PUNE: Chinchwad-based physiotherapist Dr Rucha Akolkar and her husband Anket Akolkar are making footwear made of grass for elderly patients who undergo knee replacement and kids who have sensory processing problems.
Rucha said, “As a physiotherapist, I often see patients who undergo knee replacement as well as children with a sensory disorder and I used to suggest them to walk on grass as it is beneficial for them.”
She revealed that one of her patients had bought grass footwear from Dubai, as such things are very common outside India.”
“There are limitations for some patients as gardens are not available everywhere which is why we decided to make grass footwear,” she added.
She also mentioned that the ‘grass footwear’ is sensory footwear as it has a different texture and can help both adults and children with any kind of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). She revealed that it is made of artificial grass.
FOR CHILDREN
“This artificial grass footwear is sensory footwear with texture which helps in building motor planning, directionality, tactile discrimination skills, proprioception and spatial awareness. It is fun for all kids but especially useful for children with SPD as in Autism, ADHD, etc. The footwear helps in organising body movements which are impaired in kids with SPD. They help to keep calm and override the tactile irritation in many children with SPD,” Rucha added.
Rucha also mentioned that the footwear helps adults by improving somatosensory inputs which are altered in diabetes, arthritis, varicose, etc., and helps in pre and post-knee replacement surgeries by improving proprioceptive and kinaesthetic senses which is present in the muscles perceived through various senses.
Her husband’s start-up ‘Moody Tods’ was launched recently that focuses on making skills and activity-based toys for specially-abled children.
Anket Akolkar, an engineer turned entrepreneur, said about the slipper, “The design of the grass footwear helps patients with the neurological disorder a lot. It is a simple product but can benefit a lot to people. We have launched this on our website and in a couple of weeks, it will be available on the e-commerce website as well.”