Give burn survivors access to rehabilitation

Sunshine had the immense pleasure of welcoming Socorro and Humberto, two physical therapists working with Asociación Pro-Niños Quemados de Nicaragua, for a study visit held between September 25 and September 29, 2018. During their stay, Socorro and Humberto were able to learn and exchange with Sunshine’s multi-disciplinary staff.

Socorro has been working in burns for over 20 years, while Humberto joined this field only three years ago. Despite the difference in seniority, both are extremely passionate about their work and deeply committed to bringing the best level of rehabilitation care to their patients in Nicaragua.

Apart from specific clinical training sessions on pressure garment fabrication, burn rehabilitation and splint making, Socorro and Humberto met with therapists, social workers and the staff of Sunshine Half-Way House to observe work organization, work methods and cooperation between the multi-disciplinary members.

Both physical therapists remarked that they learned a lot about how to be more objective-oriented when planning interventions for their patients and how they can better optimize time and space in their own setting to do more with less. They also gained inspiration from visiting the Sunshine Half-Way House and talking about school reintegration with social workers. After returning to Nicaragua, they will share what they have learned with their team members and they already started of thinking of what they can change or try to further improve their rehabilitation practice.

Your support is crucial for creating these opportunities for international exchange. Thanks to you, each visit, each interaction between therapists is an opportunity to sow the seeds of change and spur mutual learning to improve burn rehabilitation worldwide.