Raising the Bar for Children & Young People

The lack of access to sustained and intensive physical therapy causes deterioration and fosters helplessness with children and young people ‘becoming more disabled each month’ and leads to avoidable conditions such as poor muscle tone, decreasing bone density and restricted muscle movement.

In turn these conditions can result in chronic pain, making movement difficult and the ultimate prospect of invasive surgery reducing the possibility of the child ever maintaining independent mobility and increasing the likelihood of requiring life-long care provision.

As expected, the inability to engage in everyday activities impacts detrimentally on emotional wellbeing of children and young people.

Offering a Lifeline

The Gaitway Organisation aims to mitigate these issues by offering conductive education schemes with physiotherapy to young people with neurodisability during school holiday periods.

Gaitway employs a range of health professionals including Conductive Educators from the Peto Institute in Hungary, Bobath therapists from France, local orthopaedic and physiotherapists and volunteers to provide a programme which helps young people achieve their goals through massage, exercise and music and rhythm to improve mobility.

A Bespoke Response

Because the conditions that many of these children have are unique, no one type of therapy is appropriate for all and families find themselves chasing different therapies, travelling around the world, for the best fit for their child – in all cases early intervention is critical.

Children and young people are encouraged to set goals individual to them, and through play-based intensive physiotherapy, are supported towards achieving these goals. This support can be life-changing for young people in both increasing their independence and expanding their horizons.