Image: CIOMAL

Some people who get leprosy are unfortunately left with some residual disabilities after the infection itself has been cured. The eyes, hands and feet are the parts commonly affected. In addition, many also face long-term problems within their family and community, simply because they once had leprosy. Rehabilitation involves a whole range of interventions that attempt to restore the person affected to as normal a life as possible.

There are two major categories of rehabilitation, although most programs now try to provide both in a holistic manner. Firstly, physical rehabilitation seeks to help people with their normal daily activities; the methods include physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and sometimes specialized forms of reconstructive surgery to improve the functioning of the hands or feet; special treatment of certain eye problems may also be possible. The aim is to help with the physical demands of daily life.

Image: Georgina Cranston, TLMI

The second major category is socio-economic rehabilitation, which seeks to help people rebuild their lives, including their relationships and household economies, both of which are often severely disrupted by having leprosy. Many people with leprosy face the loss of their jobs and divorce or other forms of rejection by society. Rehabilitation involves informing and reassuring the families and communities of the facts about leprosy, as well as developing specific interventions that help to restore dignity to those affected. One of the major aims is to empower individuals, enabling them to have more control over their own situations.

A comprehensive paper on the whole field of disability and rehabilitation in leprosy (with references), was written by one of the leaders in the field, Dr H. Srinivasan , in 1998.

There are also very detailed and comprehensive training manuals on community-based rehabilitation (CBR) available from WHO (these are all large PDF files)

(The ILEP Learning Guide Four is aimed at field staff working with those affected by leprosy.)