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Several BWHers are showing support to the victims of a devastating grocery store fire in Asunción, Paraguay, that two years ago injured hundreds of people and killed more than 400. Occupational therapists Brooke LaSalle, OTR/L, and Laura Garren, OTR/L, last month spent a week in week in Paraguay caring for patients and educating therapists at the Asunción Rehabilitation Center and the Paraguay National Burn Center about occupational therapy, a newly developing field in Paraguay.
“One of the main objectives of our visit was to show our support, to show that we had not forgotten this tragedy they’ve endured,” LaSalle said.
LaSalle traveled to Paraguay in August of 2005, marking the one-year anniversary of the fire, and both she and Garren returned this August to reconnect with health care professionals and patients. Through the U.S. Embassy’s Subject Matter Expert Exchange Program, they joined two other American therapists in their efforts.
During her first trip to Paraguay, LaSalle led didactic seminars and demonstrations for local therapists and doctors, introducing them to many occupational therapy practices. When she returned with Garren this year, the two led hands-on demonstrations on making splints, guiding burn survivors through therapeutic exercises and managing scars so staff can practice these techniques to advance patients’ recovery.
“We taught them to use the resources they have to provide the best possible care,” Garren said.
LaSalle and Garren also educated patients about how to care for themselves. After losing her mother, sister and grandmother in the devastating grocery store fire, Sarah, a 15-year-old from Paraguay, had difficulty trusting anyone for care. That changed last month when she met LaSalle and Garren, who immediately put her at ease by talking about her high school classes, hobbies and interests before they treated her. They showed that same compassion and attention to the more than 200 patients they saw throughout the week.
Garren and LaSalle hope to return to Paraguay for future educational exchanges. “This was a very rewarding experience, and we hope to return and expand our focus to include promoting general rehabilitation,” Garren said.