Family First is a charitable project that is passionate about supporting families who have children with complex medical needs and disabilities in Kumasi, Ghana.
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Agyekum
Agyekum is a young boy who we met whilst visiting another family, we saw him sitting in his wheelchair by the roadside and his smile lured us in, and I am so pleased it did. Agyekum is a wonderful, clever young boy with a great sense of humour. Agyekum has joined us in a few of our family days at our centre and he gets on great with the other children and loves joining in any activity that looks fun!
Agyekum has Cerebral Palsy and around 2 years ago his family were given a wheelchair and although this helped his family move him, it has not been great for his development. His family let him sit in the wheelchair all day every day and as the wheelchair is not supportive and is not designed to be a seat it has caused slight scoliosis to his spine, meaning he has a slight curvature to his spine. Additionally, the family stopped letting Agyekum move independently, he used to be able to crawl but can no longer and his muscles have seized up a lot. Agyekum is a heavy boy, so it is becoming increasingly difficult to transfer him.
Agyekum has now started monthly Physiotherapy and Speech and Language Therapy, both at home and at the centre.
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The plan for Agyekum:
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Specialist chair that will promote sitting position and reduce or modify the curve progression of his scoliosis.
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Ankle Foot Orthotic (AFO) to correct his ankle position so that it does not cause him pain to stand. Then introduce a standing frame to work on weight bearing, increasing strength and movement to prevent brittle bones.
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Increase Agyekum’s vocabulary and clarity of speech through Speech and Language Therapy
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Mum will be supported to learn Physiotherapy and Speech exercises and encouraged to carry them out daily at home.
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Both standing frame and chair will have a table and we will introduce Agyekum to fine motor and learning activities.
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Through therapy and fun activities, we hope to increase Agyekum’s independence as much as possible. Agyekum is a very clever boy, but due to the stigma in Ghana he has never been to school. School is something I would like to explore when they reopen in Ghana, there is a private school in his town which with our support I hope may accept him. If he could learn more social skills, simple English and Mathematics it would be a great achievement and could prepare him for a future job.
We are so pleased to have met Agyekum and his family and welcome them into our big family support group. We are excited to see how they thrive with Family First Support.
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