It was a wonderful experience to be part of the team that organised #WorldCerebralPalsyDay event to bring parents, children, caregivers, NGOs, Doctors, Therapists, Counsellors together for a day and have fun and enrich themselves.
The event was organised by Lifecare #Physiotherapy Centre, #Palakkad, Kerala along with #Sevabharathi, #Kerala at Thrupthi Hall in the centre of town.
The choice of centre was superb as it was right in centre of town allowing easy transit for children coming in from rural areas and those with limited mobility.
We assembled at the centre around 10 am and crowd had already trickled in at that time. In another hour about 40 children, parents, caregivers and health care professionals had assembled. The inauguration was a minimal affair with Dr. Sreeram Shankar starting the welcome address with respects paid to the almighty and the parents who had taken time to get here. This was followed by a medical camp by me, a painting competition and a singing competition for the children. There was a talk after that by Dr. Deepa, Psychaitrist, District Hospital, Palakkad which was followed by my parental awareness on treating #CerebralPalsy children.
Cerebral Palsy Event inaugural address by Mr. Kalyanaraman, Palakkad, Sevabharathi
It was a red-alert day in many places for #Kerala because of fear of inclement weather. However, rain stayed away largely apart from slight drizzle. That was a relief.
About 40 children took part in the celebrations, competitions, talks and counselling sessions. It was well appreciated by all, many who are experiencing this for the first time.
Positive vibes which would rub off into the child’s care was the key. Parents took strength from one another and participated in the awareness session. Many misconceptions about Cerebral Palsy, Seizure Disorder, Autism, Global Developmental Delay were cleared.
We are planning sessions throughout this month and hopefully improve the quality and participation of these events in the next iteration.
