In this conversation, you will meet Amaka. Amaka is from Nigeria and has a child who was diagnosed with autism. She has trouble finding the necessary speech therapy that the child needs because there is a shortage of providers in her area and they are expensive. She is the primary care-giver to her other child and could not bring this baby to the appointments for her older child. In the end, the only speech therapy available to her is at school and this is only part time. She experiences barriers to public health including Health Care Provider Shortage, Location of Facilities, and Financial/Cost of Care.
TRANSCRIPT
Interviewer: You have a child who was diagnosed with Autism. What challenges have you faced getting treatment to manage your child’s care?
Amaka: Initially, we were told to get a speech therapist.
Amaka: I tried to search around, but could not get any, except the one in the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. This was not an option for me because I had a baby and I could not bring a baby with me to the appointments.
Amaka: I searched for 4 months for a private speech therapist, but it ended up that they were too expensive. So, I only have the option at school, which is part-time.
EVIDENCE & RESEARCH
Many caregivers of both children and adults find it difficult to engage in employed work while also managing their care obligations.
Parents of children with autism find it especially hard to manage their care and full-time employment.
According to a study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, “Caregivers who care for a person with emotional or mental health issues are more likely to make work accommodations (77% vs. 67% of those caring for someone with no emotional or mental health issues).”
”39% of caregivers leave their job to have more time to care for a loved one.
34% leave because their work does not provide flexible hours.”
https://www.caregiver.org/resource/caregiver-statistics-work-and-caregiving/
Barriers to getting care for children with autism abound. This is a story of a family in Nigeria that experiences the same issues as families in the United States.
A study in the United States concludes that: “Consistent with the use of a wide range of healthcare services across the lifespan, the cost of healthcare for individuals with ASD is very high. Indeed, recommended ASD
services are often excluded from insurance plans held by families with lower socioeconomic status (SES).”
“Families living outside metropolitan areas have less access to care for ASD than those in urban areas, often due to a shortage of specialists. Families that do not have access to care in their community are less likely to seek care due to the additional cost, time commitment and disruption to daily obligations (e.g., work) associated with long-distance travel.”
Location:
Nigeria
Date:
2022
Barriers to Public Health: Financial Constraints, Health Care Provider Shortage, Location of facilities, Cost of Care
HEALTH CONVERSATIONS: When Aware We Care 