53 years of serving the cerebral palsy community

AFTER 53 years of enhancing the quality of life of people who are living with cerebral palsy, The KwaZulu-Natal Cerebral Palsy (KZNCP) is grateful for the support they have received from the public in the form of donations. The KZNCPA is a sponsoring body of Children with a Challenge (CWAC), which is a daycare centre.

Explaining more about the condition, Beverleigh Brophy, the caretaker CEO of the centre, said, “Cerebral palsy is a condition of an impairment of the brain, either due to a lack of oxygen during early development as a fetus or during birth, or seizures or a traumatic event below the age of two. The condition has several types, depending on the location of the brain injury.

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This condition impacts several areas of function, including physical movements and mental/cognitive understanding. Depending on the severity of the condition, it can cause problems with posture, manner of walking, muscle tone and coordination of movement. Physical symptoms and motor skills may improve or worsen over time, depending on how the condition is managed, however, the condition itself will remain the same, as it is incurable.

Brophy said their centre takes care of the affected patients during the day. “We have disabled children and adults who spend the day with us for stimulation purposes. During the day, all members are engaged in different daily activities, which include daily orientation, feeding, toileting and themed activities. Each activity is catered for that person and their level of functioning. We have careworkers who facilitate the programmes. Furthermore, we have birthdays and special-day celebrations.”
She highlighted the importance of the programmes they offer for cerebral palsy patients.

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“The nature of this condition does not allow the individuals to be in school. Lots of individuals attend our centre to prevent deterioration of their condition and to ensure that they get to experience the best life they can possibly have. An alternative situation would be them staying home and following the same routine every day, and living a very sedentary lifestyle – this could be detrimental to their condition,” said Brophy.
She said the centre also works towards breaking stigmas and bringing attention towards people with disabilities. This is important as many of their members face barriers in society, and this prevents them from completely integrating into society.

In order to keep their doors open, the centre is in need of more donations. “We request that the community continue supporting us. Your input is valuable to us, and we welcome any ideas or suggestions you may have that would enable us to improve our organisation or the services we render,” said Brophy.
The public is welcome to donate to the KZN Cerebral Palsy Association, FNB Cheque Account number: 5081 1330 451. The public is also invited to join the organisation’s market day on October 29.