Rehabilitation Program For People Research Articles

Impact of a sports and rehabilitation program on perception of quality of life in people with visual impairments

IntroductionThe aim of the research was to determine the influence degree of a sports and rehabilitation program on perception of quality of life among people with visual impairments.MethodsTheoretical analysis, sociological methods (SF-36, 36-item Short Form Health Survey), pedagogical experiment, mathematical and statistical methods were applied. The research involved 34 people with visual impairments, who were divided into 3 groups, depending on the level of their visual impairment.ResultsIt has been figured out that the perception of quality of life in people with visual impairments depends on the level of their vision loss. Among the blind, the perception is significantly lower (p < 0.05) than with moderate or severe visual impairment. A comparison of the evaluation results (with the SF-36 questionnaire) before and after the experiment allowed to determine the impact of the authors’ program on the perception of quality of life in people with visual impairment.ConclusionsA sports and rehabilitation program for people with visual impairments has been created. The program stipulates the fulfilment of rehabilitation tasks as well as tasks of sports training. It preconditions intensive sports training in the future. The implementation of the sports and rehabilitation program has been proved effective (<i>p</i> < 0.05) for the perception of quality of life in people with visual impairments.

Клинико-социальные и психологические аспекты реабилитационной работы в общественной организации: оценка эффективности

The purpose was to evaluate effectiveness of complex long-term psychosocial rehabilitation program for people with mental disorders which was developed and implemented by regional charity public organization «Family and Mental Health». Material : the main group consisted of 50 patients with schizophrenia and other schizophrenia spectrum disorders who actively took part in the program. The group of comparison included 106 dispensary patients who did not participate in any of the rehabilitation programs. Methods : evaluation process was based on clinical-psychopathological inspection as well as psychometric (PANSS, PSP, URICA, SF-36) and statistical methods. The design of the study defined the comparison of the main group characteristics with the dispensary patients. Population characteristics of quality of life (3344 people) and indicators of hardiness of healthy persons (330 people) were used for comparison with the main group. The results give the evidence that significant differences exist in groups of patients. The participation in rehabilitation program increased the number of compliant patients as well as was identified higher levels of motivation for drug and psychosocial treatment. Also the adaptive of behavioral coping strategies develops in the process of social rehabilitation. There was a statistically reliable decrease in the number of hospitalizations. The received characteristics of quality of life and hardiness of participants of rehabilitation program have allowed to reveal their peculiarities in comparison with healthy persons. Conclusion : the results of the study showed the effectiveness of complex long-term rehabilitation program developed in the public organization «Family and Mental Health». Public forms of care can be seen as an important part in the overall system of providing psychiatric care to people with chronic mental illnesses.

ANALYSIS OF THE ACTIVITY OF THE DOCTORAL COMMISSION OF LARGE HOSPITAL-POLYCLINIC ASSOCIATION ON THE REFERRAL OF PATIENTS TO MEDICAL-SOCIAL EXPERTISE

The peculiarity of the current stage of the development of medical and social expertise (MSE) is, first of all, the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Russian Federation. An attempt to ensure the participation of citizens with restrictions in activities in the civil, political, social and cultural life of the society required significant changes and additions to the regulatory and legislative framework of the Russian Federation that regulates various aspects of the life of Russian citizens. Changes in regulatory and legislative acts increase the role and importance of medical organizations in MSE in terms of establishing and formulating a medical diagnosis of the patient, determining the nature and persistence of disorders of the body’s functions, developing and implementing intra-institutional rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities. In this regard, it is important to take into account the readiness of medical organizations to respond promptly to changes in expert legislation and to make contributions into the provision of the continuity, consistency, succession and complexity of the expert - rehabilitation process. The purpose of this study was to identify the main trends in the work of disability evaluation boards of medical organizations on the example of a large hospital-polyclinic association for the referral of patients for MSE. It was succeed to clarify out that to date the procedure for referral citizens to MSE in the association is well managed, targeted at individuals, both of senior and middle ages and their need for examination, taking into account results of rehabilitation. During the period of observation, there was noted the gain in the number of people referred for MSE, mainly at the expense of persons referred for the reassessment, which is related both with the severity of the contingent appealing to the organization and using modern treatment technologies requiring a long rehabilitation period and with the accumulation of a contingent disabled people. Therefore, in examination persons of the older age group, the participation of geriatricians will probably be necessary.

Professional activation and rehabilitation program for people with mental disorders

Professional activation and rehabilitation program for people with mental disorders

Influência da realidade virtual sobre a dor, fadiga, capacidade funcional e qualidade de vida na fibromialgia: estudo de caso

Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito da Realidade Virtual (RV) associado a exercicios fisicos na qualidade de vida, fadiga, niveis de dor e capacidade funcional em uma mulher com Fibromialgia (FM). Metodos: Trata-se de um estudo de caso que avaliou uma paciente com diagnostico de FM, antes e apos a intervencao com a RV associada a pratica de exercicios fisicos. Os instrumentos de avaliacao utilizadas foram: Questionario de Impacto da Fibromialgia, Questionario de Capacidade Funcional, a Escala Visual analogica de Dor, Escala de Pensamento catastrofico sobre a dor, Escala de severidade da fadiga e avaliacao do limiar de dor a pressao sobre os 18 tender points por meio de um algometro de pressao digital. O tratamento ocorreu durante 6 semanas, com 2 sessoes de tratamento por semana, totalizando 12 sessoes. Resultados: O estudo proposto mostrou que o tratamento associado a RV promoveu uma melhora no impacto da FM na qualidade de vida da voluntaria, uma diminuicao na catastrofizacao da dor e uma diminuicao da fadiga. Tambem foi possivel notar uma melhora no limiar de dor a pressao em 16 tender points. Conclusao: Um programa de reabilitacao para pessoas com FM que envolva a RV somado a pratica de exercicios fisicos contribuiu para melhora dos aspectos cognitivo e fisico. A associacao destas duas terapias foi benefica, uma vez que estimulos cognitivos e a pratica de uma atividade fisica foi capaz de promover melhora na funcao, na fadiga, na qualidade de vida e na percepcao de dor desses.

Dietary intervention for people with mental illness in South Australia.

People with serious mental illness (SMI) have a 25-30 year lower life expectancy than the general population due largely to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Mediterranean diet can reduce CVD risk and repeat events by 30-70%. We conducted a pilot feasibility study (HELFIMED) with people who have SMI residing within a Community Rehabilitation Centre in South Australia, aimed at improving participants' diets according to Mediterranean diet principles. During a 3-month intervention, participants were provided with nutrition education, food hampers, and twice-weekly cooking workshops and guided shopping trips. This report presents the results of a mixed method evaluation of the programme using thorough in-depth interviews with participants and support staff (n = 20), contextualized by changes in dietary biomarkers and CVD risk factors. The framework thematic analysis revealed evidence of improvements in participants' knowledge of and intake of the key elements of a Mediterranean-style diet (fruit and vegetables, olive oil, fish, legumes), reduction in poor nutrition habits (soft drinks, energy drinks, take away meals) and development of independent living skills-culinary skills such as food preparation and cooking based on simple recipes, food shopping and budgeting, healthy meal planning and social interaction. These changes were supported by dietary biomarkers, and were associated with reduced CVD risk factors. A Mediterranean diet-based pilot study achieved positive change in dietary behaviours associated with CVD risk for participants with SMI. This supports a need to include dietary education and cooking skills into rehabilitation programmes for people with SMI.

Systematic review of chronic pain in persons with Marfan syndrome.

The purpose of this study was to explore the literature on chronic pain in adults with Marfan syndrome (MFS), critically appraising and synthesizing relevant literature. A systematic review was conducted by searching the published literature databases using available medical, physical, psychological, social databases and other sources. All studies that addressed pain in MFS, published in peer-reviewed journals were assessed. Of 351 search results, 18 articles satisfied the eligibility criteria. All studies were cross-sectional and quantitative; no randomized controlled trials or intervention studies were found. Most studies had small sample sizes, low response rates and mainly dealt with other aspects of the diagnosis than pain. Only one article dealt mainly with pain. The research on chronic pain in MFS is limited in size and quality. Despite these limitations, studies describe that the prevalence of pain in patients with MFS is high, varying from 47 to 92% and affecting several anatomic sites. In addition, chronic pain limits daily function and few studies describe treatment options for pain in patients with MFS. Research is needed to obtain more evidence-based knowledge for developing more appropriate rehabilitation programs for people with MFS.

The relationship between perceived injustice and the working alliance: a cross-sectional study of patients with persistent pain attending multidisciplinary rehabilitation

Purpose: Accumulating research suggests that perceived injustice is a risk factor for adverse recovery following painful injury. Presently, however, little is known about the processes by which perceived injustice influences rehabilitation outcomes. It is plausible that perceived injustice and associated anger impact rehabilitation outcomes by compromising the quality of the therapeutic working alliance; however, research has not previously examined the relationship between perceived injustice and the working alliance. Therefore, the present study investigated the association between perceived injustice, anger, and the working alliance.Methods: Sixty-six patients with persistent pain following musculoskeletal injury participated in this study. All participants were enrolled in a standardized multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme. Participants completed self-report measures of perceived injustice, pain intensity, disability, anger intensity and regulation style, depressive symptoms, and a measure of the working alliance with their principal rehabilitation clinician. Each participant’s principal clinician also completed the working alliance measure.Results: Greater perceptions of injustice were associated with poorer client ratings of the working alliance. Results also showed that anger expression mediated the association between perceived injustice and the working alliance.Conclusion: Strategies to enhance the working alliance between rehabilitation professionals and clients with elevated levels of perceived injustice are needed.Implications for RehabilitationPerceived injustice is associated with poor progress in rehabilitation programmes for people with musculoskeletal pain following injury.Perceived injustice is negatively associated with the quality of the therapeutic working alliance.Strategies to enhance the working alliance between rehabilitation professionals and clients with elevated levels of perceived injustice are needed.

199. Development of an Online Exercise-Based Rehabilitation Programme for People with Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

199. Development of an Online Exercise-Based Rehabilitation Programme for People with Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

Associations between socio-demographic factors, encounters with healthcare professionals and perceived ability to return to work in people sick-listed due to heart failure in Sweden: a cross-sectional study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between socio-demographic factors, experiences of positive/negative encounters with healthcare professionals, and the encounters' impact on the ability to return to work in a population of people on sick leave due to heart failure. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data were collected from two official registries in Sweden and from a postal questionnaire. In all, 590 people with heart failure responded to the questionnaire. Associations between variables were calculated with bivariate correlation analyses and logistic regression analyses. Results: For people on sick leave due to heart failure, positive encounters with healthcare professionals are associated with being Swedish-born, female gender, and high income. People with high income are more likely to be supported back to work by positive encounters with healthcare professionals. To perceive that healthcare professionals believe in person's ability to return to work can be facilitating. Conclusions: Women, people who are not foreign-born, and people with high income are more likely to perceive encounters with healthcare professionals as positive. Healthcare professionals who work with rehabilitation for people with heart failure need to be aware of social inequalities and that being on sick leave is a process of change.Implications for RehabilitationA failing heart limits everyday life implying risk for long-term sick leave. Even though there are rehabilitation programs for people with heart failure, vocational rehabilitation is often over-looked. The knowledge about factors associated with sick leave due to heart failure is scarce.Experiences of positive encounters with healthcare professionals were associated with being Swedish-born, female gender, and high income. People with high income were more likely to be supported back to work by positive encounters with healthcare professionals.Healthcare professionals who work with rehabilitation for people with heart failure can support patients with heart failure by showing them confidence and trust. However, they need to be aware that sick leave implies a process of change.

Peculiarities of physical rehabilitation of adult persons with vertebral artery syndrome

Specific procedures of rehabilitation of persons with cervical osteochondrosis, oblique muscle of head syndrome, impaired vertebrobasilar circulation and vertebral artery syndrome, which were combined into a comprehensive program of physical rehabilitation, have been considered. The study involved 27 patients aged 25–50 years, who were divided into experimental and control groups, one of which adhered to our methodology. Indices of health improvement have been found to be significantly higher in experimental group. Presented material demonstrates the effectiveness of complex rehabilitation program for people with cervical osteochondrosis complicated by vertebral artery syndrome.

Hearing Aids and the Brain

At the heart of most rehabilitation programs for people with hearing loss is the use of amplification. The purpose of hearing aid amplification is to improve a person's access to sound. Depending on the degree and configuration of the individual's hearing loss, the hearing aid is tasked with increasing sound levels at different frequency regions to ensure that incoming speech frequencies are reaching the ear at sufficient levels to compensate for the individual's hearing loss. However, a perceptual event is dependent not only on the audibility of the signal at the level of the ear, but also on how that sound is biologically coded, integrated, and used. As described by Tremblay and Miller in this special issue, this complex ear-brain neural network system starts with sound leaving the hearing aid. At this stage the acoustics of the amplified signal has been altered by the hearing aid. It is this modified signal that is being encoded at subsequent stages of processing: the ear, brainstem, midbrain, and the cortex. The integrity of the signal, and the biological codes, are therefore assumed to contribute to the resultant perceptual event and it is for this reason that the brain can be considered an essential component to rehabilitation. Yet, little is known about how the brain processes amplified sound or how it contributes to perception and the successful use of hearing aid amplification (see Figure 1).

AsTeRICS: a new flexible solution for people with motor disabilities in upper limbs and its implication for rehabilitation procedures

Purpose: To present the AsTeRICS construction set, and examine different combinations of sensors installed in the platform and how users interact with them. Method: Nearly 50 participants from Austria, Poland and Spain were included in the study. They had a heterogeneous range of diagnoses, but as a common feature all of them experienced motor limitations in their upper limbs. The study included a 1 h session with each participant where the user interacted with a personalized combination of sensors, based on a previous assessment on their motor capabilities performed by healthcare professionals. The sensors worked as substitutes for a standard QWERTY keyboard and a standard mouse. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain participants’ opinions. All collected data were analyzed based on the qualitative methodology. Results: The findings illustrated that AsTeRICS is a flexible platform whose sensors can adapt to different degrees of users’ motor capabilities, thus facilitating in most cases the interaction of the participants with a common computer. Conclusion: AsTeRICS platform can improve the interaction between people with mobility limitations and computers. It can provide access to new technologies and become a promising tool that can be integrated in physical rehabilitation programs for people with motor disabilities in their upper limbs.Implications for RehabilitationThe AsTeRICS platform offers an interesting tool to interface and support the computerized rehabilitation program of the patients.Due to AsTeRICS platform high usability features, family and rehabilitation professionals can learn how to use the AsTeRICS platform quickly fostering the key role of their involvement on patients’ rehabilitation.AsTeRICS is a flexible, extendable, adaptable and affordable technology adapted for using computer, environmental control, mobile phone, rehabilitation programs and mechatronic systems.AsTeRICS makes possible an easy reconfiguration and integration of new functionalities, such as biofeedback rehabilitation, without major changes in the system.

Stress rehabilitation through garden therapy: The garden as a place in the recovery from stress

In a rehabilitation programme for people with stress disorder, a garden room can be an important ingredient. Stress disorder has been the most common cause of sick leave in Sweden since the 1990s. The study is about the therapeutic role of nature in the form of a garden, as participants experienced it during the recovery process. The research subjects were on sick leave due to stress related symptoms and took part in rehabilitation at the Alnarp Rehabilitation Garden in southern Sweden. The article is based on interviews with five participants who describe their experiences of garden therapy and what they perceive as essential for their recovery. The garden was associated with many positive experiences of interacting with people and greenery and perceived as a safe and useful arena in their recovery. The participants described how nature affords positive sensory experiences, physical and psychological well-being, but also how nature and the garden facilitate beneficial social interactions with other participants and caregivers. Importance was also allocated to the symbolism of nature as associated to one's own growth and the passing of time. They conceptualised the recovery process as initiated by more traditional forms of therapies but reinforced and consolidated by the access to nature and the garden rooms. In a dynamic psychological perspective on place, the study illustrates the potential role of using nature as a venue to facilitate self-regulation of physiological, psychological and social needs.

Living with polio and postpolio syndrome in the United Kingdom

The term Postpolio Syndrome (PPS) is used to describe new and late manifestations of poliomyelitis that occur later in life in polio survivors. Polio had been eradicated in the United Kingdom (UK) and most of Europe, although this is not the case in all countries. Research in this area has tended to focus upon the impact of polio and PPS on health status and functional health rather than its overall effect on people's lives. This study's two main aims were to explore the ways in which polio and PPS in the UK has affected the respondents' lives and to ascertain their views about how the quality of life could be improved. The two questions were as follows: (1) How has the health of people with polio and PPS affected their quality of life? (2) What would people with polio and PPS change to improve their quality of life? Deductive content analysis using existing qualitative data from a cross-sectional survey of 336 returned questionnaires from persons with polio and PPS was carried out. The average age of the participants was 54 years. Our research found that polio survivors valued social occupations and participation in family life. Our research has also shown that healthcare professionals still do not understand polio and PPS and this lack of understanding influences their clients' quality of life. Finances and accessibility of environments also influence participation in chosen occupations. Rehabilitation programmes for people with polio and PPS need to be targeted towards maintaining and improving accessible environments and participation in chosen occupations, and healthcare professionals need to ensure that persons with polio and PPS are referred to persons with specific expertise in this area.

Community-Based Rehabilitation Following Brain Injury: Comparison of a Transitional Living Program and a Home-Based Program

Background and aims: Community-based rehabilitation programs for people with a brain injury are diverse. Comparative program evaluation is required to identify optimal type, intensity and duration of programs. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two community-based rehabilitation programs using a set of standardised outcome measures.Methods: The study used a quantitative, multicentre, longitudinal design. Persons with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI,n= 39) and acquired brain impairment (n= 2) were recruited from two residential, transitional living programs (TLU;n= 21) and two home-based community rehabilitation programs (CR;n= 20). Participants were assessed via interview at program entry, 2 months and 6 months later using a broad range of standardised measures. The quantity and types of intervention provided to study participants were recorded. Results: No significant differences were identified between the TLU and CR groups at baseline or 6-month follow-up. Two significant group-by-time interactions were identified on the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ). First, the CR group had significantly greater changes in productivity (p= .003;d= 1.0) compared to the TLU group over time; by contrast, the TLU group showed significantly greater improvements in social integration (p= .007;d= .86). The TLU participants received up to five times more intervention than the CR participants. This finding is significant considering the similar levels of improvement in function made by both TLU and CR participants.Conclusions: Both TLU and CR groups improved on a range of measures. The TLU group however, received significantly more face-to-face interventions. Further examination of the relationship between participant contextual factors, such as coping style and self-esteem, and impairments such as challenging behaviour and decreased self-awareness, of people attending TLU and CR programs is required.

Does attendance at a multidisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation program for people with Parkinson's disease produce quantitative short term or long term improvements? A systematic review

A systematic review was conducted of the evidence for the effectiveness of the outcomes from treatment by multidisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation programs which were provided by more than one allied health or nursing discipline for people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). The search yielded only 4 studies ranging from poor to good quality, on the outcomes of multidisciplinary rehabilitation. There were no available random controlled trials on short term outcomes although some limited evidence from lower quality studies suggested significant short term gains are achieved in gait speed and step length. No consistent evidence is available for other outcome measures. From the available evidence for longer term outcomes over a period of 4-6 months post intervention the improvements in outcome measures for gait are not significant. The results of this systematic review suggest that there is limited evidence to suggest short term gains in outcomes for people with PD attending multidisciplinary programs but over a 4-6 month period these gains are no longer significant. Overall, there is very limited high level evidence available to show whether multidisciplinary out-patient programs produce effective, either short or long term, outcomes for PD and further research is needed.

SIMREB – towards a systematic inquiry into models for rehabilitation

Systematic Inquiry into Models for Rehabilitation (SIMREB) is a framework for designing evaluations of rehabilitation models specifically intended for persons who are only to a limited extent regarded as being capable to speak for themselves and who, therefore, are often entrusted to a professional assessment of their needs. The article identifies the general elements in this model. By looking at both the epistemological level and the practice level from a professional as well as a user perspective the model taps into discourse analysis, institutional ethnography and a wide tradition of evaluation research. The article uses an evaluation of a rehabilitation programme for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) as an example to illustrate the different elements of the SIMREB model.

Reducing social isolation in people with mental illness: the role of the psychiatrist

To determine the level of social isolation and the nature of close relationships among people with mental illness in contact with SANE Australia, and to assess the role of the psychiatrist in assisting in the reduction of social isolation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 76 carers and 182 consumers via SANE Australia's helpline service, website or face-to-face during February and March 2005. Loneliness and social exclusion are major issues for Australians with mental illness who are in contact with SANE Australia. Almost three out of four respondents said that they, or the person they care for, experienced loneliness often, if not all the time. Consumers who attended psychosocial rehabilitation services regularly were more content with their close relationships than those who did not. Psychiatrists were identified as one of the preferred points of referral for psychosocial rehabilitation services. The separation between clinical treatment services and psychosocial rehabilitation programmes for people with mental illness has created a system that is fragmented and makes it easy for consumers to 'fall through the net'. For these reasons, there should be greater collaboration between psychosocial and clinical services. This will encourage psychiatrists to refer people to community programmes.

Linkages Between Goal Attainment and Quality of Life for Individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Goal setting was the cornerstone of a rehabilitation program for people with chronic fatigue syndrome. This study examines the relationship between goal attainment and quality of life. Participants (N = 47) set goals over eight supportive and educational group sessions. Group members reported goal progress and confidence level for goal attainment. Using a forward, stepwise linear regression analysis, goal attainment emerged as the only significant predictor of quality of life improvement (B = 0.234, 95% CI for B: 0.050 to 0.419, SE = 0.091, β = 0.372, p <. 05) independently of fatigue severity, symptom severity, and comorbid psychiatric diagnosis.