Lylie Happiness
Oshakati, Nov. 8 – Caring for a child with cerebral palsy can be overwhelming and complicated.
However, with special attention and time given to the patient, one can learn to read their body language.
Despite the patient’s inability to utter a word, the smile on their faces remains priceless, and one is quickly moved by their reaction and would want to render help.
Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects movement and muscle tone or posture and it’s caused by damage to the immature, developing brain, mostly before birth.
Hence, Eglien Uises, the founder of Hope Home-based Health Care, made it her mission to render assistance to those suffering from the disorder.
The project, which is located in Tsumeb, was established in 2015 after Uises resigned from her work to care for her ill mother who was dependent on people at the time.
To date, the project has cared for over 1 200 patients and has more than 170 patients registered with them.
The organisation currently employs 12 caregivers who look after the 170 patients living with cerebral palsy. The caregivers go door-to-door giving personal hygiene items, food and toiletries.
Uises said the aim of Home-based Health Care is to give physical, physiological and spiritual support and care to both patients and families.
“We have 16 children with cerebral palsy, with the youngest being two years and the oldest being 25 years,” she said.
She added that with the Coronavirus outbreak, their work was limited and affected most of their service. However, it also motivated them to help those who were in need of health care.
Uises said they provide patients with at least two meals a day and if it was possible they could have three meals a day for the patients as the medication they take is very strong.
Uises also plans to establish a health centre where they can treat patients at the same time once the funds become available.
She urged Namibians to help them provide better living conditions for their patients.
