Designing a Community-Based Rehabilitation Programme for People with Physical Disabilities in Rural Kogi State

People with physical disabilities in rural North Central Nigeria lack access to rehabilitation services that remain concentrated in urban tertiary hospitals, and community-based rehabilitation represents a viable strategy for extending rehabilitation to underserved rural populations. This study designed a community-based rehabilitation programme for people with physical disabilities in rural Kogi State. A programme design methodology employing participatory needs assessment and expert consultation was adopted. The needs assessment involved structured interviews with 60 people with physical disabilities and 20 caregivers in three rural LGAs: Ankpa, Ofu, and Idah, and key informant discussions with five physiotherapists and three CBR specialists. The assessment identified mobility impairment, post-stroke motor deficits, and traumatic injury sequelae as the dominant disability presentations. Existing support systems were primarily family-based, with formal rehabilitation received by only 13.3 percent of respondents. The programme designed encompasses community disability case identification by CHWs, quarterly physiotherapist outreach visits, home exercise programme training for caregivers, assistive device provision through a state-funded subsidy scheme, social inclusion support through village savings and loans group linkage, and monthly caregiver peer support sessions. An adapted WHODAS 2.0 outcome tracking tool is included for programme monitoring. Expert review by six CBR and public health rehabilitation specialists confirmed the programme's feasibility and ethical appropriateness. Recommendations include pilot implementation in Ankpa LGA with 18-month outcome evaluation.

Keywords: community-based rehabilitation, physical disability, rural Kogi State, disability programme, North Central Nigeria