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NIMHANS offers psychiatric and neurological rehabilitation under one roof
Vijaya K - Bangalore
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), the multi-disciplinary
institute devoted to mental health and neurosciences has been a ray of hope
for psychiatric and neurological patients for the past several years. It is
an Institute of renaissance for such unfortunate people. In one of its successful
efforts to provide comprehensive care and rehabilitation for psychiatric and
neuro patients, NIMHANS created a separate department in 1985, with an aim to
bring together, under one roof, all services required for the rehabilitation
of patients suffering from psychiatric and neurological disabilities.
Today the department has the credit of running one of the largest day care centre
and vocational training facility for psychiatric patients in the world with
about 16 different vocational sections.
The centre, aimed at teaching independent living and helping patients lead a
normal life, felt the need for rehabilitation activities when post- independence
people started thinking that patients can be treated by medicines, explains
Dr T Murali, additional professor and head of the department of psychiatric
and neurological rehabilitation.
The centre provides acute care to neuro patients who come from the hospital’s
parent ward by providing physiotherapy and occupational therapy. At present
with about 70-80 patients, the department takes care of not only psychiatry
patients but also of patients basically with mental developmental delay. By
developing and testing various innovative models of rehabilitation, the day
care centre has been able to bring back normal life to 50 per cent of patients
who were suffering from serious mental disorder.
The activities of this department include clinical services, training and research
in neurological and psychiatric rehabilitation. With outpatient, inpatient and
day care services, there are about 22 beds for inpatient neurological rehabilitation.
The day care centre houses multi disciplinary vocational production in various
sections viz., printing, phenyl and soap making, carpentry, food, weaving, dresses,
leather bag making, living skills training, tailoring, computer training, among
others. It is the only centre in the whole country to make neumatic splints
for neurology patients.
The Department also has a specialised neuro development unit for children. It
has an advanced orthotic and prosthetic section in the department for neuro
and stroke patients. The only centre in South India with gait supported training
facility where a patient can put on a harness and try walking, the department
conducts regular class for relatives of patients on overall hygiene of the ward.
Dr Murali, the steering force behind the centre’s mission, says the centre
develops good work habit among the patients and assists them in job placements.
Social workers in the Centre offer placements to patients who are completely
treated. Every patient during their vocational training is paid an incentive
upto Rs 200. On an average, annually about 25 patients get placements from the
Department.
Every psychiatry patient in the Centre is trained to live in a social set up,
taught money management, dressing, communication skills, and regularly assessed
by psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses and occupational therapists.
Training is also imparted to professionals, workers of Non Governmental Organisations
(NGOs) and community-based rehabilitation workers, on the principles of rehabilitation.
With a psychiatrist and a neurologist, the centre comprises about 90 staff including
36 instructors. The Centre also plans to have a good disabled- friendly facility
for rehabilitation and upgrade the neuro rehabilitation facility with advanced
research and even provide technical support to various hospitals in setting
up such centres. A separate facility for dementia and geriatrics is also on
the anvil.
NIMHANS is propagating the concept of such day care centres in several localities
in Bangalore and has so far successfully initiated ten such centres in different
states. “In an effort to ensure good rehabilitation and care for psychiatry
patients, we have provided short time training courses and technical knowhow
for developing psychiatry rehabilitation for NGOs in different locations in
India. There has been a spurt in the number of organisations for mental illness.
But there is no good amount of funding coming in,” Dr Murali laments.
To ensure complete care and comfort, the centre is developing low cost aids
and appliances for disabled and educational material for caregivers and patients
with neurological and psychiatric disabilities. u
vijaya_k2002@rediffmail.com
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