The summer terrace for patients and visitors of the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Centre was opened this spring. It was equipped with modern and comfortable furniture, flowerpots with greenery and various decorative elements. This is a place where rehabilitating soldiers and their families can relax, take their minds off things and admire the city’s landscape.
During the summer, concerts, film screenings, and meetings with artists and celebrities take place here. The terrace is open every day and closed only at night.
At the beginning of summer, Georgian jazz singer Nino Katamadze, an ambassador of the UNBROKEN centre, performed on the roof of the hospital. She sang for the patients of the rehabilitation centre and the doctors to support them. Nino Katamadze performed the best songs in Georgian and sang the Ukrainian song “Chornobryvtsi”.
According to Yana Myraniuk, project manager of the Unbreakable Centre, in addition to the Georgian singer, French singer and composer Valentin Dulinet came to support the guys with his singing. He sang the best songs of The BEATLES, Edith Piaf and Bob Dylan on the guitar for the Unbreakable. Even the alarm did not spoil the acoustic music concert, because everyone went down to a safe place and continued to enjoy the concert.
For the second month in a row, the Lviv Cinema Centre, in cooperation with the First Medical Association, has been holding screenings of contemporary films for defenders who are being treated and rehabilitated at the NESLAMNI centre.
“The first time we organised a film screening, we did not expect so many patients to come. We chose a detective film and the guys really liked it. They were looking forward to the second part and we showed it to them just before they were discharged from hospital. They were delighted and were actively discussing the film the next day,” recalls Yana Miranyuk.
“As an institution, we want to help and support our defenders, veterans and their families,” says Andriy Porodko, director of Lviv Film Centre. – “This is a good opportunity to relax and switch to something pleasant for those who have been seriously injured and have a long way to go in rehabilitation. We pre-arrange the time, date and genre of the film with the representatives of the medical centre. We usually hold film screenings once a week, as other events take place on the terrace. That is why we sincerely invite unbreakable patients to watch films.”
The screenings are planned to be held until November, weather permitting. “It’s even easier to organise a screening in autumn, as it gets darker faster, so you don’t have to wait until 9pm to watch a film. In addition, there are blankets on the terrace, so you can cover yourself if it’s cold,” added Andriy Porodko.
Yoga on the terrace is another way of psychological rehabilitation in the open air, and another method of treating the invisible wounds of war, the NESLAMNYkh centre emphasises. Yulia Denysova, a yoga therapist, conducts group yoga classes every week. She also works with the guys individually. The lesson lasts 1.5 hours. However, it is not about traditional yoga, which involves physical exercises. Here, the guys practice lying down.
“We work with the heart through breathing practice. There are certain breathing techniques that are used after contusions, bruises, and concussions. We work with phantom pains, sleep disorders, anxiety. We seem to “connect” the brain with the body. And this is their internal very difficult work, because, as a rule, it is difficult for them to feel their limbs,” says Yulia Denysova.
War veteran Oleksandr Solomianyi, who is undergoing rehabilitation at the NESLAMNI centre, is impressed with the effect of yoga classes. He says it saved him from depression after being wounded and losing a limb.
“I came to yoga by accident. At the first class, I really liked the atmosphere, but it was unusual to control my breathing. However, after one lesson, I didn’t feel any changes. But the trainer’s attitude to veterans and the way he taught encouraged me to come back,” recalls Oleksandr Solomianyi. “After a few classes, I understood the process and began to feel light and mentally relaxed. And now I can’t imagine myself without yoga. Breathing exercises are super effective. My colleagues and I, who attended the classes, felt much better and had better sleep.”
Starting in September, yoga on the terrace will be organised for women – wives, mothers, daughters and sisters of the military.
“We are implementing the Women’s Power project aimed at mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters of the military, as they need mental support no less than their husbands,” says Yana Myraniuk, project manager of the NESLAMNI centre. – “We organise brunches, workshops, meetings with famous artists for these women, because they also want to rest and relax, do something with their own hands. And so, among other things, we decided to organise yoga for these women. All this together helps to improve their mental health.”
REFERENCE
The National Rehabilitation Centre UNBROKEN is a unique place where adults and children affected by Russian aggression receive comprehensive professional medical care. This includes reconstructive surgery, orthopaedics and prosthetics. The injured are not only fitted with prostheses, but they are also manufactured here. The wounded also receive physical, psychological and psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery under the guidance of specialists. All assistance is provided free of charge.
The UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Centre operates on the basis of the First Medical Association of Lviv, the largest medical institution in Ukraine, which includes two adult hospitals and one children’s hospital, as well as St. Anne’s Hospital (formerly the Mechnikova Street Maternity Hospital).