Costa Rica: Volunteer Physiotherapy Placements and Work-Experience

Projects Abroad offers voluntary placements in Physiotherapy in Costa Rica to pre-university students, training physiotherapists or even fully qualified physiotherapists.

Volunteers work with adults in a retirement home; the Hogar de Ancianos de Liberia. The residents are aged from about 80 to 102 and have a variety of needs. You will need to be patient and compassionate to get the most out of this placement.

The home is currently the only one of its type in Liberia. The residents have been receiving physiotherapy since July 2011, and the results have been very encouraging. The home sometimes also receives groups of local physiotherapy students undertaking work experience. If you are volunteering while one of these groups is at the home, you will be able to integrate into this group.

Volunteers who are not fully qualified will be able to observe and learn from the resident physiotherapist who works at the centre in the mornings from Monday to Friday. The working day normally runs from about 7am to 12pm. Experienced volunteers may be able to continue the physiotherapy work independently, but this will need approving by the local physiotherapist.

The home is located on the edge of Liberia town centre, about 15 minutes’ walk from the Projects Abroad office.

Volunteering Abroad on a Physiotherapy Placement

The physiotherapist's role is to focus on gentle rehabilitation exercises to help the residents improve mobility and muscle use. The principal objective is to maintain the residents’ physical level and prevent or slow down the loss of movement that occurs with aging.

The physiotherapist works to improve the residents' fine and gross motor skills, their balance, and to strengthen their muscles. The aim is to improve the residents’ quality of life and enable them to preserve some of their independence and to help the nursing staff by being able to get up and get dressed with less assistance. Some of the residents have conditions that require special treatment, for example some are paraplegic or have suffered from strokes. For residents in wheelchairs, exercises are focused towards strengthening the arm muscles.

In addition to your physiotherapy work, you will also be asked to go to the home a few times a week for a couple of hours in the afternoons on our Care project. Part of your role in the afternoons will be to spend time with the residents, walk with them in the grounds and give them some company. You will have the freedom to come up with games and activities to keep the residents engaged and occupied. This will be an excellent opportunity for you to get to know the residents and build up a rapport and trust with them.

The local physiotherapist and some of the other staff at the home speak some English; however, speaking at least basic Spanish is required. If you have some physiotherapy experience an advanced level of Spanish is desirable, as this is a huge advantage in communicating effectively with the residents.

All volunteers on Teaching, Care, Sports, Journalism, Medicine, Physiotherapy or Spanish placements in Costa Rica have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement. For more information visit our 7-Day Costa Rica Conservation Project page.