Peer Counselling

Fundamental goal of this project is to provide help for people on their first rehabilitation after the injury to make the process of re-socialisation as easier as possible. Injuries that happen in one second and cause high level of physical disruptions from body sensitivity, incontinency, spasm and impossibility of recovery imply also total disruption of all social aspects of living. It means a disorder in usual family functioning and complete change in one’s relation to surroundings in which he used to be an active member (school, work, social and cultural happenings, etc.).

Activities are taking place in the Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation – Varaždinske Toplice where common patients are the ones with spinal cord injury. Our work there involves psychological workshops (getting out of crisis, importance of accomplishing the skill of communications and understanding), group and individual talks (orthopaedic aids, incontinency, sexual life, skills of self-care and independent living, different legislative questions, architectonic barriers, etc.).

As there is no cognizable rehabilitation model in Croatia nor the patients who have sustained spinal cord injury are followed in any way by experts, HUPT the problem of functional rehabilitation of these patients to be its moral responsibility. Without learning the skills to overcome a great number of physical disorders, people who are suffering consequences of spinal cord injuries have a minimal chance for active way of everyday living. Rehabilitation process does not pay attention on that fact as much as it should so HUPT has decided to work on giving maximal support to these persons during the rehabilitation period. Help and support primary consist of teaching the ways of self-care and managing physical disorders so that person, after leaving the rehabilitation centre, could join a normal processes of life as soon as possible.

In accordance with hospital, consultants work with persons with disability, in groups or individually, teaching them to skills of independent living such as a self-care, organisation of assistance, adaptation of new patients on disability, house work etc. Peer consultant is also engaged to patronise interest of person with disability in front of legislator and to participate in events that are organised in the community.

Open communication with persons with spinal cord injury who have long-time experience in living with disability, their experience in dealing with a number of problems that follow disability, their wish to share some of the most intimate experiences and to give advices are having incalculable importance for better self – awareness of persons with spinal cord injury.