Individual interview with EM

Have you participated until now to any activity for independent living?

E.M is a 27 years young woman diagnosed with hemiplegia caused by spinal cord injury. She was 21 years old when she was involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Before the accident 

She was engaged in administrative tasks to support her father’s business

Was focused on personal development and was carrying out all domestic tasks

Liked gym-based exercise and good food and she had a lot of friends. She was living in her apartment.  

After the accident, her life changed dramatically and for two years struggled to get to terms with the new situation and achieve a satisfying level of autonomy and rehabilitation.

She attended physiotherapy courses for about one year and she had 15 sessions with a psychologist

She had a bad mood and often anxiety, fatigue, and phobia of driving, and her sleeping pattern was very disturbed

She suffered from panic attacks that started after one week after the accident and continue to date. After the accident, she had difficulty completing administrative tasks at work and subsequently ceased working. She had lost interest in personal care and stopped seeing other people and friends. She had no interest in diet anymore and often she would consume takeaway and junk food

Her parents and all her friends were very worried about her health situation and they asked for special rehabilitation services that would help her to recover as much as possible. At first, it was very difficult because E.M. had no motivation. Not having specialized public services in the city, the parents turned to a private rehabilitation center in nearby Larisa

The recovery team composed of a psychologist, physiotherapist, and an ergo therapist made a rehabilitation plan for 3 months. After 3  months, E.M. moved from a wheelchair to an elbow crutch. This progress motivated E.M to continue physiotherapy and occupational therapy program. She started going to a specialized gym and after another nine months to an ordinary gym.

The ergo therapist helped her to perform her daily living tasks, among others cooking independently and using a crutch only when she is very tired or when she walks a lot.

Talking to the social worker who conducted the interview E.M said that the recovery period was very difficult for her, “she thought that she would never wake up again”. However, now after almost 2 difficult years, she can help young people with mental disabilities to participate in simple dance activities and simple movement games for the development of physical, social and communicative skills necessary for their integration into society.

Who do you leave with? How is your day organized? What are your main activities in the day at home?

E.M is living in her apartment alone being independent to a large degree. She only needs help when she does general cleaning around the house when she invites friends to eat together, and when she goes to inaccessible places.  She started work and took dance lessons, and is now a Zumba instructor for young people with mental disabilities at the Social Dance School Volonesia in Volos. She is full time engaged in administrative tasks to support her father’s business

How do your parents, family, and friends support you in doing everyday activities? How do you want them to support you?

She would like her parents and close friends to trust her, to stop worrying that she might have an accident, or not be able to manage herself. She appreciates the interest that people around her show but she wants to be independent and be supported only after she requests help. 

What do you usually do at home? And outside of home? What do you want to do more? What new thing do you want to learn?

E.M  likes very much to read scientific books, books about healthy diets and other educational material from which she can get ideas about her project with young people with disabilities. She loves going to the beach and take excursions.

Do you have the opportunity to leave outside from your parent’s house? Have you did it until now? Do you want to?

She is living alone in an apartment adapted to her needs. The place she lives features all the necessary facilities, especially in the bathroom and the kitchen.Even the living room is comfortable and she often invites friends to be and spend time with

What would you like to be part of the guide which we will create? What will be your recommendation

From the discussions  she had with young people with intellectual disabilities,  she understood that it is very important for them to participate in activities with their peers from the general public. She understands that integration and inclusion are different concepts because there is a big difference between organizing an activity solely for people with disabilities and organizing an activity in which persons with and without impairments are participating together, being equally engaged, so  she would like 

• clear instructions on how she  can organize and implement activities for mixed abilities groups 
• crisis management instructions in working with young people with mental disabilities
• relaxation techniques and different warm-up techniques
• video with practical applications / movement games, yoga games to motivate children/youth to learn/to be active and to have fun.