Improving lives one step at a time
Services
& Support
Medical Services
Open Door has put together a medical team that provides services to everyone at the Open Door Centre. Physicians examine all new references; review and assess everyone who attends daily programs; and monitor general health and physical needs. They deal with emergencies and make recommendations for medical and therapeutic interventions. A fully equipped nursing station is staffed fulltime.
Recognizing the need for a holistic approach to each patient, the medical team works closely with the therapeutic departments and maintains close contact with those responsible for all programs and services. It also organizes the Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team and coordinates case studies. The medical team is responsible for the complete medical records of each patient and doctors cooperate closely with parents and external practitioners. In addition, they help staff to keep on top of medical issues through in-service training.
Open Door cooperates with the Attikon Hospital and the Aglaia Kyriakou Hospital for x-rays and laboratory tests; and with the Dental Department of the Asklipeio Voula Hospital.
Open Door recognizes the key role of the Social Services Department in caring for people with cerebral palsy. Social workers play a critical role in counselling, facilitating and supporting disabled people and their families, while also preparing them for social inclusion and vocational rehabilitation. They are also responsible for the assessment of new cases, the organization of parents’ groups, the organization of events and training sessions, as well as coordination between external agencies and the Society’s services.
The Social Service Department collaborates with the Psychology Department, the Medical and Therapeutic Services, the school, the workshops, the Respite Home and the Fotini Residential Home. Each social worker is responsible for one of the many files kept in the Social Service Department, which constitute a valuable database for tracking disability in Greece. The Social Service Department also serves as a training center by hosting social work students.
Parents Groups
The goal of the three Parents Groups (one for parents of children up to 18 years and two for parents of adults) is to give parents the chance to meet and support each other by expressing their feelings, thoughts and experiences and discuss common challenges they may face with their children. Participation is open to all parents.
Summer Camps
Every summer, the Social Service Department organizes summer camp programs for the children and adults of the Open Door Centre.
Paid Assistants Program
The program aims for the greater social integration of people with cerebral palsy by covering their basic need for companionship and escorting, while at the same time offering some relief to their families. The program offers people with disabilities the chance to enhance their contact with their environment through a series of activities undertaken with the assistance of an escort.
Therapeutic Department
Physiotherapy
The Physiotherapy Department aims to improve the physical condition of patients by enhancing their functional performance and reducing their dependency. Individual therapeutic intervention is integrated into the educational program of the nursery school, the developmental playgroups, the school and the teenage groups, and regular counseling is provided to parents (through home visits) while group therapeutic sessions are implemented in every department and for every age-group.
The therapeutic regime for each child is planned in collaboration with the medical team and the specialists responsible for the individual’s specific needs. The department also runs the Correct Seating Clinic and therapists, trained in the Halliwick method, offer their specialized services to the Therapeutic Swimming Program.
Occupational Therapy
Teenagers and adults are given assistance in special programs developed by occupational therapists, whose knowledge and skill are essential for developing the skills of the trainees and helping them to resolve many practical and technical problems. The occupational therapists participate in the Production Workshops and the Day Centre, and in the program financed by the European Commission.
Members of the Department offer individual occupational therapy courses to children and adults, and group therapy to all classes. They make home visits to work with parents and give advice on issues involving ergonomics. They also participate in market research regarding the equipment used in the Sensory Integration /Snoezelen department and the aid-technology products available in the market.
The computer training program constitutes an important area in the overall occupational therapy program, with the goal of facilitating students’ abilities to participate in the classroom through technology. Equipment is adapted and applied according to each child’s ability and needs.
Occupational Therapy for Children
Under the guidance of specialized therapists, children receive clinical occupational therapy and instruction in computer skills. This activity helps the child improve his or her functional, cognitive, communicative, psychological and social skills in order to acquire greater autonomy and to participate more actively and fully in the classroom. The occupational therapists also adapt appliances and equipment according to the individual needs of each child and instruct children and parents in their correct application to facilitate eating, dressing, bathing, and other functions.
The occupational therapists collaborate closely with other Open Door experts and through home visits also facilitate parents in the daily care of their child.
Music Therapy
Individual music therapy sessions are provided by a specialized music therapist to children in the nursery school, the primary school and the developmental playgroup in order to develop their sensitivity to sound and music, their concentration, their artistic expression and their social skills. Simultaneously music and song are taught to all the children and adults in the Open Door Centre by a specialized music teacher, who also guides the Open Door choir, which has singers of all age groups. The Music Department supports all the Open Door Centre’s artistic activities and events.One of our primary missions is the integration and participation of children from mainstream and many joint activities are organized. Open Door has a regular Sports Association called ‘Dromeas’ (the Runner), which regularly participates in local and international sporting events, competitions and games.
Dance & Movement
The dance/movement program is applied in the nursery school, the developmental playgroup, the primary school and the department for adults. For infants and school children movement and dance are introduced through pictures, music and improvisation to encourage children to develop their physical potential. For adults, movement is combined with voice production and sound. The Dance-Movement program supports all the Open Door Centre’s artistic activities and events for all age groups.
Speech Therapy
For a child with physical disability, speech is often the only means of communication with the outside world, but when speech is not feasible, it is the job of the speech therapist to discover alternative means of communication, so that the child can utilize all his or her potential in order to freely express thoughts and feelings.
The Speech Therapy department at the Open Door Centre is staffed by qualified speech therapists.
All the children enrolled in the nursery school, developmental playgroup and primary school are provided with speech therapy, while group speech therapy sessions are held in all the classes. In close cooperation with the educational and therapeutic staff the educational role played by the speech therapists is supremely important, as is the help afforded parents in handling, feeding and communicating with their children.
Sensory Integration Program (SNOOZELEN – SENSORY)
Sensory integration enables us to use our body effectively, by correctly “organizing” our senses and the perception of our surroundings. This new activity is undertaken in specially equipped premises divided into an area for children with low mental ability (snoozelen) and children with moderate mental retardation (sensory).
Therapeutic Swimming
The Therapeutic Swimming program operates on a daily basis in the heated swimming pool of the Open Door Centre. The team consists of specialized staff trained in the Halliwick Method. Following the Method’s 10 stages, the program aims to provide children and young people the opportunity of experiencing the effect of water on their bodies, using water as a means of learning to control their bodies and become accomplished swimmers. Water exercises also help to strengthen the respiratory and muscular system, to improve balance and agility, and to develop self-confidence. Above all is the sheer pleasure of being in the water.
We cooperate with the parents and instruct them in techniques that help their children reach the goal of swimming safely in any environment.
Gymnastics & Sports
All children, teenagers and adults at the Open Door Centre take part in some form of gymnastics or sport activity according to their interest and ability. The activities aim to offer the participants the satisfaction of action, movement, team spirit and achievement, with the goal of improving their physical condition, their health and well-being. The main structure of the program is focused on group activities, but individual needs are taken into account.
One of our primary missions is the integration and participation of children from mainstream and many joint activities are organized. Open Door has a regular Sports Association called ‘Dromeas’ (the Runner), which regularly participates in local and international sporting events, competitions and games.
Therapeutic Horse Back Riding
This program aims at a composite approach to horseback riding as a sport, as entertainment and as therapy. Open Door was the first organization for children with disabilities in Greece that believed in the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding. First launched in 1983, then interrupted for a period, the program was restarted in 2008 with funding from the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection. In recent years, the program has been suspended due to lack of funding.We cooperate with the parents and instruct them in techniques that help their children reach the goal of swimming safely in any environment.