Núcleo Disca

Disability and citizenship

“Vivir el paso a paso”: Itinerarios de rehabilitación de la niñez con discapacidad en narrativas de mujeres cuidadoras en la zona poniente de Santiago de Chile [“Living step by step”: Rehabilitation itineraries of children with disabilities in narratives of women caregivers in the western area of Santiago, Chile]

Nelson Muñoz-Lizana, Paulina Osorio-Parraguez y Juan Andrés Pino-Morán

Points of interest:

  • The authors discuss the limitations of laws on access to child rehabilitation in Chile.
  • Often, female caregivers bear more responsibility for children’s rehabilitation activities. This leads them to create alternative plans to ensure they can continue these processes.
  • The text uses the term “therapeutic pathways.” This term refers to plans developed by female caregivers to support their children or grandchildren with disabilities. These plans are created when medical and social support is insufficient.
  • Observations and interviews were conducted with 13 female caregivers in charge of children between the ages of 1 and 9.
  • The female caregivers describe the difficulties they face in obtaining a correct diagnosis and treatment for their children and grandchildren, due to problems with healthcare staff and the high cost of treatment. This causes them distress and exhaustion.
  • Some female caregivers receive support from therapists, foundations, and the educational community in the rehabilitation process for their children and grandchildren. In this way, they develop new therapeutic plans.
  • It is proposed to recognize that the work of women caregivers is important in rehabilitation, and to consider that rehabilitation includes both social and health aspects.

 

Notes:

  • The following summary was prepared by the Millennium Nucleus DISCA and is based exclusively on the publication. Therefore, it cannot be used for citations or references.
  • This article was originally published in Spanish.

Muñoz-Lizana N, Osorio-Parraguez P, & Pino-Morán JA. (2025). “Vivir el paso a paso”: Itinerarios de rehabilitación de la niñez con discapacidad en narrativas de mujeres cuidadoras en la zona poniente de Santiago de Chile. Salud Colectiva, 21(e5792). https://doi.org/10.18294/sc.2025.5792

https://doi.org/10.18294/sc.2025.5792