In-home help for differently-abled in Palestine

­IN-HOME HELP FOR DIFFERENTLY-ABLED IN PALESTINE
 
All families want the best for their loved ones, to nurture their growth and development. Families with someone who has special needs want the same for their loved one, but face additional challenges, including great stress, social isolation, and financial strain. Families often become overwhelmed, finding it difficult to locate resources the service system for their loved one, and social and emotional support for themselves. Our In-Home help program enables families to access a broad array of supports and services, such as available community resources and connections to other families with the same challenges.

Specifically, our program helps to:
 
· Increase the strength and resilience of families.
· Support parents as they help their loved ones with special needs achieve their full potential.
· Assist families in making essential connections to other families and resources in the community.
· Provide individualized, family-driven support that respects family culture, values, and preferences.
· Deliver information about disabilities and resources to others who have or have had similar experiences.
· Use workshops and support groups to provide training and useful strategies.
· Create social activities - fun and recreation for the whole family—enabling the often isolated family member with special needs to participate in enjoyable and enriching activities with others.

Two of our current participants are:
 
Ali
Ali from Abu Dies, is 45 and suffers from severe multiple sclerosis.  He depends on his wife to meet all his needs in activities of daily living.  His four children help as they can, but the burden is primarily hers.  In addition, a year ago, after the death of his eldest son he became extremely anxious and irritable.  Poverty compounds their situation.
 
Our In-Home Help program provided psychological support, integrated Ali into some of the Homes’ activities, introduced his wife to other families caring for an impaired loved one at home.  The Homes gave Ali a new wheelchair, thereby widening his world as his children can now push him around their neighborhood.
 
Nada
Oxygen-deprived at birth, seven-year old Nada suffers from brain damage as a result of lack of oxygen at birth. A happy child, aware of her environment, she can talk, but not walk, and must depend on her mother for all her daily living activities.
Members of our In-Home help program introduced Nada’s mother to another mother whose child has similar challenges.  They provided an a caring audience whenever her mother wanted to vent her concerns, anxieties and frustrations.  Nada began to participate in some of the activities at the Homes.  In addition, the Homes gave her a special walker to help her learn to walk.