Rehabilitation Exercise for Disabled People Now Possible at Home

Seongdong-gu Provides Customized Online Rehabilitation Exercise Service with 1:1 Physical Therapist for Disabled Families... Teaching Rehabilitation Methods, Practical Guidance, and Tailored Education and Coaching to Empower Caregivers... Plans to Expand Service Recipients and Add Psychological Rehabilitation Services

An image of receiving one-on-one customized physical therapy education online with a designated physical therapist

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) is providing a ‘Disability Online Rehabilitation Service’ that allows people with disabilities who need physical therapy, such as those with brain lesions, to receive one-on-one personalized rehabilitation exercise education at home.

Due to COVID-19, closures of multi-use facilities related to people with disabilities, such as welfare centers for the disabled, have become frequent, and various programs have been suspended, significantly reducing the welfare services available to people with disabilities.

In particular, for people with severe disabilities who have restrictions on outdoor activities, the difficulties faced by the individuals and their families are deepening as they are unable to receive any rehabilitation training.

In response, the district has prepared a program in collaboration with the Seongdong Disabled Family Support Center that allows users to receive customized one-on-one rehabilitation exercise education online from physical therapists via mobile devices such as smartphones or laptops at home.

For brain lesion disabled individuals who cannot receive rehabilitation exercise services due to COVID-19, the program provides personalized education on rehabilitation exercise methods to caregivers and care workers, and supports consistent practice at home through video-based guidance.

Additionally, a treatment program has been prepared for parents experiencing musculoskeletal pain due to raising children with disabilities, creating an educational program that the entire family of people with disabilities can participate in together.

Last month, the district recruited 13 families who wished to participate, and through the Seoul Physical Therapist Association, 12 physical therapists were recommended and matched with the participants.

In the first week of November, the matched physical therapists conducted preliminary assessments and counseling services regarding each participant’s characteristics and physical condition, and from the 9th, the full-scale four-week rehabilitation training program began.

Mr. Park (42) from Wangsimni Doseon-dong, who has a child with a brain lesion disability and started the service on the 9th, said, “I was very worried because my child could no longer receive the rehabilitation exercise services regularly provided at the welfare center due to COVID-19, but I feel truly relieved to receive customized rehabilitation exercise education suited to my child’s condition through the assigned teacher. Following each movement the teacher instructs is easy to learn, and now I can consistently help my child at home.”

This service will be conducted once a week for a total of four sessions until early December, scheduled at convenient times for each participant, and plans are in place to expand the service recipients and add rehabilitation services such as psychological rehabilitation according to the COVID-19 situation.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Although many activities have come to a halt due to COVID-19, social care for vulnerable groups must not stop. We will do our best to build a welfare system where no one is marginalized under any circumstances by providing customized care and welfare services suited to the COVID-19 era, including this service.”