Dr Arens along with Dr Gladys Beinhart started the WCCPA Cerebral Palsy Clinic at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in 1968, at a time when Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology was in its infancy internationally. Over the past 50 years, thousands of children with cerebral palsy were recipients of specialist rehabilitative therapies provided at the clinic.
At the unveiling ceremony, Dr Anita Parbhoo, the medical manager at the hospital said: “Collaborating with the Western Cape Cerebral Palsy Association therapists in a multi-disciplinary clinic to treat cerebral palsy patients has provided a holistic patient- centred service for these patients”.
The clinic continues to provide 300 rehabilitative physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy sessions a month that aims to improve both the functional ability and quality of life of children with cerebral palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a developmental disorder of a child’s brain which results in difficulty of movement affecting daily activities such as walking, sitting, eating and drinking. The condition is lifelong with no cure.
The WCCPA will forever be grateful to this pioneer and visionary for her dedication to the treatment and care of children with cerebral palsy.