The Special Care Area

In the Special Car Area, we attend to four youths with different severe disabilities like cerebral paralysis, epilepsy and autism (Alfredo, José, Malena und Paco). The majority of them came more than ten years ago to our Center and all of them require special medic and therapistic attention.

The aim of the Special Care Area is to offer them basic and medic care - hygiene, nutrition – and also to make their rehabilitation and the integration in the Center and the community possible.

Here work eight persons, four during the day, two during the night, two temporaries (they cover vacacions and weekends), three rotate in the nightshift and the support of the volunteers is required. The workers aren’t professionals, they’re fathers and mothers, some of them are disabled.

The physiotherapy team also supports the special care area by offering exercises and care required by the youths. On part of the personnel and the volunteers working in the therapy area, they get massages and therapy in order to avoid contractures and bedsores.

They’re also every Saturday included in the hydrotherapy at beaches close to Piña Palmera. Every Thursday, we go with them for a drink to a restuarant in Zipolite.

This area is connected with other areas in the Center, in order to make the rehabilitation and the integration of the youths possible. So we offer them the participation in different activities, like support in the garden, in the wood and paint workshop, in the handicraft shop or walks at the beach or to visit their families.

The volunteers support this area every day. Their tasks are washing them or giving them food, but also, for example, to take a walk with them. At the beginning it may seem very difficult to work in this area. But one gets used to it and very beautiful relationships with the youths result. Each of them reacts in a different way.

For example, some of them can communicate easier by gestures or gazes, while others are totally passive. But anyway needs the one who’s communicating fewest the same love, the same presence, although activities are for each one different. In the street, there’s no need to be ashamed.

The community of Zipolite knows the youths very well und people usually smile and greet when the youths are passing by. Sometimes work could seem monotonous. On that account, the volunteer should be active and creative. Many times made a funny idea the youths as the workers happy.

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The youths:

At the moment live four youths in the Center. Each one of them has his own life experience, but most of them come from a very complicated family situation. In the special care area are files about each one of them with their history, their state of health and examination results.

New volunteers should consult these files from the beginning, in order to understand the youths better. Interesting observations about the conduct of the youths, about their health or their preferences should be always notated

Malena

My name is Maria Elena (Malena) Luna Ramírez and I was born at the 1st of July 1982 in Mazunte-Tonameca. I live since the age of three years in Piña Palmera, because my mother couldn’t take care of a baby with cerebral paralysis. She brought me to Piña Palmera and here I met Anna Johansson. She brought me to a doctor in Puerto Angel, because I was very weak. The doctor believed that I would die, but thanks to Piña I survived.

In Piña Palmera I lived with Anna and Balbino until the age of twelve, later I moved to the New House to live with Alfredo, José and Paco. At the same time I started the School for Special Education Nr. 15 in Pochutla, where I studied for four years.

What I like:

Above all, my family is very important for me, especially my sisters, my brother and my nephew. I love to take a bath and I like to dress me with nice clothes, that somebody reads me my letters and shows me my photos. To listen to the radio or to my cassettes is another thing that I like.

It’s diverting to go out for a walk, for example at the beach, to the church of Zipolite or at weekends to the discotheque. I like also to sell T-Shirts of Piña Palmera, so that I can earn some money in order to buy what I like.

Medic diagnose:
Spastic cerebral paralysis through birth

Alfredo

My name is Alfredo Hernandez Perez and was born at the 25th of August 1982 in Comitán, Chiapas. During my time as a baby I stayed in the hospital, because I had very grave epilepsy. But the hospital helped me a lot though, I was malnourished.

Then, 1988 brought me some persons from “Save the Children„ to Piña Palmera. I was happy to be brought to Piña Palmera, I felt better and happy. But later my convulsions got worse, my condition broke down and 1998 I was close to death, but I’ve survived.

What I like:
Above all I love yogurt and when I go with my friends to the beach, I always drink a banana shake. I like too, when somebody reads me stories out, or when I get a soft massage or just if somebody fondles me.

Medizinische Diagnose:
Very grave epilepsy

José

My name is José Ortéz and I was born at the 26th of March 1980 in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. My mother died right after my birth. My aunt took care of me, but she brought me to Piña Palmera, because she couldn’t take care of me on her own.

I came 1987 to Piña Palmera. At the beginning I suffered from undernourishment and I couldn’t walk until the age of 8 or 9.

What I like:
I like water, music – especially with drums or percussion, cars and when somebody sings something for me. I loveto take a bath and to play with water and sand

Medic diagnose:
Autism and mental backwardness

Paco

My name is Francisco (Paco) Pacheco Rojas and I was born at the 15th of July 1984 in Arroyo Cruz, Pochutla. I came at the 15th of December 1985 to Piña. At the beginning I was very weak and thin. Two volunteers, Rogelio and Ben, helped me a lot. I lived for many years together with Balbino and Anna, until I moved to the New House to live with Malena, Alfredo and José.

I am a very social person and I love to be together with others und to participate in the activities of Piña Palmera, for example by supervising the volunteers in the kitchen, by going to the garden or by participating in the English classes.

What I like:
I like to go to the village, for e.g. to the store or for a walk or to the beach. I also love to watch television and when somebody reads me stories out.

Medic diagnose:
Cerebral paralysis infantile (CPI) with epilepsy and spastics

The youths who used to live in the special care area:

Elías

Enrique “Elías„ Mendoza Ortega was born at the 28th of August 1987 in Pochutla, Oaxaca. From birth on, he had muscular atrophy by genetical origin, as his brother was born with the same disease. He could walk, but little by little, his musculature decreased. Since the age of eight months, Elías lived in Piña Palmera. He did very fine here, as he had the company of many children.

He went to the school for special education in Pochutla, but he stopped studying from the second class.

Elías died 2004.

Germán

My name is Germán Ruiz Silva and I was born at the 31st of July 1985 in San Mateo Piñas. I came 1990 for the first time to Piña Palmera, and I stayed for the second time from the 29th of July 2001, since my parents went to the United States to work.

At the moment, I live together with my uncle Chico and I come two times a week to Piña Palmera in order to check my state of health and nutrition.

What I like:

I love to play in the water (beach, pool...) or to play wit something which makes noise or, when somebody comes by coincidence for a visit, that he greets me. In general I like to be stroked. What I don’t like anyway is when somebody yells at me. I like also to watch the photos of my parents, when my sister shows me them.

Medic diagnose:
Cerebral paralysis/grave mental backwardness/ epilepsy