Rehabilitation for burn survivors in Taiwan

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic brought many difficulties and hardships in 2021, especially between May and August when the level 3 epidemic alert was extended across Taiwan. Under level 3 rules, many businesses had to close and Sunshine Foundation was also affected. In response to the severe epidemic situation and to comply with government instructions to avoid unnecessary movement, Sunshine suspended in-center services and home visits in all its regional centers and rehabilitation centers. All in-person social education and prevention activities were also suspended. Sunshine also put in place a work-from-home policy for its staff.

However, despite in-person restrictions, our therapists continued to provide rehabilitation consultations by telephone and video conference to ensure proper regular follow-up of our clients’ rehabilitation progress. Our social workers also used video conference to assess needs of our clients during lockdown and also provide psychological support. As our rehabilitation services moved online, so did our social education and prevention activities, with our social educators carrying out online activities for school children learning from home. By September 2021, as the Covid-19 situation stabilized and was brought under control, our services progressively returned to normal, with epidemic control measures put in place to ensure the safety of our staff and clients.

Although 2021 was a challenging year, it also allowed us to grow and learn by experimenting with new service techniques, and by better integrating online virtual services as a complement to in-person services. Your support allowed us to pull through, overcome challenges and adapt to changes so that the rehabilitation of our burn survivors could continue and any disruptions were kept to a minimum. We are extremely grateful and hope that we can count on you in 2022 to continue supporting the Rehabilitation of Burn Survivors in Taiwan!