9. 8. 2022

Fortemix supports early care for children with visual impairment

„When Anička was born, there was nothing to suggest we wouldn’t be taking a healthy baby home from the maternity hospital. All the examinations, including the eye tests, came out fine. At about four weeks I started to find it a little odd that our daughter rolled her eyes a lot. But I’m not the type to react to everything right away, so I simply told myself that every child is different and that it would settle down. Just before Christmas I began to feel a bit stressed – she was two months old by then. The wandering eye movements didn’t stop and our daughter wasn’t fixing her gaze on us at all. I started searching online a little, but since all I came across were terrifying diagnoses, I decided to stop and we went to the eye doctor instead. Our local doctor didn’t tell us anything unusual and referred us to an eye clinic. There the doctor examined Anička, shone a flashlight into her eyes and told us to contact early care. That was the first time we ever heard of early care. I knew that early care had something to do with children with disabilities, but I kept telling myself that surely this wasn’t our case, that it couldn’t be true. Later, an MRI of the brain confirmed a cerebral visual impairment. Anička only responds to bright light, but in everyday life she behaves and functions as completely blind…“

This is how one of the stories of families who turn to the Early Care Society begins. The Ostrava early care centre, which is Fortemix has been supporting financially over the long term, focuses on helping children with visual impairment and their families in the Moravian-Silesian Region. Last year the Ostrava early care office worked with 103 families from across northern Moravia.

„After we contacted early care, an early care counsellor began visiting us at home,“ continues Anička’s mum. „We hit it off right from the start. Without exaggeration, the early care counsellor is the most important person for us when it comes to Anička’s disability. Without her, or rather without the early care service, we would be truly trapped. Of course I can find, look up and figure out plenty of things on my own, but there are still things you simply can’t get without practice and experience. That makes an experienced counsellor the most relevant source of information and support I could have. At the same time, I can see how well she can work with Anička. She engages her right away, anticipates what reactions may come, and nothing really surprises her. The counsellor is also important to me because I can confide in her about anything to do with Anička, and I know that my worries and feelings are safe. I know she won’t judge me, but will always offer some help, some advice…“

Early care is a social service for families with children from birth to 7 years of age who were born with a disability or serious illness, or whose development is at risk, and it is free of charge for families. There is no need for an established diagnosis to use it. It is here for all parents who have doubts about their child’s proper development and are seeking professional help and support. The counsellor travels to the family’s home, which makes it possible to work in the child’s natural environment, so the child can feel safe in familiar surroundings. Each family has its own individual support plan, in which they set goals to work on together with the early care counsellor. Families can borrow aids and toys to stimulate the child’s development, as well as specialist literature. The Ostrava branch of the Early Care Society also organises residential trips, meetings, lectures and seminars for families, and works to inform doctors and other professionals about supporting children with disabilities and their families.

„To all families who find themselves in a similar situation, I would wish that it doesn’t bring them to their knees as a family. Because I don’t think there is any reason for that. Everything has a solution, and in the end even colours:-) And a child needs, above all, a functioning home. I wish for parents to pull together, and not to withdraw from people because of a child with a disability. I recommend contacting early care because it brings families enormous support and peace of mind. It provides information that families won’t get from doctors or teachers. For us specifically it is a TOP service, but it’s hard to describe until you experience it firsthand,“ the mother concludes.

Early care is provided to families with children with disabilities free of charge by law, and the state guarantees this service to families, yet public funding is not enough to help all the families in need in the region. Last year the Moravian-Silesian Region’s grant covered only 64 percent of the cost of the service, and this year the region’s grant has fallen even further compared with last year, while the cost of inputs – fuel and energy in particular – keeps rising. The Ostrava branch is therefore able to provide timely help to all its clients only thanks to generous donors.

Fortemix supported early care in 2021 with a contribution of CZK 109,000. The entire early care team from Ostrava sends a huge THANK YOU to everyone at Fortemix for this support!!!

Find out more about early care at www.ranapece.cz/ostrava/