50 children with disabilities a month who attend daily programs at Dzherelo Children's Rehabilitation Centre, in Lviv, Ukraine, need hydrotherapy in the therapy pool. Children with Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, and Autism will attend hydrotherapy services with a physical therapist. Hydrotherapy is the use of warm, deep water in a soothing environment for the therapeutic effect of reducing pain of physical impairment, strengthen weak muscle groups, and maintaining range of movement.
Children with severe disabilities require specialized therapies, including hydrotherapy, to improve health and well-being. Hydrotherapy can assist with muscle mobility, reduce pain and muscle spasms, strengthen weak muscle groups while improving coordination and balance. Children benefit from warm water's buoyancy in which pain relieving exercises can strengthen their body and spirit. Dzherelo Centre plans to provide hydrotherapy as one part of a child's therapeutic plan.
In Ukraine, there are close to 7 million children identified with disabilities, yet in the Lviv region, there are 460,000. Dzherelo Centre serves 170 children daily and is the only centre of its kind in Ukraine. 5 days a week Dzherelo's pool will hold individual and group hydrotherapy sessions for children with special needs. Sessions will be planned by a team of professionals: physical therapists, doctors, neurologists, and medical staff. Each child will have an individual plan of activity.
The hydrotherapy project will provide therapy services for 50 children a month to provide pain relieving exercises, which can assist with physical therapy plans and overall health. Hydrotherapy can provide children with a fun alternative to standard practices as they are diverted from discomfort while in a playful, learning therapy pool. The long-term benefits will distract children from the mental stress caused by physical therapy and improve overall sense of self.
