Rehabilitation for burn survivors in Taiwan

Rehabilitation will take time, it will be painful, but you are not alone because we will accompany you all the way...

Towards the end of July, survivors of the Formosa Fun Coast Water Park Explosion began to be discharged from hospital (1). As they return home, burn survivors and their families face a new set of challenges: dealing with wounds and scarring, as well as having to do physical rehabilitation.

Indeed, during the skin healing process, burn survivors will still have to deal with wounds, as scar tissue is fragile and is easily damaged or injured, resulting in skin breakdown, small wounds or blisters. Scar care is also crucial, as skin needs to be always kept clean and moisturized. Taking care of blisters on their child’s healing skin or helping their child shower can be a daunting task for parents unfamiliar with the whole process, so that is why Sunshine began holding wound care and scar care trainings for survivors and their family. During hands-on training sessions, staff of Sunshine explain the process of skin healing and scar formation, as well as how to protect fragile skin, how to deal with small wounds, how to care for scars and the importance of pressure therapy to control scar formation.

Furthermore, social workers and therapists of Sunshine began to visit survivors at hospitals to assess rehabilitation needs and plan individualized rehabilitation programs which include exercises, assistive devices and home environment modification. The goal is to ensure a better quality of life for burn survivors after their hospital discharge.

In addition, to address the rehabilitation needs of survivors of the Water Park Explosion, Sunshine has expanded its rehabilitation network. First of all, apart from the two current Rehabilitation Centers in Taipei City and Kaohsiung City, three new rehabilitation centers have been set up and are specially dedicated to serving the victims of the June 27 explosion: one in New Taipei City which opened on August 24, one in Taipei City scheduled to open on October 1, and one in Taichung City scheduled to open in November. Another Half-Way House offering short-term residential services for the victims of the June 27 explosion undergoing intensive rehabilitation has also opened in New Taipei City on August 24. These centers are staffed with teams of physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, counseling psychologists and care attendants dedicated to helping burn survivors regain the ability to return to their active, independent life.

Sunshine was able to quickly respond to the services needs of burn survivors and accompany them as they embark on the long road towards recovery because of your ongoing support. Thank you for making this possible!

And now, during GlobalGiving’s Bonus Day on September 16, you have the chance to maximize the value of your support because GlobalGiving will be matching gifts made to Sunshine Foundation at 30%. This means that your donation of $100 will receive a $30 match!

We invite you to support Sunshine Foundation’s efforts to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services to burn survivors in Taiwan by donating to our project Rehabilitation for burn survivors in Taiwan.

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/burn-survivor-rehabilitation/ 

Mark the Bonus Day date on your calendar!!! We encourage you to make your donation early, because matching funds will likely run out before the end of the day.

Taiwan time: from Wednesday, September 16 at 9:00 PM to Thursday, September 17 at 11:59 AM.
US time: from Wednesday, September 16 at 9:00 AM EST to Wednesday, September 16 at 11:59 PM EST

(1) As of September 4, 301 patients have been discharged and 186 patients remain hospitalized. Source: New Taipei City Government website (in Chinese).