Government of Pará encourages adapted sports for people with disabilities

Swimming, pool volleyball, judo, bocce, and basketball are among the adapted sports available for users of the Integrated Center for Inclusion and Rehabilitation (CIIR) in Belém, a state government unit aimed at strengthening the rehabilitation of People with Disabilities (PwDs) served by the Unified Health System (SUS). The therapeutic activities are conducted by professionals from the Specialized Rehabilitation Center (CER IV), which is part of the CIIR structure.

Alesson Ribeiro, 35 years old, a user with cerebral palsy, is one of the 40 participants in the adapted sports classes. Two years ago, CIIR professionals found in bocce an opportunity to stimulate Alesson's muscle tone, body balance, trunk control, motor coordination, and spatial awareness.

“It is very rewarding for me to receive care here. I use the equipment, but I also do activities at home to improve every day. With the help of my mother and these excellent professionals who accompany me, I have already made many advances. I love bocce. The team and the other users become our family,” says Alesson, who has already been treated in the Physiotherapy Sector, has follow-up from the Physical Education team, and uses a lower limb orthosis provided by CIIR.

Potential - The Integrated Center for Inclusion and Rehabilitation is a reference in Pará for medium and high complexity assistance for people with visual, physical, auditory, and intellectual disabilities.

Nurse Mônica Santiago, acting coordinator of CER IV, emphasizes that the team seeks to strengthen the understanding that the individual conditions of users do not prevent them from practicing sports in a pleasurable way, reinforcing that everyone has the potential to actively participate in various activities.

“We have a multidisciplinary team, with support from the physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, music therapy, and hydrotherapy sectors, to ensure more health and quality of life for our users. They have a sense of belonging with the bonds formed at CIIR, and are encouraged to increasingly engage in daily activities,” highlights the nurse.

Danilo Rodrigues, Physical Education professional, explains that each user undergoes evaluation to understand their demands in a personalized way, and from this process, there is a selection among the modalities according to each individual's particularity. “We work on both the social and cognitive aspects, as well as the physical and emotional ones of the users. Our main goal at the Center is to improve the functional capacity of our users, and adapted sports help in this rehabilitation process. We have a well-structured space, and we seek to work in a playful way to provide gains for their body and mind,” emphasizes the professional.

Access - Users can access the services of the Integrated Center through referrals from health units, welcomed by the Regulation Center of each municipality, which in turn forwards to State Regulation. The request will be analyzed according to the user's profile by the State Regulation System (SER).

Service: The Integrated Center for Inclusion and Rehabilitation belongs to the public health network of the Government of Pará. It is managed by the National Institute for Social and Human Development (INDSH), through the State Department of Public Health (Sespa). It is located at Rodovia Arthur Bernardes, No. 1,000, Val de Cans neighborhood, in Belém. Phone: (91) 4042-2157 / 2158 / 2159.