In Gomel, a Home With Heart

There are many things to consider when it comes to the quality of life and psychological needs of people living with disabilities, but one need rarely remembered is their sexuality. A Czech organization called Freya trains people to be sexual assistants who work with people with a range of abilities to learn how to become more comfortable with their own bodies and sexuality and physical tactics to help them do so. The service offers them a chance to experience basic human pleasures, and many testify to how much it has shaped their self-esteem and psychological health.

The Network for Inclusion of People with Special Needs (NIPSN) provides empowerment-based counseling, needs-specific rehabilitation, assistive equipment, and vocational training to people with disabilities. Residents live in a dormitory for up to 18 months while they receive services, including training to use assistive technologies. NIPSN also provides vocational training, like making vases, beads, and soap, which can provide a sustainable livelihood. NIPSN helps children finish school and provides free raw materials, equipment, and a small stipend to help residents start producing goods independently.

Using role-playing techniques, a new program places future health workers in the shoes of people who face accessibility barriers. The program is intended to show students how simple tasks like going to the grocery store can be very challenging.

Sexualita lidí se zdravotním postižením je v Česku tabu. I oni ale mají erotické touhy a potřebují sexuální prožitky. Situaci se v posledních letech snaží měnit spolek Freya, který vzdělává zájemce o práci sexuálních asistentů a asistentek. Ti pak pomáhají lidem s hendikepem cítit se lépe ve vlastním těle. Ukazují jim, jak jim v tom může pomoct sexualita, erotické pomůcky nebo různé typy dotyku. Služba klientům nabízí šanci naplnit základní lidské potřeby a zažít potěšení. Lidé, kteří sexuální asistenci využívají, říkají, že jim pomohla formovat sebevědomí i psychické zdraví.

In Mozambique, people with disabilities face a series of barriers to success and independence, ranging from education to the workplace. In partnership with Young Africa, the international organization Light for the World is working to give people with disabilities the training and resources they need to make a living.

Some medical professionals and companies like Genemarkers are using pharmacogenomic testing (PGx) to test a patient’s genetic makeup to see how they may metabolize certain drugs. This process has been around for years but is starting to pick up speed in the mental health care scene to allow doctors to prescribe medications with greater accuracy.

A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) is a role that combines the medical expertise of a nurse with mental health training. PMHNPs undergo special certification to combine the two fields and help ease the strain on the mental health workforce, which has been significantly depleted since the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that PMHNPs will be the fastest-growing profession over the next decade and several universities are obtaining grants to boost their PMHNP programs, providing stipends for those who want to earn the certification.

Several projects are currently working toward full deinstitutionalization by transferring residents of institutional care facilities to community-based homes. In these community homes, residents will be taught the necessary skills to help them reintegrate into society and live independently despite the challenges they may face, whether that be mental health disorders or developmental disabilities. So far, 171 people have been moved out of institutions to group homes.

Haske Children Foundation provides medical supplies, check-ups and surgeries to children with disabilities on a regular basis, having served 200 children so far. The Foundation also leads discussions about disabilities, working to address the stigma and change the negative narrative many locals have about those with disabilities.

LifeWorks NW is a non-profit that provides mental health services and treatment programs, like the Adolescent Day Treatment program, focusing on teens and young adults who show early signs of psychosis. Mental health professionals have been working with youth and their families for 60 years and have programs in almost every county across the state.