do with limited water reserves is up to us, and what we teach those who have not seen the need to preserve water is working an extra mile. Preserving water is every citizen's responsibility which includes the author and the reader of this blog.

Rehab games for stroke patients

I just watch some interesting trans disciplinary team games for stroke patients on you tube . http://youtu.be/M2ULi2Po1Zc . what I like the most about this video is the way the goals for all the disciplines is presented and how nicely it fits together during the games.

This shows that even though ,trans disciplinary approach of treatment is a process but it is achievable with experience and practice. but the key thing is to understand your profession as the therapist so as to be able to transfer you knowledge to the other professions.

I am so pumped up to work with the TDA after watching this in practice.

Building sustainable Relationships with the communities.

Building sustainable relationship with communities is a process that requires many things which includes time ,trust and understanding. having been at the community block for more than  6 weeks. I have realised how important it is forming solid relationships with the community that you are working with. 

One thing that me and my colleagues done in the community we were working with was targeting the community care givers (CCG's). at first they were reluctant to work with us however as the days progressed they came to the party and were willing to be part of our treatment sessions and played a huge role in making sure that the home visits covered were successful. As the CCG's are getting stipends for the services they are rendering to the community ,they felt everything should be done through them unless we are in the community to take their roles.

Back  to back meetings with the CCG's helped in strengthening and cementing the relationship as we were able to answer the questions they had and we also explained that our role was not to do away with whatever they have, however to supplement and add on the knowledge that they have gained over the past years.

The therapist behaviour towards the community determines the type of relationship they will form with the community concerned. A therapist with a negative attitude or that undermines the roles of other community stakeholders will find it difficult to form solid relationships with stakeholders such the CCG's.

One person (unknown) said " Go to the people ,live with them. love them and learn from them. use what they have and concentrate to what they know , in the end when the work is done they will rejoice.. We have done it ourselves".

It touched me

 I recently watched this document accidentally when i was browsing through you tube, trying to reduce the OT 4 stress.However instead of alleviating the stress this documentary depressed and touched me but all of a sudden i realised that as Occupational therapists we do not see disability as anyone else ,so why should I be depressed instead of appreciating the beauty that God is doing to his people.

Hope you will enjoy

or view via  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP_MDRw3Dvg

Rhino poarching a national crisis...

Last week Friday as I was taking a walk with a friend in the beach a came across this young man who uses sand to design powerful message on display for visitors and tourists in our Durban beaches. the picture depicted the following message:

My friend was overly excited about the talent that the young man who made that statue and the way he was so passion about his work, however this was not the case for me. I spent almost two minutes appreciating the art but most importantly the powerful message that was portrayed "Save rhinos-Stop rhino poaching''. Many people see this as something that does not concern them as rhinos are not people and are not close by to their habitats hence they do not see how important are they to their lives.  If I was not an occupational therapist student in an institution that promotes community activism I would definitely not have taken notice of the message or I would have ignored it in totality. however I understand that rhinos play a major role not in the ecosystem but as part of Africa's big 5 most tourists come to our country to appreciate these magnificent powerful creatures.

With this blog I want to challenge all the occupational therapists to take a firm stand against rhino poaching as activist and advocate of change to protect the future heritage of the generations to come after us. We need to appreciate that animals are part of the environment and also part of the communities that we work in. Some of us will be working in the northern part of the province of KwaZulu Natal next year near the Umfolozi game reserve where Rhino poaching has reached it's peak. one of my favourite occupational therapist lectures said one day that ''the little things that you do in the society count a lot to does that are affected''. Saving rhinos could not only be beneficial for our nature conservation but can also save the jobs of those rangers who earn a salary by caring for our animals.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 





                         

Political intolerance in the hostels of KK, Why now?

The recent uproar between thee two political parties the National Freedom Party  and the Inkatha Freedom Party in the KK hostels  KwaDabeka Durban South Africa and the surrounding hostels, has caught media attention  from all over the world.

The national freedom party(NFP) is the break away party of the  Inkatha freedom party(IFP) formed in 2011 by the then former Chairperson of the IFP due to dissatisfaction within the party. It is mostly dominated by the younger generation which wanted change within the IFP because it felt it was more of a traditional party then a holistic party and that it's President Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi had to step because he has served his time in the party.


Before we iron out the issue of political intolerance in the hostels, one must briefly remind the public that political intolerance has been one of the major problems affecting our communities post democracy. the killing of 25 family members of the ANC at Shobashobane North of KwaZulu Natal and the never ending war between the ANC and the IFP in the early 90's are all examples of political intolerance in our communities and our country at large.

 But why are we experiencing this pandemic 20 years post democracy? 

I do not think there is a definite answer to the above question I have posed to myself and perhaps even the readers of  this blog. we need to first scrutinise the type of communities that is usually found in many KZN hostels.Well to cut the long story short, these hostels are dominated by people coming from the northern KZN which covers the Zululand and UThungulu district municipalitie which are strong holds of the two political parties in question.

The first explanation is that these wars start in the rural areas where s these communities live and the scores are set in the hostels where there is not enough security or protection from the families as in the rural areas with which they live in.

The second explanation is that, there is a fight for the minimal resources that available for the people living in the hostels such as KK in KwaDabeka. It is important to note that these two political parties do not enjoy hegemony in the cabinet of KZN, hence a fight will somehow revolve for these resources as it is a known fact that most people in the hostels are living in poverty and yes most of them are unemployed.

What is it that is out there for us as Occupational therapists?

As occupational therapists we are well known for advocacy and activism more especially in our communities. we need to be aware of such ills that the communities and our clients face on a daily basis. It is also up to us to face this quagmire and come up with intervention strategies that will help alleviate political intolerance in the hostels and in the communities we serve.

As one exists this blog it should be noted that the author writes in his own views which are not sponsored by any political party.

Reflection on the Cerebral Palsy group

Reflection on the Cerebral Palsy group

Today the 03^rd March 2014 was the first time I ever co-run a paediatric cerebral palsy group; hence I found it as a valuable experience to share with everyone else. We are a group of three student therapists on community based rehabilitation (CBR) module and we were tasked to run a Cerebral palsy group with children of which we have never interacted or did any assessments on most them.

This made it difficult for us to write a proper write up for the group and we were not sure what to put and what to expect. However with the current knowledge we have on Cerebral palsy and the lectures we had on Neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT) for paediatrics we were able to formulate a picture of the assessments and intervention strategies.

Running this group for the first time was very much of a positive experience because it has taught one to identify his mistakes and where to improve when handling paediatric groups. It has also assisted one to build confidence about handling the children, more especially when applying some NDT techniques which include tone influencing patterns like  positioning the child in different positions on the plinth (supine, side lying and prone) and on ones lap( to improve trunk control and positioning  the lower limbs in long sitting) .

 We were also able to apply some key points of control of the body which helped to influence movements through inhibiting patterns of abnormal activity while you are facilitating more normal movement.  We also practiced the application of key points of control from proximal to distal as per the literature e.g.  Facilitate walking through controlling the hip joint, for one of the older children who was able to walk with moderate assistance from his mother.

One of the things that made our group successful was that we were able to get to ask the mothers to demonstrate on the previous information that they learnt in the previous groups and to also ask those mothers who have the knowledge to teach others within the group. We also chose an appropriate activity i.e. making musical shakers using simple and scrap material (toilet roll, paper, paper glue, small stones and cello tape). The activity was appropriate for the children as it provided stimulation for them which incorporated different senses i.e. Auditory, visual, tactile and gustatory.

Kwadabeka-Clermont Home visit reflection

Dear Reader

Please be kindly infromed that this has been a great academic year so far for me.  I am currently doing my Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) block at a place called Kwadabeka in Durban South Africa. This is one of the most exciting modules in my life as it allows you as an occupational therapy student to interact with the communities directly on day to day basis. It also allows you to get an experience of communiy service and also allows for robust engagement with critical issues that affect thwe the communities at large.

Home visits so far have stood out to be the best experience for me so far. As an occupational therapist, there is an emphasis on to holistically treat the client as whole which includes his family and his home environment. Home visits thus covers all these aspects as the assessments, treatment and programme planning is dealt with it within the confines of the person involved in therapy. As a therapist you get to assess all the Activities of daily living (ADL's) and using the equipment and materials that the person uses at their homes.

The home is the most comfortable environment for the individual since they are used to it and are able to converse freely without any intimidation or fear, hence making easier access to intervention for both the therapist and the persons family.

Looking forward to send you more fun and crazy stuff that is happening within our new community of KwaDabeka.

Regards

The Classes of Society in the KwaDabeka area

Having spent more than a week at the KwaDabeka-Clermont Township and observing most corners of the township, I have made a conclusion that our society is not the same and miraculous intervention is needed to bridge the societal gap between the so called rich and poor class. The area is characterised by different types of individuals who are living unique lives and who are affected by different challenges and problems.  One challenge that is almost a burden to all communities in Africa if not the whole world is unemployment. This challenge has led to more than two billion people in the world living under a dollar in a day. The KwaDabeka- Clermont is also victim to this pandemic that is increasingly affecting each and every one each day.

Across the Clermont clinic there is a blue container whereby homeless people and those who have no food to eat, gather and are served soup and bread.  Every day when I look at those people I ask myself one question (which I think is common to all of us), Will this world be a better place for all of us one?  Well I do not think an answer will come in our life time; however as an advocate for change it is just fair for me to bother myself with those questions even if I will not get answers eventually.  Well thanks to St Clements church Clermont that has seen a need to feed these hungry men, women and children without expecting any gains from the government and where so ever but doing out of love and being directed by compassion ministry.

Having observed those people for more than a week, I see one common thing in their faces and that is grief. Most of them enjoy the food they eat because they hungry (even though the food does not look appetising to me) but deep inside they think about where they will sleep for the day and if their family members have had something to eat for the day. After scrutinising all that I then think about their occupations for the day, I mean these are normal human beings and they should have daily occupations like anyone else.  Most of them come in the morning for breakfast, eat and sit under the tree near the container waiting for lunch. It is not surprising that even after lunch you find those people there and I assume they stay there until dinner.  Learnt helplessness has become an order of the day and they do not feel they can do something to improve their lives or those of their loved ones (we need to come in here as Occupational therapist).

Are these people lazy to work, I ask myself.  I then quickly realise that most of these fellow South African citizens have spent more than 10 years in search of jobs in the industrial areas of West mead, New Germany and all parts of Pinetown.  They are no longer motivated to even wake up to those gates with barbed wires at the top and a foreman on the other side pointing only 10 people who will do temporary work for that day out of a possible 450 people in one gate. 

Is this what the world is supposed to be?  Is this what God wants the world to be?  Why are there classes in one society? I ask myself.

 Sensory wall @ R.P Moodley school

 

 

 

Visual Schedules pic.

 

Browns School Versus Clermont Day-Care Centre

24/02/2014

Browns school is a special school for the disabled children from the junior year to main stream level; it was established to cater for the needs of disabled children throughout the EThekwini district and KZN as a whole. The school has about 365 children who are distributed according to the separate grades and according to the age range of the children. The school has about 5 qualified occupational therapists and has a well-established occupational therapy department within the school.

On the 24 February 2014 as the KwaDabeka community group we had gone to a visit to the institution to find out more about the programmes being run by the institution and ideas on how to set up an activity/ sensory wall for the Clermont community health centre (CHC). The programmes were to be used and implemented for the community day care centre within the Clermont clinic facilities.

One must reflect that the trip was successful as we were able to gather valuable information on the program implementation and also many ideas to that can be used to keep the occupational therapy department going for years. The occupational therapists were willing to share everything and were also keen to answer all our questions; they went on to give us a resource file copy which they use to plan their yearly programs. We were also exposed to all kinds of scrap material that is used by the department in making activities and toys for the children.

Even though there was a lot of positive one picked out from the trip, but it was very emotional for me as I compared the facilities they have at browns school and the difficulties faced by the ever stressed mothers at the Clermont day-care centre. The facility has about 6 mothers who have a mammoth task of caring for 35 children with different disabilities and of which most of them they hardly understand. They have no toys, no activities and no structured programmes for the children, hence making their tasks more difficult. 

As an occupational therapist, activist and an advocate for change I have concluded that there is still a long way to go in our country in order to make the lives of all the people living with disabilities better.