REHAB NEWS

With the current economic pressures being experienced in the country stress in the workplace has become the order of the day. We talk of salaries that are not able to sustain and meet your needs, school fees for the children each term, uniforms etc. To add on to the above there is constant reminders by the employee on how the company is struggling and considering laying off some of its employees. Some companies have already closed their doors leaving many unemployed. These among other factors are the contributing factors to increased stress cases in the work place.

This therefore means that there is a decrease in production as most employees are working under external pressures. A stressed employee may have fatigue, feeling breathlessness, feel like fainting, sweaty, trembling, may miss heartbeats, can have palpitations, headaches, depression, they can feel impatient and can have appetite changes, nail biting, increased consumption of alcohol and drugs and hypochondria, deterioration of personal hygiene and feel restless.

In addition to these there are stress related illnesses which include Heart diseases, Obesity, Diabetes, Headaches and migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, Blood pressure, Localized, inflammation, accelerated aging, indigestion among other illnesses.

However, these stressors and illnesses can be reduced by applying the following tips. Firstly figure out the main cause of the stress and work towards it, take leave days if need be to solve the problem or to relax. Do budgets which suite your income and avoid debts. Manage your time and learn to balance between work and family. Lastly eat a balanced diet that encourages healthy living.

In conclusion, modern life is full of hassles, deadlines frustrations and demands. But when you’re constantly running in emergence mode, your mind and body pay the price. You can protect yourself by recognizing the signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects.
Article by :  C. Mutowebunyu & R. Mutesv

We say farewell to Mrs Gonhi one of our staff members who recently retired from work after having served the Centre for 34 years.

Mrs Gonhi joined St Giles in May 1982 as a Nurse Aide. She worked in various departments which include children’s hostel & nursery, transport section as well as the Adult Physiotherapy Department.

She was dedicated to her work and served the Centre diligently hence the number of years served. Mrs Gonhi was able to balance both her work and family. She is a mother of five children. We would like to wish her well in her endeavours as she retires from St Giles.

The pregnant mother is always worrisome of the possibility of bearing a child with mental or physical functional limitations. Not to take it away from the supportive father who will have to face the challenges together with the mother. Autism is one such disorder that can give rise to a huge challenge psychologically, socially, financially and even physically on the parent. Autism is a spectrum of closely related disorders that share core of symptoms. A "spectrum" is a broad range of signs and symptoms of Autism (From high function to dysfunction). It is a neuro-developmental condition, meaning that it is a disorder of the brain, targeting the areas of the brain that control communication, behaviour, sensation and social interaction. It might also affect areas of the brain that control movement.

The common symptoms shared in this spectrum of disorders are deficits in communication, behavioural problems (repetitive, compulsive and stereotyped) & problems with social interaction.

Deficits in communication can be that the child might not have speech at all. In some cases the child might have speech but will choose not to speak. Some children have speech, and choose to speak, but when they speak they repeat exactly what is said to them, this is called Echoing/ parroting. These children have difficulty maintaining or starting a conversation (one word vocabulary). They can create their own words which cannot be found in any dictionary of any language, or they mix up words using an inappropriate and wrong word in a sentence (this is called word salad). These children may have extremely good memory especially with numbers and languages (high function).

Behavioural problems differ from child to child along the spectrum, that is, from high functioning children to low functioning children. The behaviours are repetitive, compulsive and stereotyped. The child has specific unusual routines & order called rituals, and he/she never reacts well to change e.g. plays at the same spot and with same part of toy/ any equipment. The behaviors can be attributed to the child experiencing sensory problems. The five senses that humans have can be experienced as too high or too low (Highly sensitive or not sensitive), for example the sense of hearing can be too loud or too low. Therefore the child will perform repetitive behaviours to either seek the senses that they are not experiencing, or to inhibit the senses that are being experienced as too high. The behaviours can be banging head on wall, continuous scratching, clapping, screaming, spitting, and/or jumping. The child may have a poor attention span & is always agitated (hyperactive), this will cause difficulties with school work. They also have difficulties with self-care Activities of Daily Living, such as, dressing (tying shoelaces, buttoning), bathing, grooming (brushing teeth, combing hair, applying lotion), and proper use of toilet.

Problems with social interaction are largely portrayed with being quiet and isolated. They are not interested in other people’s affairs. The child will have difficulty making friends. He/ she cannot keep eye contact and does not respond to social cues e.g. smiling back, waving back, and personal space. They do not show empathy or sympathy.

Autism being a neurodevelopmental condition, that is, problems with brain development, it therefore implies that anything that interferes with brain development can cause autism. Any interruption with brain development can lead to the child being autistic, either before birth, during birth, or after birth (up to 3-5years). The possible interruptions with brain development can be attributed to genetics (problems with chromosomal union), infection of the mother during pregnancy (viral, bacterial, fungal diseases), Malnutrition especially folic acid deficiency (leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, rice, beans, cereals), nutritional diseases and infection of infant (jaundice, epilepsy), trauma to mother or infant, and/or Substance abuse.

Treatment of Autism is therapy based. There are medications (drugs) for high energy levels, & associated conditions. Therapies that are implemented in the management include Speech therapy to manage communication deficits. Psychological services assist in managing cognitive & behavioural problems. Special needs education to assist these children to learn and attain academic qualifications. Occupational therapy helps in the management of sensory problems through sensory integration. Occupational therapists also assist with social skills training to help the child to function in society. Activities of Daily Living training is also done in Occupational therapy. The parent’s participation in all therapies is very essential as they are the ones who spend most of the time with the child.

A child with autism is also a child like any other child, and therefore deserves to be loved equally as any child. Parents, siblings and the community should come together to assist these children. More needs to be done to raise awareness about this condition.
Article written by :   Tatenda Maphosa