A mother has described how invaluable Bermuda’s publicly funded occupational therapy services have been to her son.

Her 14-month-old child has a rare condition that affects the use of his muscles and needs help to move and exercise.

She shared her experiences as Bermuda marked World Occupational Therapy Day yesterday.

The mother, who asked not to be named to protect the identity of her son, told ‘The Royal Gazette’ of her hopes that the Bermuda Government would be able to return its occupational therapy staff to full capacity after a gap in the recruitment process.

The One Bermuda Alliance cited “budgetary constraints” when announcing that it was “assessing how it will address any staff shortages in the short term”.

The mother feared she might have to leave the Island when she discovered that her son, then five months old, would need regular occupational and physiotherapy sessions that would continue throughout his childhood.

She was not aware the Government’s services would be able to deal with her son’s needs so effectively and efficiently.

The Department of Health’s Therapy Services division provides services for early intervention in children from birth to age 4, for schoolchildren in Bermuda’s public and private schools, as well as for seniors. This includes screening, assessments, intervention and prevention for about 1,200 children across the Island each year.

The mother told ‘The Royal Gazette’: “We knew that due to our son’s condition he would need help with gross and fine motor skills. Any child with low muscle tone will have delays in crawling, walking and talking, but also with play skills.

“They need help to move and to exercise their muscles in the proper way. In the very beginning he had to learn how to lift and hold his head up and exercise his core.”

Her son sees an occupational therapist once a week and a physiotherapist twice a week but he is likely to start seeing more of the former as he begins to learn play and communication skills.

The mother described the difference to her child as “massive, it is huge”, before breaking into tears.

“When I found out he was going to have problems it worried me very much,” she said.

“When you are in Bermuda and are diagnosed with a medical condition it feels like you are in the middle of the ocean and it is terrifying, but for us it has been nothing but a positive experience.

“I am extremely grateful, they are focused on his needs. I saw immediate improvements.

“The benefits I have seen is that he is on track and doing things in the right order that a typical baby might be doing. I see changes in him every single week.

“The therapist will say we are going to start working on ‘x’ and within days he is doing ‘x’. Sometimes he might develop a skill in just one therapy session.

“It has given me peace of mind that he is going to hit his milestones if not on time, in the right order, so that is amazing. It is open to all, you don’t pay, it is phenomenal — it really is an amazing resource.”

The mother had been nervous when she heard about a possible incontinuity of service in the Government hiring process, but said she and her son had not been affected by it so far.

There are 29 therapist posts in Bermuda, with two vacant. Seven are under active recruitment — it is hoped one will be filled by next month.

The Ministry of Health is “working aggressively” to provide a relief occupational therapist in the same period of time.

A ministry spokeswoman said: “The rehabilitation therapy services are at near-full capacity but we anticipate shortages will take time to resolve; some service reconfiguration will be considered and our clients will be kept informed. Every effort is being made to identify solutions that will least impact the populations served.”

Walette Carter, an occupational therapist and head of the Bermuda Occupational Therapist Association, which promotes occupational therapy as a career in Bermuda, believes the Island could benefit from the creation of even more occupational therapy posts, especially for elderly clients.

“I don’t think that any of the organisations on the Island that are recruiting occupational therapists should reduce their numbers,” she said. “There is room for growth. Posts should be created, particularly for the elderly. We hear about the healthcare crisis — people are ageing and this is a profession that helps to keep people at home for a longer period of time.”

Virgie Catanyag-Mendoza, an occupational therapist at the Department of Health, Community and Rehabilitation Services, has been working in the field for almost twenty years.

Asked what inspired her to enter the profession she said: “I always enjoy working with children and creative problem-solving. I liked that this profession is science-driven but also requires creativity.”

The Department of Health is partnering with the therapist association to recognise and celebrate the profession at a private gathering. Occupational Therapy Month is marked during April.

The Government has facilitated training sessions for parents and families of clients as well as additional information to assist the overall development of communication and sensory motor skills. For more information visit www.health.gov.bm and http://goo.gl/IA3Rfh or call 278-6427 or 278-6428.