The more visits that I do in the community, the more I am starting to see a pattern emerging. There is a shockingly high number of young adults (25-35 year range) who have suffered from a stroke, and as a result are paralyzed on one side. The cause is hypertension...so essentially it comes down in a large part to their diet...and it doesn't take long to see that the more affordable, yet deep fried meals being sold on the side of the road are a contributing factor. I had my first taste of deep fried chicken with deep friend plantain and french fries the other day for lunch--it was delicious, but a lot like eating take-out from KFC. On a more positive note, I observed a beautiful transdisciplinary intervention the other day, when a Haitian physio taught a young lady who was a few weeks post-stroke, one-handed dressing strategies so that she could dress herself.
Also common are orthopedic complications related to fractures from the earthquake. Right after the earthquake there were tons of organizations that came in to assist with surgeries. While this means that people got the surgeries they needed, it also means that when the situation was no longer considered urgent, these organizations withdrew, and as a result there was very little follow-up. Below is a picture of a woman who had both hip and knee surgery. She had initially been given a wheelchair, crutches, even an adapted shelter with a ramp, but hadn't been seen since. When we found her she was still unable to walk without the crutches because of a significant leg length discrepancy of about 4 inches and was in a lot of pain due to her abnormal walking pattern. Another surgery to correct the situation will cost 2000$ that she doesn't have, but hopefully a pair of adapted shoes that we can provide will at least allow her to walk more functionally.
Also common are orthopedic complications related to fractures from the earthquake. Right after the earthquake there were tons of organizations that came in to assist with surgeries. While this means that people got the surgeries they needed, it also means that when the situation was no longer considered urgent, these organizations withdrew, and as a result there was very little follow-up. Below is a picture of a woman who had both hip and knee surgery. She had initially been given a wheelchair, crutches, even an adapted shelter with a ramp, but hadn't been seen since. When we found her she was still unable to walk without the crutches because of a significant leg length discrepancy of about 4 inches and was in a lot of pain due to her abnormal walking pattern. Another surgery to correct the situation will cost 2000$ that she doesn't have, but hopefully a pair of adapted shoes that we can provide will at least allow her to walk more functionally.
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