Cagli resident enjoying the Festa Di Republica celebration
Photos by Matt Dixon
By Sarah Gizzi
Imagine the perfect Saturday afternoon. You feel the sun warming the back of your neck. You hear children laughing in the distance. You, too, are laughing as a friend leads the way up towards Piazza Matteotti. You look down at your next step and squint at the sunlight reflected by the cobblestones. You and your friend then turn the sharp corner as an Italian scooter speeds by a little too closely. As you recover, you look up the road. The incline is at a 45-degree angle, with the piazza the top. Potholes and loose cobblestones threaten your goal. You glance at your friend who casually says, “Andiamo!” and walks forward. You, however, take a deep breath as you grasp the wheels on either side of your body. With some struggle, you push yourself forward from the level road onto the inclined street.
Pepe Conti waiting for his van after work
The physically, genetically, and psychologically disabled persons of Cagli have a unique challenge all their own. These people overcome the daily struggles of living with a disability, and they still find a way to live happy and fulfilling lives. What makes them so different is their ability to adapt and manage their way around the city.
Dating back to the 1200s, the architecture and the streets of the city challenge everyone. But for those persons with disabilities, the absence of elevators, roads in need of repair, and uneven floors might seem as a challenge for their lives. However as those steep, uneven roads lie ahead of them, smiles spread across their faces in confidence.
The rehabilitation center in Cagli’s ospedale offers help to physically disabled persons. Although half the patients are only temporarily disabled, the remaining half are permanently injured. All patients, however, deal with the difficulty of receiving help from similar institutions. A person cannot be admitted to the center unless another hospital or a licensed doctor has approved them to do so. This is because the rehabilitation center only deals with specific illnesses and disabilities. These include fractures of the femur, knee, hips, and shoulders, damage due to stroke, brain trauma, Parkinson’s disease, spinal injury and other critical illnesses.
Due to birth complications, some patients are not aware of their critical situation. They have had to live their entire lives adjusting their disabilities’ limitations to Cagli’s challenges. They do not know any differently. They do not know how those steps can be conquered any way other than using a lift. However, since they have dealt with their disability for their entire lives, they have adapted to Cagli’s environment.
For temporarily disabled persons, the transition to being handicapped is extremely difficult. One of the requirements of Cagli’s rehabilitation center is care training for the patients’ family. They are taught ways to help the patient mobilize themselves whenever possible and to restrict their movement when necessary. Simple movements like standing up from a chair and climbing up stairs are discussed and shown to family members. This way, the disabled patient is able to continue daily life as it was before their accident. Unlike permanently disabled patients, temporary patients are less likely to become depressed. Since they have not always been injured, they are more inclined to be hopeful about their recovery. They know they are able to heal, so their hope brings an end in sight.
In general, the people of Cagli are comforted by the proximity of the hospital’s rehabilitation center. If they have an injury, they know they will be able to remain at home with a family member while receiving help. However, receiving that help requires approval from Italy’s regional government. Patients must first be admitted to a licensed hospital, then be assigned to a specific rehabilitation center based on their diagnosis.
Video by Charlotte Seiggreen
The Italian government, however, provides payment for all services in regards to public health care. The citizens of Italy pay taxes, and those funds are used for such services. In other words, everyone in a community is helping to benefit others in that same community. Italy puts the community before the individual. Everyone cares for everyone else, and they expect nothing in return. Trust is most important, so health care must reflect those values. By using the Italian taxpayer’s money to fund health services, those less fortunate can receive the same quality of care as those with more money. The taxpayers help their community, and the injured receive the care.
Cagli is different from most other Italian cities because of its age and inconvenience. As the city grows even older, its citizens remain modern. New technology has allowed Cagli to keep up with new times, but the 13th century construction cannot last forever. As its citizens remain prone to injury, Cagli will become more and more required to make accommodations for those with disabilities. Until then, it is up to the people to adapt their lifestyles to the city’s limitations.
Web production by Maggie Wilson
