My Volunteer Experience

By Kathrin Myla Jan D. Amonceda
August 23, 2007

The story of how KAAKBAY started and has been thriving despite all odds has inspired me. During the first month of my volunteering, I was exposed to both the Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) sections. The physical therapy patients I have assisted included Coycoy, Kuya Vequilla, Tatay Kiay, and Kuya Danny. I really enjoyed the community house visits in that I have known the different stories of these patients. Tatay Kiay is a stroke patient who has been bed-ridden for almost six years. PT sessions with him was quite challenging however, the dedication of the KAAKBAY staff has gone a long way in preventing the further deterioration of his condition. Kuya Danny is also a stroke patient whose vivacity can easily rub off on other people. This positive attitude has helped a lot in his rehabilitation. He was totally hemiplegic when he suffered from stroke but it is surprising now that he can walk and do his activities with minimal assistance only. I gained a lot from my experience in the PT section. I learned how to approach patients who need PT, I was inspired by the dedication of the volunteer PTs not only in doing the sessions but more importantly in educating the patient and constantly reminding them of the importance of regularly doing the exercises. However, with learning comes challenges. The difficulty that I have encountered while doing the PTs was the fact that I didn't know what to do next, that I needed to be prodded on the next exercise and how to do it. I also realized that this field needs a great deal of patience as you wouldn't usually see the results of your efforts, the rewards would be the gratitude of the patient and/or the family.

For the second month of the program, we were assigned to do OT sessions for the whole day. I was tasked to assist Miko on Mondays and Wednesdays and Eloise on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We did massage and brushing stimulation, assisted in the expressive activity wherein the kids had to sing or hum or just plainly listen if they were not able enough to produce sound as well as made actions while singing, assisted in teaching them how to eat properly, taught and assisted in pre-academic activities such as scissoring, coloring, identifying colors, counting, etc., enjoyed with them during their play activities, and assisted them in their speech therapy sessions. It goes without saying that the OT section needed a greater deal of patience than the PT section. It can be emotionally and mentally stressful knowing that the patients are very vulnerable and needed extra care in dealing with them. Their response ranges from total disinterest to hyperactivity and knowing how to react in these varied situations requires adept workers. It was difficult for my part knowing that I wasn't patient enough and that I felt inadequate in handling this kind of situations. It can be emotionally exhausting but in the long run, I felt I have gained a lot from this experience. This KAAKBAY experience has been made more enjoyable by the very supportive and dedicated staff. I feel that they have seen me through this learning process and for that I am very grateful.

By Francesca Ardizzone
August 23, 2007

In the three months that I have worked here I have learnt a in the general area of disabilities. I have learnt about physical therapy not just how to perform certain exercises but also why they are performed, take into consideration that I have never worked with any rehabilitation techniques. When treating stroke patients with physical therapy, I was exposed to the real life importance to healthy living and the need for health awareness within communites. I was once in the middle of assisting with pt and i had the largest culture shock ive hads in this project, I was aware of the feeling of the family towards the patient as he had become bitter his wife had died or left him (I cant remember) and his children were having a hard time looking after him. It was hard for us to perform any of the exercises! He was obviously in pain, and his attitude was not a hopeful one. Their financial status was minimal. They couldn't afford 1 peso a day for blood pressure tablets then it hit me the seriousness of the situation and I held back the tears then I banged my head and well I couldn't stop crying. It was the popping of the bubble around me and I thank Kaakbay for that. I have also learnt and witnessed some of the treatments available to disabled people, for example; infa red treatment for Bell's palsy. In the occupational therapy section of the center I have learnt how difficult it is to complete daily exercises if you are disabled and how steady progress is made to be able live independently in the community. Teaching children with disabilities is exactly the same as any other child just a little slower. I've had some really good experiences when working with the children, playing, smiling and most important seeing a direct improvement in their skills.

Thank you Kaakbay!