Posts by Gina Schergen, MS-OTR/L

Being a parent or caregiver to an individual with motor impairments can be a challenging journey, requiring immense dedication, love, and support. This parenting and caregiving journey can become overwhelming, often accompanied by emotional and physical strain. The Center strives to alleviate these hardships by both empowering and supporting both individuals with disabilities AND their caregivers.

The demands of caregiving, medical appointments, therapy sessions, and the uncertainties of a child’s future can significantly impact parents’ physical, emotional, and financial well-being, relationships, and overall quality of life. Recognizing and addressing this burden is crucial for creating a supportive environment for both the individual with a disability and their family.

The Intensive Motor Therapy approach used at the Center, is a comprehensive and transdisciplinary treatment approach that focuses on enhancing motor skills and maximizing functional independence. Unlike traditional outpatient therapy, which typically involves shorter and less frequent sessions, our intensive therapy programming offers high frequency and high intensity therapy optimizing the participant’s motor development. Our research based intensive therapy programming is grounded in multi-sensory peer driven learning and principles of Neuroplasticity to make neurological and functional changes for individuals with physical disabilities.

Benefits of the Center’s Intensive Motor Therapy for Parents!

1. Expert Guidance and Support: Our therapeutic programs are led by skilled physical and occupational therapists and conductive education teachers who provide specialized care and guidance. Parents/Caregivers can benefit from the expertise and knowledge of these professionals, gaining a deeper understanding of their child’s condition and receiving personalized recommendations to support their child’s progress.
2. Empowerment and Skill Acquisition: Through our intensive therapy programs, parents/caregivers are actively involved in their child’s therapy and developing their care plan. Parents and participants are involved in setting their goals and developing their therapy plans of care. The skills learned in therapy can then be incorporated into daily routines to maximize independence.
3. Emotional Support and Networking: Participating in Center’s intensive therapy programs provides parents and participants with opportunities to connect with others facing similar challenges. Sharing experiences, challenges, and triumphs can offer emotional support, encouragement, and a sense of community, reducing feelings of isolation that may stem from caring for a person or growing up as a person with special needs.
4. Holistic Development: Our intensive therapy programs focus on the overall development of the child, not just their motor skills. As parents witness progress in their child’s physical abilities, they often observe improvements in other areas, such as cognition, communication, and social interactions. This holistic development can alleviate parental concerns about their child’s future and enhance their overall well-being.
5. Time Management and Convenience: While our programming does require a more intensive commitment during the therapy period, it can be more time-efficient for parents in the long run. By receiving care from our transdisciplinary staff, participants receive physical and occupational therapy in the same session, decreasing the burden of scheduling separate sessions with multiple practitioners. This decreases mental load of scheduling, transportation, and communication with various practitioners! Caregivers and parents can dedicate more time for work, personal activities, or spending quality time with their families.

CONCLUSION
The Center’s intensive motor therapy programs offer a range of benefits for individuals with motor impairments and their parents/caregivers. By actively involving caregivers in the individual’s therapy journey, the Center helps alleviate parental stressors by providing expert guidance, emotional support, skill acquisition, and fostering a sense of empowerment. As the individual progresses in their motor skills, caregivers witness growth in multiple domains, enhancing overall well-being and optimism for the future. The Center strives to support individuals with physical disabilities in addition to their families to maximize independence throughout the lifespan!