Chandigarh Spinal Rehab-An Initiative of Sai Aasra Paraplegic Rehab Centre

Spinal Cord Injury is a devastating disability which cripples the life of a person and renders him semi or fully paralyzed and incapacitated in many areas like loss of sensation, mobility (legs, hands, and fingers ), bladder control, bowel control, sexual function, temperature control and ease of respiration

These are accentuated by accompanying psychological stress, mishandling after injury, poor rehabilitation, and recourse to unscientific treatments, high cost of rehabilitation and post-injury complications such as pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, and loss of vocation/jobs as well as sizable ongoing medical costs for life.

Acute lack of quality rehabilitation is the only way forward after a spinal cord injury as there is no cure anywhere in the world. Even today less than 10% of people with spinal cord injury in India get timely, quality rehabilitation.

At least 85% of those who sustain spinal cord injury hail from economically challenged backgrounds and are pushed further into poverty. Bad treatments galore make for more woes.

There are about 15,000 cases of spinal cord injury every year on a conservative basis; a group of IIT Madras Alumni has recently placed this number at 25,000. For reference, the United States had 17,000 cases in 2016 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are 2,00,000+ people living with spinal cord injury in India. This is a conservative number, as a research publication places it at about 3,36,000.

Rehabilitation encompasses medical rehabilitation after the injury and livelihood rehabilitation as well as everything in between, which are essential to enable a meaningful quality of life with as much independence as possible. A holistic approach involves addressing multiple challenges that a person faces after a spinal cord injury.

Furthermore, there is not even a single “Halfway home” in India where a person post-rehabilitation can stay for a few months and acquire some skills so that he can move ahead in life fully equipped to live a life of dignity and independence

Furthermore-

• No Centre of Holistic Rehabilitation in the country.
• Lack of Centers that focus on the well being of the person post Rehabilitation.
• No Half Way Home in the country for persons grappling with severe disabilities like Spinal Cord Injury/Brain Injury.
• A need for bringing a sense of dignity and purpose into the lives of persons grappling with these acute disabilities
• A unique approach to Rehabilitation which gives emphasis on emotional, economic and social well being along with physical Rehabilitation.

We have tried to create a model where we -

• Provide quality and affordable rehabilitation through inpatient facility, Day Care and OPD.
• Open the doors of rehabilitation to all persons with Spinal Cord Injury despite their economic background and do not charge
• Provide mental, emotional, social and economic empowerment.
• Provide facilities and encouragement for Paralympics sports.
• Have introduced various kinds of adventure sports on campus.
• Vocational and skill training for persons on wheelchair
• Mental and Physical well being: Yoga and meditation sessions, regular health check-ups.
• A “Halfway home” with the provision of a long term stay for persons with disabilities who do not have resources or family to take care of them.
•  Goal-based rehabilitation focusing on functionality and resuming an active life with a highly skilled and experienced team of therapists.
•  Head – Therapy with rich experience in rehabilitating several hundred people with a disability over seven years.
• Backed by a quality panel of visiting and telemedicine doctors.
• Support of Experience sharing by peer mentors from across India
• Emphasis on independent living skills training
• A holistic approach to rehabilitation based on the model that has worked well for 50-plus years
• Home-like, friendly rehab environment in India’s only designed and best city.
• North India’s first affordable & quality Rehabilitation Centre
• Backed by benefits of extensive preparation, networking, and partners.
• We have invested in quality soft skills like Therapy and Quality leaders. Buildings and Machines do not enable persona with a disability to move ahead in life. It is the core team that leads to the transformation.
•  A very committed and caring team of nursing and support staff round the clock.
• Quality and affordable rehabilitation.
• Centre that provides utmost care from the caregivers.
•  Centre that provides opportunities to explore the potential in sports, athletics and adventure sports– aims to prepare for Paralympics.
• Providing them employment opportunities like vocational training.
• Social integration by taking them out to the market places, movies, shopping, picnics.
•  Marriage and sexual counseling for couples with disabilities
•  Empowerment through mobility support and assistive devices.
• Partaking in National activities like marathons, SCI meets and camps for social awareness.
• Regular exposure to social spaces like shopping malls, fruit and vegetable markets, eateries and restaurants, movie theatres and recreational spaces
• Organize unique events every quarter.

• In a short span of over three years, we have successfully Rehabilitated 250+ persons and 80.4% out of them have gone back to their homes to live productive and dignified lives, either with new jobs or some new business venture. Three of them have got jobs in Accenture, one in IBM, one in Johnson & Johnson and four have even got admission in IIM, Bangalore. Housewives have also gone back to take care of their respective homes, kitchen, and family. Depending on their socio-economic backgrounds they have gone back to their respective homes and communities to not only lead dignified lives themselves but also to empower and improve the community at large by imparting awareness, inspiration, and education.
• We have created enormous awareness in the society through outreach Programs to persons with Spinal Cord Injury PAN India with the help of our Peer mentors through home visits, awareness camps and various other platforms like SCI Meets.
• We have provided dignified employment to six persons on wheelchair post Rehab and assist in employment opportunities for others as well.
• Ajeya Raj - a quadriplegic, has represented India in an International Boccia Championship held at Dubai in December 2019.
• Chandigarh Spinal Rehab is working closely with the Traffic Police of Chandigarh to create awareness.
• We are also reaching out to Global Partners who are not only assisting us in the day to day Rehabilitation Techniques but are also helping us to get a presence in the International Rehabilitation Forum.
• Our people post-Rehab have created the first and most unique band on wheels-Flowing Karma, which was even invited to perform in the Punjab Raj Bhawan on the Republic Day