1st Quebec forum on polyimpairment

with the theme of Deconstructing myths – building the future

On October 30, the very first Quebec forum on polyimpairment (in French only) will be held, organized in connection with the project to build a “Centre d’expertise et de services en polyhandicap (CESP) (in French only) ” whose mission would be to raise awareness of the issues faced by people with polyimpairment, and to support them throughout their lives and in all spheres of life, in complementarity and collaboration with other partners in the health, social services, community and education networks. The forum will also be an opportunity to officially launch the CESP project, and the MUSCO team has been invited to make a presentation!

Image taken from the subscription website

The forum is aimed primarily at practitioners, doctors, professionals, volunteers and caregivers who work with or may work with people with multiple disabilities – whether in the school, university, medical, community or social sectors – as well as parents and families. On the program: conferences, presentations, workshops and panels focusing on the day-to-day and lifelong care of people with multiple disabilities.

But why the need for such a forum?

It’s well known that the number of young people with multiple disabilities is increasing,

explains Diane Chênevert, Founder and CEO of the Fondation Philou, and instigator of the forum.

“As a first step, we need to get to know these (multi-handicapped) people better so that we can accompany them properly in all spheres of their lives, including the social and medical fields”, adds Diane.

The forum theme of Deconstructing myths – building the future thus takes on its full meaning for Diane, particularly if we consider that “while it’s true that they won’t ‘heal’, and given their complex and extremely vulnerable state, we tend to think that these people don’t understand, that they only experience difficulties all their lives and that they can’t learn. Yet they understand words, facial expressions and gestures, and can turn a small success into a great feat.  These abilities are often far more developed than they let on, and it’s up to us to be imaginative enough to overcome our inadequacy and develop ways of understanding them, interacting with them and learning from their strengths.”

For this 1st forum, it seemed only natural to Diane that the MUSCO team should take part and be able to share its approach based on collaboration and the involvement of all to better collectively meet the needs of the patient with musculoskeletal disorders who receives complex care, as well as their family. In particular, she hopes that this approach can be transposed to the polyimpaired population, for better support and the development of innovative tools.

We wish the team in charge of organizing the forum every success, and look forward to seeing you there to take part in all the conferences and activities on offer. See you on October 30!