Physiotherapy
Over the last two years Bukit Harapan is proud to have introduced a Physiotherapy program to aid the children and adults living here. A full time physiotherapist is now employed and several support staff are living and working on site enabling therapy to be carried out 6 days per week.
There are a wide range of physiotherapy needs amongst the residents who suffer from a variety of conditions including cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophy and brain injury. With the recent support provided by the University of Nottingham, UK, there is now the training and equipment in place to help not only the more able kids with co-ordination difficulties and musculoskeletal complaints, but also some of the more severely disabled residents with their more complex needs. There is now a sensory room on site to help with the development of neurologically impaired children and young adults. By using different modalities such as sound, texture and smells, the sensory room provides extra cognitive stimulation for those with sensory impairments. It can also help people with integration difficulties to better understand their environment and communicate with others whilst also providing a place of relaxation.
Nottingham University and its students have also raised funds to provide a trampoline for Bukit Harapan. With this new piece of equipment now in place they have been able to introduce rebound therapy to their treatment program. Rebound therapy™ promotes balance, helps increase or decrease tone, facilitates movement, aids relaxation and improves exercise tolerance. It plays an important part in the rehabilitation of a wide range of special needs and has been such a success that further training in the future is being planned.
The therapy program cares for over 20 residents, all with different conditions and needs. A dedicated physiotherapy room with simple equipment allows residents to carry out specific therapeutic exercises, stretching, massage and activities under the care of the physiotherapist and support workers. There is also a small gym with some basic exercise equipment to increase the resident’s fitness and strength.
Bukit Harapan relies solely on donations in order to provide the high standard of physiotherapy care that is essential to the well being and future of its residents. The recent new addition of a hoist donated by the University of Nottingham has been vital in helping staff care for the more severely disabled residents in a safe and comfortable way. Hopefully with further support in the future, more equipment and training will allow the residents to continue their rehab on a long term basis, reaching their full potential and improving their quality of life.
If you would like to contribute to the rehabilitation and well being of the residents at Bukit Harapan please refer to the ‘Support’ page for ways in which you can help.
Housekeeping
Some of the children are severely handicapped and need close attention most of the time. The children are given the necessary care and love (some on a one-to-one basis) according to their physical and emotional needs; bathing/washing, feeding and every day general care. Washing of clothes, room cleaning and sweeping, cooking, playing etcetera – the Home is constantly alive with the caregivers tending to the Children. This is not surprising at all in a home that houses 41 Special Persons (of which 30 of them are either orphaned, abandoned or have no proper home) with their caregivers.
Special Education Classes
Special education classes are provided for the children who are unable to attend local schools. The classes are adapted to meet the special needs of the individual students, many of whom have learning difficulties, mental health problems, or specific disabilities (physical or developmental).
Adaptations consist of changes in curriculum, supplementary aides or equipment, and the provision of specialized facilities that allow students to participate in the educational environment to the fullest extent possible. Students may need this help to access subject matter, to physically gain access to the school, or to meet their emotional needs.
Support is targeted to the needs of the individual student and can be short or long term. Each child is given an Individual Education Plan (IEP) according to his or her needs.
Training to Teachers/Homecare Assistants
In addition to providing a home and school for our Special Persons, we also provide the opportunity for youths from rural areas to receive professional training in the field of care and rehabilitation of the handicapped, both physical and mental. People from rural areas are seldom given a chance of ‘further education’ mainly because many of them have to leave school very early to help feed their families. Bukit Harapan has provided these youths with the opportunity of in-service training at its Home, giving them the knowledge and ‘professional’ skills useful and necessary in the care and rehabilitation of Special Persons.
In Camphill Institute, Scotland where Mama Anne received her training, the principle followed was : One is trained in every field of Care, Education and Therapy so that the Curative Educationist will be able to help any Special Child, be the person emotionally-handicapped or physically abused.
Outreach Work
Bukit Harapan has been involved in outreach work lending support to poverty-stricken families, mothers and children in rural areas from Kudat, Kota Marudu, and Pitas to Tamparuli and Ranau. Through the effort, Bukit Harapan works with other non-governmental and other groups to reach out to the poor, from providing food essentials to getting welfare aids.