Nonverbal Communication and Telerehabilitation

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to show the importance of nonverbal communication in the telerehabilitation field. Examples showing the relevance of nonverbal communication are provided for a number of nonverbal areas, particularly the monitoring of the patient’s vital signs (vitalics), the physical appearance of the patient (organismics, cosmetics, and costuming), touch (haptics), body movements and postures (kinesics), facial characteristics and expressions (personics), voice (vocalics), time (chronemics), and space (proxemics). Stressed in the chapter is that both verbal and nonverbal messages are important in the therapeutic endeavor. The verbal tells, while the nonverbal shows. The vigilant therapist is always looking for any contradictions between verbal and nonverbal messages during therapy sessions. It is stressed that many off-the-shelf gaming products have made telerehabilitation sessions more visible, more affordable, and more motivating for patients.