Occupational therapy helps Garissa patients regain independence
Occupational therapy is helping patients at Garissa County Teaching and Referral Hospital regain independence and return to everyday activities despite physical, sensory, cognitive or emotional challenges.
The facility supports patients to perform routine tasks such as feeding, dressing, communication, mobility, learning, and participation in school, work and family life.
Occupational Therapist Stephen Omondi Saya said the department caters for people of all ages and focuses on helping patients overcome functional limitations.
“We support people to overcome limitations in what they can do each day and help them regain independence in their daily activities,” Saya said.
The hospital offers occupational therapy services across paediatric, medical, neurological, psychiatric, rehabilitation and geriatric care, serving both inpatients and outpatients.
He said Garissa Referral Hospital provides developmental milestone training for patients living with conditions including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, spina bifida, autism, rickets and other genetic disorders.
The department also uses therapeutic play, speech facilitation and sensory integration to support children’s development, communication and functional abilities.
Saya said the service extends to patients with medical, physical and neurological conditions, with therapists focusing on activities of daily living and functional recovery.
“Hand rehabilitation includes splinting. Burn patients receive post-burn scar management,” he said.
The facility also supports patients with psychiatric conditions through cognitive and functional training aimed at improving their ability to perform daily tasks independently.
“In the Neonatal Baby Unit, therapists screen and stimulate reflexes, including the sucking reflex, for newborns who need support. In the High Dependency Unit and Intensive Care Unit, they train activities of daily living and take steps to prevent bedsores,” Saya added.
Therapist Elidah Kosgei said the hospital conducts caregiver training to enable families to continue supporting patients during treatment and after discharge.
“Caregiver training is provided so families can support patients during treatment and after discharge,” Kosgei said.
She said therapists screen children for developmental milestones and refer those requiring further assessment.
The hospital also conducts community-based rehabilitation, extending services beyond the hospital wards to patients and families within the community.
Kosgei said therapists further conduct disability assessments to document functional limitations and determine the support patients may require.
The overall goal, she said, is to help patients achieve the highest level of independence possible despite illness, injury, disability or other challenges affecting their ability to function.
For older persons, occupational therapy forms part of geriatric care, focusing on the effects of ageing and helping individuals remain active and independent for as long as possible.
The service is among the specialised care available at Garissa County Teaching and Referral Hospital, which is scheduled for elevation to a Level 6 national referral institution.
“The availability of rehabilitation services closer to home has helped reduce the need for long and costly journeys for functional assessment, therapy and recovery for families in Garissa and in the neighbouring counties.”
Occupational therapy services at the facility have helped patients regain the skills and confidence needed to live, learn, work and participate in everyday life.
Occupational Therapist Stephen Omondi Saya explains how occupational therapy is helping patients at Garissa County Teaching and Referral Hospital regain independence and improve their ability to perform everyday activities.
Therapist Elidah Kosgei speaks about caregiver training, developmental screening and community-based rehabilitation services offered to patients at Garissa County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
