Meet Femke, our physiotherapist from the cereneo Home team. Before she started working at cereneo she already had 15 years of experience in physiotherapy, working with a neurological patients. Her interest in neurology started when someone in her family got Multiple Sclerosis. So she was in touch with neurorehabilitation from a young age, which later led her to study health sciences with a focus on neurology where she also got a master’s degree in. Originally aiming to become a doctor, she found it very hard to enter medical school in the Netherlands due to limited availability. After three attempts, she chose to become a physiotherapist instead. She now believes that it was the best choice because it lets her work even closer with patients and build a stronger and more personal bond with them.
Femke’s first assignment
On Femke’s first assignment, she spent four weeks with a German-speaking patient, which improved her own German language skills. This was during the holiday season, which allowed her to experience local traditions with the patient and her family. Femke helped her to further improve her lost functions allowing the patient to return to normal life and her favorite leisure activities.
How cereneo Home works
The cereneo Home services are tailored to continue the care for patients after they leave the clinic. When the inpatient rehabilitation comes to an end, doctors discuss continues therapy with patients like the option to be accompanied home by a therapist or nurse, to continue therapy at home or to do therapy online. Like impatient rehabilitation our Home services are tailored for the patients specific needs and goals. We plan everything beforehand, like who will accompany the patient back home, what kind of therapy is needed and the intensity. In addition, we also organize a local therapist, if the patient does not already have one.
Traveling Home – accompanying a patient home
Our job takes us all around the world, accompanying patients back to their homes. Usually we support patients in travelling as they might be nervous or unsecure about going home alone if their family or friends can’t join them or are even unable to do so on their own. We help the patient during the travel. This is important, especially if airport or airline staff are not as sensitive or simply do not care for them as needed.
Therapy @Home – continuing therapy
Home therapy has three main parts. First is the actual therapy, where we have to be creative and use things that are already available in the home and are used for daily living or sometimes buy aiding tools to support patients in their independence at home. We also ‘train the trainer’ by teaching new therapists or family members to support the patient’s recovery. Another part of the job is to check the patient’s home and make changes if needed, like adding ramps for wheelchair access, to make sure the home is safe and easy for the patient to live as independent as possible.
Not only travel
Femke doesn’t always travel. Sometimes, she is in Amsterdam, working in the office, developing the cereneo Home services, working on projects and doing online-Therapy. Every eight weeks, she comes to one of the the clinics in Switzerland to work with patients and to have an exchange with other therapists.
