The Neuroaid & Research Foundation (NRF), registered as a Public Charitable Trust in 2006, having five senior medical specialists and a hospital administrator on its Board, has been engaged in, inter alia, creating awareness on various neurological diseases, and educating people on the importance of physical rehabilitation. In this effort, NRF is supported by the management of Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.
NRF feels privileged to have had the opportunity of addressing the members of the prestigious Vasant Vihar Club on 7 th October 2022. Dr Yatinder Kharbanda, Orthopaedic Surgeon specialising in joint replacement surgeries, having over 34 years experience, addressed the gathering on Osteoarthritis (OA). Dr Charu Gauba, with 30 years in Medicine and 11 years in Neurology, spoke on the various aspects of Stroke. Both consultants work full time at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.
Dr Kharbanda gave a detailed presentation on the risk factors of OA, symptoms, treatment options, and under which circumstances surgery should be undertaken. He explained in great detail, the need to minimise use of pain killers, their side effects, the importance of diet and physical therapy on prevention and management of OA.
Nidhi Sharma and Shalini Singh, senior physiotherapists of NRF, demonstrated home- based therapeutic exercise programs for lower extremity rehabilitation. They also emphasized on the proper usage of assistive devices and gait pattern for arthritic patients.
Dr Charu Gauba gave a lucid presentation on Stroke being one of the leading causes of death and disability in India, given the increase in age-related non- communicable diseases, of which Stroke was a major contributing factor. While educating the audience on recognizing the early warning signs of Stroke, Dr Gauba stressed on reaching the patient to a hospital with the golden period of 4.5 hours, as reversal of Stroke would depend to a very large extent on the interval between the occurrence of symptoms and start of treatment. And that there was no medication to revive brain tissue, making disability permanent. She stressed on the role of neurological rehabilitation, as it would help in maximizing recovery of stroke survivors.
Her talk was followed by demonstration of exercises by NRF’s senior physiotherapist Alka Sinha, and continued by Monika Srivastava, a veteran Occupational Therapist (OT) and Sugandha Verma, also a highly committed OT.
The presentation on OT in Osteoarthritis and Stroke outlined all aspects of care including importance of physical exercises with special relevance to hand exercises, sensory re-education, higher function deficits and independence in self-care activities, return to work aspect along with importance of leisure and recreation activities.
Handouts were distributed on basic joint care and protection techniques. The program was very well received and participants had a very interesting interaction with both the medical experts from Apollo and NRF’s therapists.
About 50-55 members were in attendance and benefitted from the session.
