MORE ABOUT 'WAY TO HEALTH' REHABILITATION CENTRE
'Way to Health' is based in Dnipro. With a population of 1.2 million, Dnipro is the third largest city in Ukraine and is located on the Dnieper River, south of the capital, Kiev. Dnipro is approximately 100 km from the front line. This makes the rehabilitation centre easily accessible to victims of the war.
'Way to Health' was founded in August 2022 by Mykyta Zhalnin and Alex Dubovik. They want to help rehabilitate as many victims as possible, both soldiers and civilians, free of charge. An integrated approach for men, women and children with physical and psychological injuries. Patients are guided in their recovery by well-trained specialists to learn how to cope with the consequences of their (chronic) illness or disability. The aim of rehabilitation is to restore people's ability to function as independently as possible in society.
Mykyta and Alex expect that the effects of the war and its aftermath will remain visible and tangible to the Ukrainian people for a long time to come. As a result, Way to Health will continue to provide its services once the war is over. However, until the country and its people have regained their strength, help is urgently needed to continue serving everyone.
"We are extremely grateful to everyone for everything they do for us, whether it is financial support, knowledge transfer, a helping hand or the provision of necessary equipment. We are delighted, thank you very much!
THE 'WAY TO HEALTH' TEAM
'Way to Health' is the only private centre in Ukraine offering highly specialised rehabilitation for victims of war. The well-trained specialists have a wealth of practical experience. They have treated patients with diagnoses including injuries from mines, gunfire and shrapnel, amputated limbs, learning to use prosthetics and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
At the outset, the specialists carefully gathered as much information as possible about the above diagnoses and their consequences for the patients. They also studied in detail the experiences and results of the rehabilitation of Israeli and US soldiers. This was a good start, but not enough to treat the victims of the current war in Ukraine. The different forms of warfare unfortunately result in many victims with specific injuries. For this reason, an individual treatment plan is drawn up for each patient in order to make rehabilitation as good and efficient as possible.
Fortunately, the results are excellent and the specialists receive a lot of positive feedback from the patients. The results, feedback and lessons learned during treatment are used to continually improve the approach to rehabilitation and the knowledge of the specialists.
RESEARCH & COLLABORATION
In order to provide the best possible rehabilitation for patients, 'Way to Health' is collaborating with a Ukrainian organisation, ADVIN, to research how Virtual Reality (VR) works. VR is already being used regularly by 'Way to Health' specialists to combat phantom pain, treat mental health issues and for the physical rehabilitation of various war injuries. The use of VR is constantly being improved through feedback from patients and the results of treatments.
'Way to Health' has also established a number of collaborations: 1) the State Medical University, 2) the Sports Academy and 3) the National University. All are based in Dnipro, which facilitates efficient collaboration. The best treatment methods are researched, knowledge is shared, and 'Way to Health' offers students challenging internships. Of course, graduates are also welcome to work at the rehabilitation centre.
Research and collaboration ensure that the quality of treatment is improved, new treatment methods are introduced and the knowledge of specialists is kept up to date. Partners also regularly donate high-tech equipment and provide financial support to 'Way to Health' so that it can continue to provide the best possible care free of charge. Ultimately, everyone has the same goal: to enable war victims to function as well and independently as possible in society, so that Ukraine can be rebuilt together.
MORE ABOUT THE 'A WARM HEART' FOUNDATION
'A Warm Heart' Foundation was founded in May 2023 by Annemieke Koldenhof. Together with the other board members of the foundation, she has a warm heart for various small initiatives that make the world a better place, and she wants to be actively involved in helping them. The foundation does this by promoting their initiatives and organising fundraising campaigns to raise as much money, material and help as possible.
Initially, A Warm Heart Foundation will focus on Way to Health in Ukraine. Other projects will be added in the future. Of course, the foundation is a non-profit organisation and at least 90% of all income will go to the cause it supports. Would you like to know more about A Warm Heart's approach, working methods and board of directors? Click on Frequently Asked Questions, but of course you can always contact Annemieke. She would love to tell you more about the 'Way to Health' rehabilitation centre, which is now in urgent need of your support in order to rehabilitate all war victims.
Below are a number of documents that will give you an insight into the organisation, the board and the approach of the 'A Warm Heart' Foundation.
