Team

Experience & Activities

Gakeemah Inglis-Jassiem’s passion for physiotherapy stems from experiencing the marvels of physical rehabilitation firsthand.

As a teen, she witnessed her aunt and grandfather regain their dignity after treatment at Westlake Clinic in Cape Town to recover from a stroke and knee-replacement surgery, respectively.

“I was immediately drawn to the profession,” remembers Gakeemah.

Then, after attending an open day hosted by the University of the Western Cape’s physiotherapy department in her matric year, she was convinced that she had found her calling.

It is the self-worth rehab brings to her clients that thrills her most as it is both humbling and satisfying, says Gakeemah, who holds BSc (UWC) and master’s degrees (Stellenbosch) in physiotherapy.

All in the detail

She qualified as a Basic Bobath instructor in 2007 and has been in practice ever since.

“Neurological physiotherapy is an exciting, ever-changing and expanding area of rehabilitation science,” says Gakeemah.

The Basic Bobath course, presented by Rehab Skills Lab in South Africa, introduces therapists to the knowledge and skills needed to perform detailed analyses of movement and functional tasks.

In other words, she says, it is all about helping you understand your patient’s challenges and why.

“It also provides a framework for treatment-planning and the practical skills that can improve function and quality of movement.”

According to her, the impact of this approach can be seen in patients from the first day of implementation.

She adds that the human nervous system is a phenomenon unlike anything else and it changes constantly. As such, progress is possible for individuals with neurological conditions, such as those arising from a stroke.

Gakeemah believes therapists should remain “patient-centred and goal-driven” in her approach.

It is therefore vital that they never stop learning and exploring skills that can be added to their treatments.

“You must see each patient as your teacher,” she says.

Lost in translation

The married Zumba and documentary film enthusiast has experienced funny moments in her career, but it is one from early on that still makes her blush.

In her first year as a working professional, she was treating an elderly woman who had been experiencing chest pains.

She could say the word “cough” in isiXhosa and gestured with her hands to indicate that her patient should cough up the phlegm.

“Although I am bilingual and did my training in English, I could for some reason not remember what to call the sputum cup,” she explains.

“After moments of trying to remember the word, I opted to say “bakkie”, which is Afrikaans for bowl or container.

The very elegant lady looked at her and asked, “Do you mean container?”.

“Needless to say,” says Gakeemah, “I was embarrassed!”