Can you imagine a child who has never been to a playground or a park, never been able to swing or slide! For whom open play spaces are forbidding and unfriendly.
Today, in India nearly all existing outdoor play spaces are built without keeping in mind the needs of a child with disability. Children with disabilities and developmental differences are forced to stay away from playgrounds because they are inaccessible, do not have appropriate facilities and play infrastructure for them.
When…
People get umpteen health news forwards and they often forward without verifying. Some even think "may be it will help some one". Dr. Aju Mathew, medical oncologist and director, Kerala Cancer Care shares his tips on how to spot the fake news forwards and whether you should forward or not. We live in an era of information superhighway. In a way, this is a more democratic way of communication. Everyone has a voice - not just those with power or knowledge. But in the cacophony of the voices, the…
On World Human Rights Day and the day after World Patient Safety Day, TogetherWeCan and PatientsEngage would like to bring the focus on safety of children at therapy centres. Despite an ongoing petition in Kerala since 2015, progress has been slow. Why is a child's right to safety not a priority? In light of a couple of recent incidents, we bring you an update on the petition on therapy centre regulation by Seema Lal. In October 2018 the following incident happened in a government therapy…
A global investigation called ImplantFiles found an absence of clear guidelines on testing, poor regulatory practices and lack of transparency resulting in pain to patients and in some cases even untimely death. As the medical device industry innovates at a rapid pace and flaws found in devices trigger recalls and safety alerts, Dr. Shital Raval looks at what the patient can do to reduce the risk. How safe are the medical devices implanted into your body? Did you know that medical…
Ritika Sahni, a singer-activist, special educator and Founder of NGO Trinayani, an advocacy driven organization, emphasises that it is important to change attitudes and mindset of the non-disabled population if we want to make the world more inclusive for persons with disabilities. Could you tell us a little about Trinayani and how was it conceptualized? Trinayani is an NGO founded in 2006. It has been working towards creating awareness about disability and diversity issues and empowering…
Males suffering from depression have an increased vulnerability to dying by suicide. Clinical psychologist Smriti Sawhney advices it is important to seek professional help and lists out tips to alleviate depression. Boys are not supposed to cry. And, if you cry you are weak. And, being emotional is so ‘girly’. Most boys tend to hear these and other similar statements during their growing up years. Internalising such statements can make it difficult later on for men to express or share their…
Diabetes Management can be challenging and distressing for a lot of families. In our Live Discussion sessions we talk to eminent doctors and patients for tips, vital information and motivation. In continuation of our series on Living Better With Diabetes we have with us Dr. Usha Sriram, Diabetes Specialist, Founder, Diwaaas. Jayesh Shah, Type 2 Diabetes, Mumbai Marianne de Nazareth, Type 2 Diabetes, Bengaluru Dr. Usha is passionate about the role of families in diabetes…
When antiepileptic drugs fail to control seizures and convulsions, an epilepsy surgery may be recommended. Dr. Rajan Shah, Neurologist, Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital assures that with advances in technology and dedicated centres, epilepsy surgeries have become safer and can be considered a treatment option. What are the common causes of epilepsy? Common causes of epilepsy in children and adults are different. They are briefly enumerated as – Head trauma – SDH, EDH, contusions.…
Personal safety and sexuality education is critical for children and young individuals with Intellectual disabilities, auditory or visual impairments. But it often does not get the right level of attention from parents and teachers. Enfold Proactive Health Trust, a Bangalore based NGO, has devised a project ‘Suvidha’ to address this gap. Read on. All children, irrespective of the ‘normalcy’ of their neural or physical development, have a right to safety and dignity. Personal safety education…
