Nursing

The nursing service is considered one of the fundamental pillars of the institution’s social support responses, particularly in the Residential Home and the CACI, when requested. Nurses provide direct basic healthcare to users, ensuring a better quality of life and maintaining their well-being.

The service is overseen by a nursing coordinator who, together with the rest of the nursing team, carries out a range of duties.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy works to develop, maintain, and restore movement and functional capacity throughout life.

The role of the physiotherapist in cases of cerebral palsy and related conditions is, after assessing the individual’s motor impairments, to maximize functionality and improve quality of life.

The main goals of physiotherapy are to improve and maintain the users’ functional potential and quality of life, to prevent pathological postures and musculoskeletal problems, and to avoid the worsening of deformities.

O Fisioterapeuta tem ainda um papel importante na seleção das ajudas técnicas adaptadas às necessidades reais de cada utente, proporcionando a sua autonomia e funcionalidade;

Atuamos também nas áreas da cardiorrespiratória, hidroterapia e cuidados continuados, no âmbito de lar.

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy uses water as a therapeutic tool. Through heated water, it is possible to stimulate visual, auditory, tactile, and proprioceptive senses. Its purpose is always to develop muscle strengthening, promote better postural control, improve motor coordination, encourage muscle relaxation, and increase joint range of motion.

Speech Therapy

Speech Therapy is responsible for the prevention, assessment, and intervention across its various areas. At APCM, it focuses particularly on communication, language, speech, orofacial motor skills, and feeding.

Through this work, the aim is for the young people attending the association to enjoy a higher quality of life, coupled with greater autonomy. As a result, we foster happier, more motivated, and socially integrated youth.

Psychology

The psychology service at APCM has as its main goal the improvement of users’ quality of life, promoting their adaptation and understanding of their limitations. Its purpose is to help consolidate and strengthen users’ autonomy according to their individual limitations and the resulting changes that may affect their overall development.

Initially, the psychologist carries out an assessment of the user and analyzes their mental and emotional development, in order to address any gaps or difficulties observed, thereby achieving, whenever possible, a more normalized overall development, in coordination with other technical areas.

Psychological intervention also aims to support the user’s emotional and social adjustment — and, when necessary, that of their family — through individual and group psychotherapy, with the goal of achieving the emotional balance required.

The psychologist works directly and individually within the user’s life contexts and routines through specific activities, mainly focused on particular areas of development such as attention and memory. This approach helps to build a relationship that allows for behavioral intervention, promoting overall development, particularly the user’s abilities and potential, and enabling the construction of a healthy personal future.

Snoezelen

Snoezelen is characterized as a multisensory environment, where a set of equipment and materials provide controlled stimuli, including sound, lights, vibration, colors, and textures, creating sensations of comfort and relaxation. The environment is adapted to allow control by the users, thereby promoting greater self-control and autonomy, and facilitating the development of cognitive, social, motor, and communication skills.

Nutrition

The dietitian/nutritionist is a healthcare professional with the skills to help improve the effectiveness and quality of services provided in this sector, particularly in the areas of Food Quality and Safety, Food Service Management, Clinical Nutrition, and Nutrition Education.