HOLD MY HAND PROJECT UPDATED IMPLEMENTATION REPORT ON HOME-BASED CARE FOR PERSONS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES

As of May 2021, the project has supported in providing care to 630 PWDs, with 47 persons removed from the follow-up project tracking list due to passing away or moving out of the targeted communes. The project trained 73 caregivers, 37 collaborators, 59 care monitors, and 154 persons with disabilities in independent living. The training covers key topics, including an overview of disabilities and persons with disabilities, concept of independent living, history of the independent living movement, conditions for independent living, and practice and plan for independent living. The training participants include 154 persons with disabilities, 73 caregivers, 37 collaborators, and 59 care monitors. The project team focuses on tracking the progress of 332 PWDs in Tuy Phuoc and Phu Cat after their family caregivers and HBCC received the refresh HBC training 2. The analysis of care skill performance, engagement of male members in care support, and comparison of care performance and progress made by PWDs before and after the refresh training 2 are key aspects of the report. The training on independent living skills has supported family caregivers and PWDs themselves, having more motivation to improve their independence. The assessment of care performance and ADL function of PWDs for progress monitoring and analysis after refresh training shows that more than 28% of PWDs have improved their ADL and more than 21% of the mobility function. The three skills shown with good performance belong to a group of skills for self-care of PWDs, including instruction persons with disabilities for self-bathing, instruction persons with disabilities for self-teeth cleaning, and support persons with disabilities for self-feeding. The comparison of ADL performance of PWDs pre and after refresh training 2 by districts shows that totally self-performance of care skill increased (from 11.7% to 12.5%) while percentage of persons who depend on others reduced (16.7% to 15%). Although the increase is not significantly high, it shows a great encouragement to family caregivers and project team since PWDs in the targeted group are those who have been living with their severe disabilities for long and at old age. The project has achieved significant progress in providing care to PWDs, with 78% of family caregivers following the care plan and 22% following partially. The training on independent living skills has supported family caregivers and PWDs themselves, having more motivation to improve their independence. The project team will continue to monitor and evaluate the progress of PWDs and provide necessary support to ensure their independence and well-being.