People with intellectual and relational disabilities face the same health challenges as everyone else: tooth decay, vision problems like myopia and cataracts, broken bones, muscle and tendon injuries, hernias. Yet traditional hospitals are poorly equipped—structurally and staffwise—to treat them, especially those with behavioral challenges. Most hospital personnel have little or no experience working with such patients.
Sacra Famiglia responds by offering dedicated services. Our dental clinic stands out as a real achievement: no one is turned away, and our dentists take whatever time each person needs. Sometimes that means several brief visits spread over weeks. In severe cases, we use our on-site surgical unit—essentially a hospital within Sacra Famiglia—and perform dental work under general anesthesia in the operating room.
Our eye clinic and ophthalmologic surgery represent another crucial excellence. Cataract procedures, often performed under anesthesia, transform vision for our residents. Access to a general surgery unit lets us schedule operations for even difficult cases without lengthy hospital stays, allowing people to recover in their own rooms while having quick, easy access to their surgeon if needed. Throughout our facility, the professionals who work here know how to relate to people with disabilities. This makes possible the care that the wider health system cannot provide.
Drawing on ministry guidelines and national and international best practices, our Foundation has created a protocol of routine screenings designed specifically for the people we serve. The health system doesn't recognize this as a specialized service, so it offers no separate funding for it—but it's central to our mission. The problem is straightforward: people with intellectual disabilities represent a distinct population that receives zero economic attention from the public health system. An operation under general anesthesia—often the only option for someone with a disability—costs far more than the same procedure under local anesthesia. Yet the regional reimbursement rate is identical.
Gianluca Giardini is Director of Health Services for Sacra Famiglia Foundation
Protocol Screenings
In-depth blood work, medical exams, ultrasounds, EKGs: the protocol Sacra Famiglia has developed includes a battery of medical tests that track the health of people who often cannot clearly communicate discomfort or pain—especially those no longer living with family.
These screenings happen at admission and then repeat on schedules set by established guidelines, according to age and gender. They include tests from national screening programs: Pap smears, mammograms, PSA checks for prostate health.
Because of our residents' particular needs, we weigh both the benefits and feasibility of every test, specialist visit, and procedure. We never skip what's medically necessary. Every staff member at Sacra Famiglia knows the protocol and acts on it.
