Thanks to everyone that participated in our fundraising efforts in September and the Hearts and Hands fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester, we were able to develop our training template and test this with our Kenyan partner site, Compassionate Hands for the Disabled Foundation.
Our Director of PT Programs, Director of OT Programs and Director of SLP Programs combined their powers to build TBB’s training template with initial curriculum for our director to bring to Kenya as a pilot. Our primary objective was to test the process and flow of this template to determine if this type of training delivery will be an effective model to use for future trainings with different audiences. The content of the training itself was a secondary objective and was built for the physiotherapist at CHDF.
Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, we combined PT, OT, and speech components into one functional therapeutic activity that involved working on sitting balance and crossing midline during play. Speech components included preparing the child, reading their signs, and offering choices. PT and OT components included body mechanics and safe transfers from a wheelchair to a bench, sitting balance, and reaching across midline. The training focused on safety, efficiency, and participation of both the child and the physiotherapist.
While the training was built for the physiotherapist, our director implemented the training with all levels of staff, including the caregivers, administrative staff, our volunteer coordinator, nurse, site director, and a teacher. Everybody took turns role playing as the child, the therapist, and as the trainer. Our template passed with flying colors with all levels of staff! The content itself was definitely too much for one sitting, and we learned a lot about what we can tweak for future trainings, utilizing this same style of delivery.
After the training, the physiotherapist compiled a list of children whom he thought this activity would be appropriate for, and then he practiced completing this with them. This was a very exciting step for him and he was thrilled to see the abilities of the children participating in this activity! Engagement and participation of both the children and the physiotherapist increased, and everyone was all smiles!
NEXT STEPS!
We are so excited that our training template pilot went well! The staff at CHDF was extremely appreciative and are as excited for the future as we are! We hope to return to Kenya in January to begin working toward securing an on-ground director and lead trainer for TBB. With a local Kenyan TBB team, we will be able to take our programs to the next level and achieve our biggest goal of sustainability. You can help us make that happen by donating here!
