Coronavirus is currently dominating the headlines, and quite understandably many of our patients and their relatives are concerned about the situation. We spoke to Prof. Dr. med. Andreas R. Luft, Medical Director at cereneo Schweiz AG, to learn more about what it means for our patients, the importance of continuing neurorehabilitation treatment, the rehabilitation needs of COVID-19 patients as well as the precautionary measures that our clinic itself is taking.
Why should you (re)start rehabilitation now?
Most stroke survivors with neurological deficits in for example movement, speech, thinking, memory or swallowing, get worse without continuous maintenance therapy. This has different reasons: the prominent being the so-called »disuse» or »underuse» phenomenon. Another reason is that without the correction by a therapist, wrong movements can be entrained which leads to higher muscle tension or joint pain.
For patients that have experienced a stroke, it’s extremely important to continue their rehabilitation in order to avoid deterioration of functions and to aim for the best possible recovery.
What do you mean by »the disuse phenomenon» and what consequences does this have?
»Disuse» signifies that parts of the brain are reprogrammed whenever they are not used. This begins already a few hours after patients stop their treatment and leads to more disability. Since post-stroke patients with disabilities frequently require maintenance therapy to avoid any deterioration in their condition, it is important to choose a personalised and tailored rehabilitation programme and continue the treatment.
How can cereneo help you?
We always do everything to find the best solution for each patient. cereneo offers a number of different ways to prevent the disuse and wrong entrainment problem. Together with patients we make arrangements for:
— an inpatient stay at our neurorehabilitation clinic in Switzerland
— a therapist coming to your home and continue therapy in a home environment
— to receive personal assistance and guidance from our telerehabilitation specialist over the internet with your iPad or laptop at home.
In addition, we have developed a specific interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for COVID-19 patients working closely with a Pulmonologist. Previously only identified as a respiratory disease, COVID-19 patients also display neurological effects and symptoms such as stroke, the involuntary loss of consciousness or breathing, and even the loss of smell and taste.
The most effective way for patients is certainly to come to our clinic: we can help you to organise individual travel arrangements and take the right measures for you and your family to reach us safely.
How is cereneo specifically addressing the challenges caused by COVID-19?
cereneo is constantly evaluating the current developments and health authority guidelines to ensure your safety. Our precautionary measures include safety equipment like masks, gowns and goggles, all scale testing and isolation of new patients when needed. As a result, you can continue your treatment at cereneo, follow your neurorehabilitation programme as normal and take advantage of our flexible treatment solutions.
