The trauma of burns and implications for burn survivors
A burn is perhaps one of the most painful trauma that a person can go through. Advances in medical care have meant that burn patients now have greater chances of survival but people who sustained major burns face a long rehabilitation process to regain their basic physical functions, adjust to their changed appearance and live confidently and independently. Recovery can be long and difficult.
The impact of burns at an individual level includes:
- Physical aspect: Pain and itch from scars that disrupts daily life and sleep routine, functional impairment or complete loss of function, reduced independence in carrying out activities of daily living due to scar contracture.
- Psychological aspect: Anxiety and depression, sense of helplessness due to loss, PTSD, negative emotions, poor self-perception due to changed appearance, fear of facing people’s reaction and other socially-related anxiety.
- Social aspect: Financial issues due to material losses or inability to immediately return to work, legal issues related to injury, difficulties returning to school or work after injury.
At a broader social level, burn survivors might encounter prejudice and discrimination due to their different appearance.
Supporting the physical recovery
Burn rehabilitation services aim to help burn survivors regain their physical functions to return to an active, independent life within the community. Therapists will design an individualized rehabilitation plan that includes exercises, splints and pressure therapy. Rehabilitation services are provided in our service centers and rehabilitation centers, as well as in our clients' homes, through home rehabilitation services.
Learn more about our physical rehabilitation services
Eliminating barriers to recovery
After their injury, burn survivors are often unable to immediately return to work and for some, this might create financial difficulties leading to anxiety and stress that will have a negative impact on rehabilitation. To free our clients from everyday worries so that they may concentrate on their physical and psychological rehabilitation, we provide financial aid that covers the expenses of medical treatment not covered by the national health insurance, rehabilitation, pressure garments and other assistive devices, daily living and transportation.
Helping adjust to life after burns
Psychosocial services of Sunshine aim to help burn survivors adjust to disfigurement, develop a positive attitude, and build the confidence necessary to face the world. Social workers and psychological counselors play an important role in this process. Services include individual and group counseling, peer support groups, play therapy and sand play therapy for children, skin camouflage and social skills training.
Facilitating the return to life in the community
For young burn survivors, part of returning to a normal life means going back to school, among their peers, and pursuing their academic goals. However, school re-entry can sometimes be a difficult process not just for the child who might fear being treated differently by his peers, but also for the school, with teachers and classmates unaware of the best way to interact with someone who has a form of facial disfigurement. Sunshine Foundation has developed a school re-entry counseling model to work with the child, the family and the school to facilitate school re-entry process. Sunshine's social worker works with the child to prepare him or her for life in the classroom, and also organizes (upon the request of the child and parents or school) activities in the school to raise awareness towards burn prevention and acceptance towards people with facial disfigurement.
Employment is a crucial step towards returning to a normal life. Through vocational counseling services, Sunshine Foundation’s vocational counselors provide professional and individualized services which include vocational evaluation, job skills and occupational interest evaluation, job matching services and job placement services.
Preventing burn injuries
The goal of social education is to prevent burns that lead to disfigurement by teaching about fire safety and first aid, as well as by enhancing public understanding towards people with facial disfigurement so that they may enjoy equal rights and opportunities. Sunshine Foundation carries out educational activities all year long across Taiwan in schools, communities, through the media and on Internet.
Download Burns Care Handbook
In order to help burn survivors, their family members and caregivers understand the challenges ahead, Sunshine Foundation prepared this Post-Burn Care – A Handbook for Burn Survivors and Caregivers, which explains in a clear and easy-to-understand way the important aspects of post-burn care, including how to deal with wounds, pain and itch, the importance of nutrition following burns, key principles of post-burn rehabilitation with introduction to pressure therapy and exercises, as well as how to deal with the psychological impact of burns.
About Burns-Care-Handbook
Download Burns Care Handbook (English)
Download Burns Care Handbook (Indonesian)
Download Burns Care Handbook (Vietnamese)
Download Burns Care Handbook (Traditional Chinese)
Burn rehabilitation training
Skilled and knowledgeable burn rehabilitation professionals can help improve services for burn survivors. Sunshine Foundation helps like-minded organizations in other countries by training burn rehabilitation professionals during workshops and trainings held in our partners' country, or during internships held in Taiwan. Read more about our training projects and training resources here.
