Carol Tunstall: The Bobath Centre

Today we heard about the Bobath Centre, a charity supporting children and families living with cerebral palsy and similar conditions. Our speaker was Carol Tunstall, who joined them only recently.

The Bobath Centre applies the Bobath Concept developed by Karel and Berta Bobath, a husband-and-wife team of a neuropsychiatrist and a physiotherapist who came to this country as refugees in the 1930s. They were pioneers of a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of neurological disabilities. Treatment is tailored to each individual and provided by physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. [My wife had a placement with the Bobath Centre when she was training as a speech and language therapist in the 1960s. Webmaster]

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to those parts of the brain that control muscles, movement and posture. This can occur while the child is in the womb, during birth or within the first three years of life.

About 1,700 new cases of cerebral palsy are diagnosed in the UK every year. The effects of the condition can be devastating. One quarter of sufferers are unable to walk and a similar number are unable to talk. Around three-quarters experience pain. The Bobath Centre provides help for the parents of babies suffering from the condition, for families with children in their early years and for adult sufferers.

Families with children under the age of 2½ are helped with weekly play and therapy sessions and encouraged to develop their own appropriate therapy skills. They also have the opportunity to meet other families in a similar situation.

For older children there are therapy sessions that are designed not only to help them but also to be fun. They don’t realise that they are playing and receiving treatment at the same time, although they are aware of the beneficial results.

The Centre works with adults to analyse what is restricting their activities and provide appropriate therapy. The aim is to improve their ability to function in everyday life.

In addition to its work with clients, the Centre also provides training for professionals working in the field.