Our Work Begins Tomorrow…

Our team of seven rehab professionals from Washington and Oregon arrived to Chishinau, Moldova about two days ago. Everything went smoothly with traveling. We took our day of rest on Sunday, and today we toured the various clinics where we will work. For most of us, the Moldovan culture is very much a whole new experience. As with all trips, it’s important to go with an open mind, not to have expectations. Most people live in very basic living conditions: apartments that have not seen renovations for years, overgrown streets and sidewalks, deep holes in sidewalks for sewage, etc. People work hard, try to live and provide for their families, and seem to enjoy the community around them. It’s a tight-knit, yet large community of elderly, families, and young people. It’s a developing country, doing it’s best to transition away from Soviet influence to claim it own identity, language , and way of life. It’s a beautiful culture with a rich history and the people are warm and hospitable.

Our work in Moldova will be quite influential. Currently the country is in a new political transition, with a new minister of health to be appointed. New laws and regulations will be put into affect soon. In particular, regulations surrounding physical therapy practice will be heavily influenced by the presentations and trainings we will be providing. An example is early intervention for stroke rehab. Currently in Moldova, patients are not mobilized during the first week post stroke.  Intensive rehabilitation may not take place for several months after stroke. We will be presenting evidence for early intervention,  aiming to get the Minister of Health, primary academic personel, and doctors to hop on the bandwagon for early intervention. Some of us will be presenting evidence on stroke, pediatrics, and psychosocial factors affecting stroke patients. We start working tomorrowing morning, with Meryl paving the foundation for early intervention in her first of a series of lectures. Others from the team will disperse into other clinics (neuro, pediatrics, acute). There’s lots to do, lots to plan, and lots of work to do. Will get back to you as plans progess…

Our Moldova Rehab team!

We made it to Chisinau, Moldova!