Monday, May 24, 2010
Back Home in the USA
We have made it back home safely, completed our summit week course, and graduated. It has been a busy time.
As a group...
We did 495 hours of collective service work (mas o menos)
4 hours of classes/patient care labs
Fit 4 patients with LN-4 hands and taught them to use the hands
Saw and established 32 peds PT programs for ICC
Saw and treated 20 patients in Batey Libertad
Saw and treated 10 patients in the ILAC clinics
Worked with numerous children at Conani
Worked with many adults at Hospicio
Planted a tree
Networked with students from PUCMM in clinic at Batey Libertad
What is difficult to measure what we will do with our experiences. Perhaps we will be more creative therapists, better advocates for our patients, see injustices more clearly in our own backyards, and realize the interconnectedness we have with each other on a global level. I look forward to see how our graduates will lead and influence in their new roles as physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Thank you for a truly wonderful experience.
Sue
As a group...
We did 495 hours of collective service work (mas o menos)
4 hours of classes/patient care labs
Fit 4 patients with LN-4 hands and taught them to use the hands
Saw and established 32 peds PT programs for ICC
Saw and treated 20 patients in Batey Libertad
Saw and treated 10 patients in the ILAC clinics
Worked with numerous children at Conani
Worked with many adults at Hospicio
Planted a tree
Networked with students from PUCMM in clinic at Batey Libertad
What is difficult to measure what we will do with our experiences. Perhaps we will be more creative therapists, better advocates for our patients, see injustices more clearly in our own backyards, and realize the interconnectedness we have with each other on a global level. I look forward to see how our graduates will lead and influence in their new roles as physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Thank you for a truly wonderful experience.
Sue
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Batey Libertad Clinic
On Tuesday afternoon we took a 1 hour bus ride out to Batey Libertad where we held a clinic for their community. The local PT students from PUCMM came with us to help the individuals of the community. We were split up into 4 different groups with a mixture of St. kates students and PUCMM students. All in all we saw 20 patients during our short time we had there. It was a different experience than the clinics at home. We were in a small room with over 30 people in there and treating patients with no equipment but our creativity. Working with the students here was a great expereince because I was able to learn from them and was able to see our profession is truely international. Although language is a barrier for me since I only speak a little spanish, I was able to overcome that barrier with the help of our classmate, Anne, which has really excelled in her spanish speaking abilities. It was an awesome experience showing these patients a few exercises that they can do at home and seeing the graditude on their faces and them telling us that they will do all their exercises. This experience truely melted my heart that they were so open to letting us into their community.
Sarah Sievert
Sarah Sievert
A Few Bumps on the Head
A few bumps on the head.
Krista Wells
A day for the members of ICC begins as the others do with a hefty breakfast (mostly of PBJ sandwiches) followed by an intense ride on the guaguas (minivan converted into a pile-them-in passenger van) into the heart of Santiago. The record for an ICC guagua ride is now up to 29 adult passengers + 1 child +1 suitcase, which we counted as a small child. The driver allows us to unload the team at the “Bacardi sign” where we try to avoid hitting our heads on the door frame of a guagua (something I struggle with daily!) Next is our mile walk to ICC past speeding cars, motos and buses, and avoiding near off curb accidents that keep us on our toes throughout the journey. When we arrive at ICC the women there give us hugs and besos on the right check followed by a large smile and “Buen Dia”. Their energy and joy is a refreshing and inviting to begin the work day! It is then time to drive, meet and treat the kids who live in various communities of Santiago.
Each day with ICC has been very different. One day we drove from home to home to evaluate children who are unable to leave their homes. While the next day we wait in a small community church where 5 to 7 families show up because they hear we were coming and want advice for their children. The homes and rooms are often small and slightly dirty but despite the size of their homes and community spaces the hearts of the children and their care takers surly out weigh the deficit of material space. Today one of the kids was especially amazing to work with. We were in a community building of ICC in a community names 100 Fires (I am unsure of the history for the name at this point). The boy who touched my heart was 11 years old and shows definite signs of cerebral palsy due to his mother becoming ill during pregnancy. He was also deaf. Upon meeting him he mouthed “Hola” to all of us and when it was his turn to been evaluated he had the World’s Largest Smile on his face. Despite his limitations with controlled movement and hearing he had a blast mimicking and playing with us. During stretches for his very tight hamstrings he taught us sign language for “number”, “enough” and “bueno”. He even helped us out so we knew when to stop holding the stretch. His excitement to play and his intelligence really count me off guard. His love for life was amazing especially with his interactions with new people whom he had never met and who made him practice moving in positions he had probably never achieved before.
The kids we have met during our adventures with ICC have been sad yet enlightening and hopeful. The women of this organization are amazing and we praise them for their work and fearlessness with these very difficult children. Although our mornings are filled with cultural shocks and fun rides the kids on the other side are so worth getting a few bruises on the head from clumsy exits off the guagua.
Krista Wells
A day for the members of ICC begins as the others do with a hefty breakfast (mostly of PBJ sandwiches) followed by an intense ride on the guaguas (minivan converted into a pile-them-in passenger van) into the heart of Santiago. The record for an ICC guagua ride is now up to 29 adult passengers + 1 child +1 suitcase, which we counted as a small child. The driver allows us to unload the team at the “Bacardi sign” where we try to avoid hitting our heads on the door frame of a guagua (something I struggle with daily!) Next is our mile walk to ICC past speeding cars, motos and buses, and avoiding near off curb accidents that keep us on our toes throughout the journey. When we arrive at ICC the women there give us hugs and besos on the right check followed by a large smile and “Buen Dia”. Their energy and joy is a refreshing and inviting to begin the work day! It is then time to drive, meet and treat the kids who live in various communities of Santiago.
Each day with ICC has been very different. One day we drove from home to home to evaluate children who are unable to leave their homes. While the next day we wait in a small community church where 5 to 7 families show up because they hear we were coming and want advice for their children. The homes and rooms are often small and slightly dirty but despite the size of their homes and community spaces the hearts of the children and their care takers surly out weigh the deficit of material space. Today one of the kids was especially amazing to work with. We were in a community building of ICC in a community names 100 Fires (I am unsure of the history for the name at this point). The boy who touched my heart was 11 years old and shows definite signs of cerebral palsy due to his mother becoming ill during pregnancy. He was also deaf. Upon meeting him he mouthed “Hola” to all of us and when it was his turn to been evaluated he had the World’s Largest Smile on his face. Despite his limitations with controlled movement and hearing he had a blast mimicking and playing with us. During stretches for his very tight hamstrings he taught us sign language for “number”, “enough” and “bueno”. He even helped us out so we knew when to stop holding the stretch. His excitement to play and his intelligence really count me off guard. His love for life was amazing especially with his interactions with new people whom he had never met and who made him practice moving in positions he had probably never achieved before.
The kids we have met during our adventures with ICC have been sad yet enlightening and hopeful. The women of this organization are amazing and we praise them for their work and fearlessness with these very difficult children. Although our mornings are filled with cultural shocks and fun rides the kids on the other side are so worth getting a few bruises on the head from clumsy exits off the guagua.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
No habla espanol, mais je parle francais
I have struggled since day 1 to understand conversations happening around me. The people speak very fast here and many do no understand English. I am lucky that I have Jen, Liz, Staci, and Lisa at Hospicio - who all rock my socks off, by the way - they are so encouraging and supportive of me at our service site and really help me out with speaking and understanding the language. I am now able to comprehend much more, however, am unable to speak back in more than 3-4 word phrases. One of the many things that I have learned at Hospicio is that touch goes a long way. Even if I cannot speak more than a few words, the residents are so happy that I am there to interact, or to smile, or to go for a walk. We laugh at my comprehension struggles and keep trucking along. Today, as I was suffering from a case of bad dehydration, I had to lie down on a bench on the porch of the home. Many residents came up to me to hold my hand or touch my shoulder to make sure that I was ok. This touched my heart and I am speechless about it. As I could not understand their words, I could understand their actions and know that they were putting me in their prayers to get better.
On the flip side of not knowing Spanish, I had a treat when we visited Batey Libertad last week. Most of the people there speak English, Creole, Spanish and French. I asked around to see whom spoke French and decided to give it a try. Yes, I struggled a little, trying to piece things together for I have not spoken it in about 3 years or so; but I found myself talking and laughing and really enjoying myself. More and more people were getting the word that I spoke French and would come and talk to me too. I had a lot of fun with it! I learned so much about the people at the Batey and only wish I could stay in contact with a few of them to see how they progess in their studies and in life in general (also being able to keep up on my french practice).
On the flip side of not knowing Spanish, I had a treat when we visited Batey Libertad last week. Most of the people there speak English, Creole, Spanish and French. I asked around to see whom spoke French and decided to give it a try. Yes, I struggled a little, trying to piece things together for I have not spoken it in about 3 years or so; but I found myself talking and laughing and really enjoying myself. More and more people were getting the word that I spoke French and would come and talk to me too. I had a lot of fun with it! I learned so much about the people at the Batey and only wish I could stay in contact with a few of them to see how they progess in their studies and in life in general (also being able to keep up on my french practice).
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Kids Stole My Heart :)
Conani is a home for children with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Six of us go to this site every morning. Recently all of the non-ambulatory children were moved to Santo Domingo so the majority of the children at Conani now are ambulatory. Our goal each day is to do therapy with at least 5 children and play/interact with the others. The Creighton PT group had designated 10 kids that they worked with the month they were there so we have continued to work with those kids and have found a couple more that would definitely benefit from therapy. Each day things go a little more smoothly at the site.
All of the kids are so great! Each day they are thrilled to see us walk through the door, have someone hold their hand, have someone show them they care about them. I have had little experience working in a pediatric setting much less working with kids with moderate to severe disabilities. I was very nervous to work in this setting, definitely out of my comfort zone. However, the first day seeing how excited they were to see us made me realize how much of a gift it is to them for us just to be there. I immediately fell in love with them. The first day I worked with a boy showing him how to jump, we practiced for 10 minutes. The next day right after we got there he had to show me that he could do it on his own. It was a great feeling to see that carry over.
Many of these kids are very intelligent, just have physical disabilities. They seem to all understand my Spanish! :) In the D.R. individuals with disabilities are often shunned and looked down upon. It’s difficult to see such potential, but know they will probably never have adequate therapy/services.
It is tough to think that we can only be there with them for 2 weeks. And that another group of therapists won’t be here until later summer. We have 4 more days to work with these kids. It is my goal to educate some of the staff members at Conani to continue with the walking programs, the structured play. These children have such potential! As always, we never have enough time. But we must use the time we have. I have had such a great experience with them. They will always be in my heart!
All of the kids are so great! Each day they are thrilled to see us walk through the door, have someone hold their hand, have someone show them they care about them. I have had little experience working in a pediatric setting much less working with kids with moderate to severe disabilities. I was very nervous to work in this setting, definitely out of my comfort zone. However, the first day seeing how excited they were to see us made me realize how much of a gift it is to them for us just to be there. I immediately fell in love with them. The first day I worked with a boy showing him how to jump, we practiced for 10 minutes. The next day right after we got there he had to show me that he could do it on his own. It was a great feeling to see that carry over.
Many of these kids are very intelligent, just have physical disabilities. They seem to all understand my Spanish! :) In the D.R. individuals with disabilities are often shunned and looked down upon. It’s difficult to see such potential, but know they will probably never have adequate therapy/services.
It is tough to think that we can only be there with them for 2 weeks. And that another group of therapists won’t be here until later summer. We have 4 more days to work with these kids. It is my goal to educate some of the staff members at Conani to continue with the walking programs, the structured play. These children have such potential! As always, we never have enough time. But we must use the time we have. I have had such a great experience with them. They will always be in my heart!
We Didn’t Fall Off the Mountain in Juncalito
Friday afternoon we took off into the mountains to stay in the town of Juncalito. We knew the drive was windy, hilly and a little rocky, but this turned out to be an understatement. We all piled into the Toyota Coaster (now named the roller coaster) and endured the 2 hour drive. The roads were indeed windy and extremely hilly. The part that we did not expect were the huge rocks and uneven roads that we would have to travel over. Also, we drove on the edge of cliffs with only a small barbed-wire fence between us and the ground hundreds of feet below. This became quite an issue for Jen as she had decided to plop herself next to a window. That particular window happened to be on the cliff side with every windy turn. She made the mistake of looking over the cliff at one point and quickly jumped into the arms of Anne sitting next to her. From then on, she refused to look out the window!
We arrived in Juncalito, after the traitorous journey up, to find a quaint little town on the edge of the mountain. It was breathtaking to see the views from about 8,000 feet above sea level. Alfi, our bus driver, did an excellent job of getting us safely into the parking lot at the ILAC retreat center in Juncalito. We unpacked our belongings and found the open air rooftop to be just the place to relax. We spent the evening walking around the ground near ILAC, eating a delicious meal of fried cheese and playing cards. It was just what we needed after a hard-working week.
At about 9:30 on Saturday morning, we took off on a hiking adventure. We hiked down the mountain for about 45 minutes until we reached this waterfall and river. It was so beautiful! We had all worn our swimsuits down, so we were ready to dive in to get a break from the heat. There was a small ledge by the edge of the water that we all jumped in from. The water was very cold, but extremely refreshing. We spent the next hour or so swimming, relaxing and getting a little tan and a lot sunburned!
After a nice relaxing swim, we started our hike back up the mountain. We all found this to be very difficult as we weren’t used to the high altitude. The path was extremely rocky, which made it difficult to hike as well. But, we all made it!
At around 3:00, the youth from the community came to ILAC and we spent a few hours getting to know them. We started with a few ice-breakers, but it quickly led to a mini dance party! They wanted to teach us their native dance of meringue and bachatta. We had a great time learning the dance moves and learning about their culture. We then sat around in a circle and asked questions about their life, studies and goals. It was neat to see that we shared a lot of similarities in this regard. Overall, it was great to make friends with these wonderful Dominicans and spend the weekend on the mountain in Juncalito!
We arrived in Juncalito, after the traitorous journey up, to find a quaint little town on the edge of the mountain. It was breathtaking to see the views from about 8,000 feet above sea level. Alfi, our bus driver, did an excellent job of getting us safely into the parking lot at the ILAC retreat center in Juncalito. We unpacked our belongings and found the open air rooftop to be just the place to relax. We spent the evening walking around the ground near ILAC, eating a delicious meal of fried cheese and playing cards. It was just what we needed after a hard-working week.
At about 9:30 on Saturday morning, we took off on a hiking adventure. We hiked down the mountain for about 45 minutes until we reached this waterfall and river. It was so beautiful! We had all worn our swimsuits down, so we were ready to dive in to get a break from the heat. There was a small ledge by the edge of the water that we all jumped in from. The water was very cold, but extremely refreshing. We spent the next hour or so swimming, relaxing and getting a little tan and a lot sunburned!
After a nice relaxing swim, we started our hike back up the mountain. We all found this to be very difficult as we weren’t used to the high altitude. The path was extremely rocky, which made it difficult to hike as well. But, we all made it!
At around 3:00, the youth from the community came to ILAC and we spent a few hours getting to know them. We started with a few ice-breakers, but it quickly led to a mini dance party! They wanted to teach us their native dance of meringue and bachatta. We had a great time learning the dance moves and learning about their culture. We then sat around in a circle and asked questions about their life, studies and goals. It was neat to see that we shared a lot of similarities in this regard. Overall, it was great to make friends with these wonderful Dominicans and spend the weekend on the mountain in Juncalito!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
There have been so many moving moments throughout this journey we have started and I am sure there will be many more. The residents at the hospicio are amazing and seem so happy to see us even if we do not know what they are exactly saying. They get so excited to perform exercises in the group and seem to have fun and even joke with each other about things. Although the exercise group is so much fun to do it is also been an experience working individually with some of the less fortunate residents. For two days we have now worked with one specific individual and he has shown me that just little things in life make a huge difference. With many of the residents they want to come and give you a hug and grab your hand. Even if you are unsure of what they are saying you can just smile and nod which works to. Seeing the happiness on each of the residents’ faces keeps me wanting to go back and help in any little way that I can.
We also learned today how important minimizing use of materials is within our setting. We had each been given a pair of gloves and saw one resident so we took off the gloves (like we would normally do when we are in the
It's all in the hands
Today at Hospicio, we were working with a resident who is having difficulty with mobility after having a hip surgery 2 months ago. We briefly met this resident yesterday, and today he remembered us and was willing to partcipicate in PT. He said he felt good, and it was "because of our hands" and the work we did. Moment #1 with tears in the eyes. Throughout the session, he had stood with a walker and support 3 times for 15 seconds each time. He said he hadn't stood in so long, and it felt good. After repositioning him in bed, I asked him if he was comfortable. He said "yes". Then, I asked if he needed anything else before we left, and he said "the only thing I need is you". Moment #2 with tears in the eyes. After I translated for Lisa and Staci, they both appeared to be equally moved by what our resident had said. I assured him we would see him again tomorrow, and in return he blessed us and sent God with us.
We've learned about the power of touch, but it was not until today that I actually felt it. Similarly, the power of a smile, kind eyes, saying "hola" or "buen dia", or holding someone's hand may have the greatest impact of all. We are here, listening to the residents' stories, doing what we can. Today the interaction with this particular resident assured me that it mattered.
We've learned about the power of touch, but it was not until today that I actually felt it. Similarly, the power of a smile, kind eyes, saying "hola" or "buen dia", or holding someone's hand may have the greatest impact of all. We are here, listening to the residents' stories, doing what we can. Today the interaction with this particular resident assured me that it mattered.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Guagua v. Mack Truck
Today was our first attempt at riding a guaga (taxi bus) alone on the way home from our service site, Hospicio. We were feeling very good - we got to the right stop, a guaga came pretty quickly and we were off! It was crowded (more than 20 people) but we were all able to get on. I was nearly hanging out the door on the side but then one of the attendants stood outside the open door and protected me from falling out. I did comment to Jen that at least we were close to hospital if I fell out! Jen and I were facing backward and we spotted our landmarks - we were almost back to ILAC. Then, suddenly, a giant mack truck was barreling toward us from behind. I was thinking, "Yikes!", we could be in trouble now! Fortunately, after some squeeling tires and swerving of the truck behind, it was a near miss. Now we are sure to be ready for anything when riding the guagas! We can't wait for tomorrow!
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