Under the theme, “reaching out, empowering communities”, Rehabilitation Week is currently being observed. As such the work of the various rehabilitation entities across the country are being especially emphasised.
The Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre has been offering rehab care for 50 years.
This has translated to keen focus directed to places such as the Rehabilitation Department situated at the Palms Geriatric Home and the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitative Centre. The Rehabilitative Centre has for years been catering to the needs of persons in need of physical therapy. Among those that utilise the services of the Department are those who would have suffered a stroke, spinal cord injury, arthritis, among other injuries that limit their mobility.
The Rehabilitative Centre which is located at Carmichael Street, Georgetown, was first introduced some 50 years ago to help children who were inflicted with polio. Polio is a highly infectious disease that could be crippling and has the potential of even causing death.
However, today the Rehab Centre is known to cater to not only victims of polio but a wide cross section of the physically challenged population. Its service in this regard includes speech, physical and other therapies mainly for children, schooling and even day care and after care services. The entity is perhaps the only entity that offers prosthetic limbs and orthotic devices at a considerably subsidized cost to the physically challenged population.