Technology plays an ever-increasing indelible role in our modern lives. Just as our phones and televisions are enhanced by new technological advancements, so does neurorehabilitation from brain injuries benefit in a similar fashion.
Technological advances and applications for that new technology in rehabilitation come from different sources. There has been a steady improvement in proprietary technologies catering to therapists and doctors who treat individuals with brain injuries. These new technologies aid in a wide range of therapies, from helping a patient to re-learn swallowing skills to improving gait training. Two common such examples can be seen in a patient working on a task while wearing electrodes to stimulate particular muscle groups or one walking laps while a programmable hoist unloads a percentage of that patient’s body weight.
Separately but related, most patients now integrate smart phones, Ipads, tablets and other such technology into their daily lives. These items can be very useful in compensating for certain deficits. For instance, many patients use their smart phones to keep track of their schedules and to program reminder alarms for daily activities. There are numerous speech apps that can be downloaded to Ipads which enable patients to engage in more effective communication with others. The cameras now included as feature of virtually every cell phone and tablet PC prove useful in compensating for deficits in visual memory.
These new technological advances benefit patients in multiple ways. Many of these technologies enhance the effectiveness of therapies. This brings greater success in individual therapies and thus in overall rehabilitation. Other technologies provide new ways to compensate for deficits. This helps reduce the lasting impact of injuries on patients’ daily lives. Additionally, patients enjoy certain technologies that can make the daily work of therapies feel more fun or interesting. This helps keep patients motivated in those therapies. The pertinent role of the therapist is to identify which technologies will benefit which particular patient as each patient is different both in therapy needs and in personal comfort level with new technologies.
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