Source: Patriarchia.ru
Yoshkar-Ola, May 26, 2016
On May 23, 2016, a charitable rehabilitation center for handicapped children was opened at the Orthodox spiritual and educational center in the city of Yoshkar-Ola.
Each rehabilitation cycle at the center will last for 20 working days, including rehabilitation for children with Cerebral Palsy, Down’s Syndrome and Autism. The center will be able to take up to 10 children simultaneously. Not only medics, but also hospital nurses (sisters of charity) of the Yoshkar-Ola Sisterhood of the Holy New Martyr Grand Duchess Elisabeth will work with them.
“The first group of patients will arrive already tomorrow. Five children will have rehabilitation in the morning and another five in the afternoon. These are mainly children with Cerebral Palsy,” said the center’s director Fr. Constantine Domrachev, a cleric of the church of St. Seraphim of Sarov.
“Our diocese’s social department has communicated with around 50 families who have handicapped people for two years. We invite them to our holidays and prepare presents for them. As soon as we gave out information on the opening of our center around 100 people decided to seek our help – they will receive rehabilitation this year. There is already a whole waiting list for 2017,” he added.
The complex of the rehabilitation mini-center comprises a playroom with services for speech therapy, a physical therapy gym, a sensory room, a massage room, and a refreshment bar along with a recreation area, reports the Yoshkar-Ola Diocese’s press service. A pediatric neurologist, a physical therapy instructor, a masseur, a speech therapist, and a psychologist will all work with the children. According to Fr. Constantine, the work of the neurologist will be supervised by specialists of the Republican Children’s Clinical Hospital of the Republic of Mari El.
Benefactors from Yoshkar-Ola and the Republic of Mari El have sponsored the provision of necessary facilities for the center, while the grant awarded at the Orthodox Initiative 2016 grants competition helped finalize the works.
