CAID PROGRAMS

According to 1996 collected data, 48.9% of people in Ecuador has some kind of deficiency, 13.2% presents some kind of disability and 4.4% are handicapped considering that Ecuador's population reaches approximately 12 and a half million in habitants. These numbers are alarming.

Due to this social dimension of the disability concept, Hermano Miguel Foundation decided to create the Centro de Atencion Integral al Discapacitado -CAID- (Assisting Center for People with Disabilities) which constitues a huge project that is composed by four main action fields: prevention, rehabilitation (with all its technical, medical, psychological and social support), training and labor placement. The CAID is a space where the required services for integral rehabilitation for the handicapped are concentrated, fulfilling with the basic principles of the Action Plan of Vienna: Equity, Sufficiency, Efficiency.

Either the programs or modules of the Hermano Miguel Foundation, respond to the global concept regarding health assistance, specially to handicapped people, either physically, mentally, auditive or visual, as well as the protection of the social sectors who are the ones that need the most.

• We have implemented and equipped 19 medical centers throughout the country since 1986. They work under the supervision of the communities, and have become centers of reference for those patients who need assistance from an institution like CAID.
  
  
• The preventive program of "health in schools" has taken place through an agreement with the Education and Culture Ministry in order to diagnose and treat nutritional problems, visual and auditive pathologies, cardiological and
  traumathological pathologies and health education in general.
  There are approximately 4000 people who have been
  benefited by these services.
  
  
• The Preventive Medicine Program deals with medicine in general, gynecology, pediatrics, traumathology, physiotherapy, dentistry, and the clinical laboratory. The objective is to reduce disabilities through a continuous hard work on early detection of diseases.
  
  
• We work as coordinators along with other similar institutions in order to diagnose and give the patient a suitable treatment.
  

REHABILITATION

• Since 1989 CAID counts on a prostheses and orthoses laboratory that works under statements approved by the World Fund Rehabilitation. We manufacture and distribute all types of orthopedic machinery, surgical and corrective garments (more than 350 items) with national and imported supplies and of high technology. There is a multidisciplinary group of professionals that work with us on other programs. Thanks to their help there are approximately 300 people that are assisted every month.
  
  
• The Physiotherapy and Physical Program supports the pre and post prosthetist rehabilitation besides assisting patients with different pathologies such a cerebral palsy, myelocystomeningocele, traumas, etc. In regards to neurological and traumathological therapy as well as sports medicine, we assist more than 80 patients a month. The program counts on modern laser equipment, ultrasound and electronic stimulation.
  
  
• The Language and Occupational Therapy Program provides services such as early stimulation, guided tasks, talking qualification and rehabilitation, language and communication (dyslalia, dysarthria, articulating problems, etc.). They have also become a great help in fields such as learning problems, audition problems (Speech pathology treatment) movement, and strength recovery, relaxing techniques and articular development by the application of cognitive activities complemented with behavior management techniques.
  
  
• Since rehabilitation is considered as a main subject, the emotional aspect of the patient should be carefully treated. Therefore we give monthly speeches about self-esteem, sexuality, legislation, parenthood learning, etc. besides giving private meetings for specific cases.
  
  
• We offer audiometry and earphones to those people that have auditive disabilities. There are already 250 people that attend this program.

• Once the disabled person has achieved the expected results of rehabilitation, he or she is ready to start his or her training and to perform labor activities in several of the productive and commercial programs that support institutional policies related to selfmanagement as well as social development.
  
  
• In regards to the Metal Operations Program we perform technical aid at very low cost such as walkers, crutches, wheel chairs, etc.
  
  
• In the Lingerie and manufacturing Program, we manufacture hospital clothes, uniforms, track suits, table linen, etc.
  
  
• At CAID installations, we are building the grocery store, sales and storage as well as bakery store Programs. Their goal is to provide food products at low costs. Also they will make possible for labor placement to take place.