By the end of 2026, the pilot project on home-based rehabilitation for children with special needs will cover four more regions of Kazakhstan. Currently, it operates in Shymkent, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar, and Abai regions, reports infohub.kz.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, 642 children are currently undergoing comprehensive home rehabilitation in these regions, with 500 showing positive dynamics.
The project "QH Rehabilitation of Children with Disabilities at Home" will be expanded to four more regions, but the specific areas have not been disclosed.
It is worth recalling that home rehabilitation for children with disabilities was introduced in four regions of the country in 2024. The main goal was to allow children to undergo necessary rehabilitation in familiar home settings, accompanied by specialists.
How it works: as part of the project, specialists first assess the children's condition, individual needs, and living conditions. Then, technical rehabilitation aids are selected, which may include adaptive chairs, verticalizers, walkers, and various exercise machines. All necessary equipment is delivered directly to the child's home and provided for temporary use.
"Parents are trained to safely use the technical aids and perform the required exercises. The duration and content of the course are determined individually in each case," the statement reads.
What are the project's results: positive dynamics in young patients are assessed based on specific changes. For this, the Barthel Index, FIM, and UNODN scales are used. Additionally, it is taken into account whether the child has learned to better hold their head, sit or stand independently, whether they have gained leg support, and whether walking skills have improved.
The Ministry of Labor emphasized that since the project's inception, 138 children have become better at holding their heads, 83 can sit independently, 49 can walk with support, and another 35 children have started walking independently.