Sustainable and Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Services for Persons with Severe Disabilities in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam Provinces (Hold My Hand)

The project is implemented by the Institute of Population, Health and Development (PHAD) in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The overall goal of the program is to improve societal inclusion of 2,000 persons with severe disabilities in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam provinces. The project has made significant progress in achieving its objectives. Baseline assessments were conducted in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam provinces, collecting information on the needs of 2,819 persons with severe disabilities in Binh Dinh and 940 in Quang Nam. Training support was provided to 50 health staff and other sector participants, including 18 males and 32 females, through launching workshops, baseline assessment training, and group discussions. Screening examinations were conducted for a total of 1,264 persons with severe disabilities in three districts in Binh Dinh province and Thang Binh district in Quang Nam province. The project has also developed a set of training materials for home-based care (HBC) for persons with severe disabilities. The training materials include eight main parts covering 35 main skills, which are divided into 42 lessons. The project team has trained 769 family caregivers and collaborators in Phu Cat, Tuy Phuoc, Tay Son, and Hoai Nhon districts in Binh Dinh province and Thang Binh district in Quang Nam province. The training approach has been changed to reduce class-based training and focus on more home-based and hands-on skill-based training for family caregivers. In addition, 391 caregivers and HBCCs have received refresh training 1, focusing on refreshing some HBC basic skills and GBV basic knowledge and GBV prevention skills. A total of 459 caregivers, HBCCs, and PWSDs received refresh training 2 in independent living skills in Binh Dinh and Quang Nam provinces. Regular monitoring visits were conducted by local monitoring teams and health collaborators for 630 PWSDs per month. Direct home-visit coaching of HBC skills was provided to 289 caregivers by HBC supervisors in Tuy Phuoc, Phu Cat, and Thang Binh districts since April 2021. The project has also referred 220 PWSDs for either assistive devices or rehabilitation services at hospitals from all project districts. To support PWSDs to enable them with better ADL functions and independent living skills, the project has conducted assessments of ADL devices and home environment for a total of 487 PWSDs in Phu Cat, Thang Binh, Tuy Phuoc, and Hoai Nhon districts. Of these, 93 persons with disabilities have received at least one ADL device. Furthermore, the project has trained 109 health staff from commune, district, and provincial levels in both Quang Nam and Binh Dinh in gender-based violence (GBV) in relation to health care. The project has also collected information on the needs of 2,819 persons with severe disabilities in Binh Dinh and 940 in Quang Nam, and has provided training support to 50 health staff and other sector participants. The project has made significant progress in achieving its objectives, including delivering home-based care for 600 persons with severe disabilities, strengthening 10 interdisciplinary rehabilitation service units at provincial and district hospitals in Binh Dinh province, and training 24 rehabilitation staff in rehabilitation units in district/provincial/regional hospitals and centers in Binh Dinh. The project has also improved home-based care skills for 200 caregivers and HBCCs for PWSDs in Quang Nam and Binh Dinh, and has provided improved rehabilitation services to at least 1,400 persons with disabilities in Binh Dinh province.