Occupational Therapy Cape Town

Training Programs for suitable Students

Hospital

Portfolio
The Convalescent Hospital is a 60-bed facility based in Silvertown, Cape Town for over 40 years that admits children up to the age of 12. It serves as the only convalescent hospital available to children in the Western Cape. The hospital aims to provide professional care necessary to allow full recovery once the critical stage of the illness has been treated. The main conditions treated at the hospital include burns, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, kwashiorkor, marasmus, motor vehicle accidents, effects of malnutrition, surgery, trauma, gastro-enteritis and non-accidental illnesses. Parents from poor communities do not have the finance or the facilities to nurse their children after acute illnesses or burns. The Hospital is a critical link in the treatment of children for not only continued care, but preventing recurrence. More recently, children have been referred to Hospital not only for medical reasons, but simply because they have no other place to go. The number of abandoned children and children coming from socially unfit backgrounds are on the increase. Not all of their young patients are confined to their beds - many are active, playful and, at times, keen to learn. They have a Nursery School within the hospital, which functions well with the help of very active volunteers. They have volunteers who assist them keeping their patients usefully busy as well as outings they are invited to which allows a lot of spoiling and reminds them they are important and cared about.

Volunteering | Intern
  • Nutrition care for the moms
  • Hygiene in general and education to the moms
  • Establishing proper medicine giving procedures for moms
  • General education to mothers with children in the hospital and those with children leaving the hospital.
  • Assist in the palliative ward with feeding, play etc

Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy students will work with the therapists in the hospital to carry out various therapies and specific projects will be set up on application.

Care Centre

Portfolio
The center is a home that provides specialised care for profoundly intellectually and disabled people. The care centre accommodated 90 residents. These children need specialised care every minute of their lives. Each child’s potential is explored and developed to fulfil their maximum potential in a stimulating environment. By caring for these residents, the centre also provides help and relief to parents and siblings, allowing them to lead more normal lives. Woodside Special Care Centre also serves to promote public awareness of their situation, in partnership with families, communities and other role-players, supported by dedicated and motivated staff. Disabled children need a great deal of physical and mental stimulation and they like to play. This is done with water play, playing with blocks, playing music and singing. Each child also has a development programme. Simple things like picking up a spoon are a major achievement for these children. Physiotherapy and physical development is very important to exercise and strengthen muscles and is achieved through stretching exercises and using apparatus such as the standing frame. Woodside's services also provide the base from which students, medical practitioners etc. undertake learning into various aspects of centre's work, in an effort to improve the work and to understand more about the profoundly intellectually disabled person and his/her needs.

Volunteering | Practicum
The care centre take on interns and volunteers who are dedicated to helping disabled children and those in need and would like to make a difference in individuals’ lives. They take on interns in the field of Health, Social Work, Business Administration, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Marketing and Fundraising. As a Health/Business Administration student you will work closely with the nursing staff. You will assist in making referrals for patients and writing up reports for these referrals and making the various appointments for the patients with hospitals and other health care practitioners. An Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy intern will work alongside the resident Occupational and Physiotherapists at Woodside and gain excellent exposure in their field.
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