You lose your ability to speak, and you lose the use of a limb. We don’t know each other anymore. Trauma that follows an attack of stroke or after neurovegetative diseases affects the person and the entire family. but There is a branch of rehabilitation medicine that aims to restore some function, a normal life, or at least a new balance. The specialist talked about it Massimo Ianelli, Neurologist, Head of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rovigo Nursing Home (Pederzoli Group) in the bi-monthly column “Health by Your Side,” which airs on Delta Radio on Mondays at 1 p.m.
It is a branch of rehabilitation that works where there seems to be no hope.
How does the life of a person with the disease change?
“A patient who discovers that he has a neurological problem radically changes his life. Obviously everything depends on the disease – said Iannelli – there are diseases that also affect the nervous system from an infectious point of view, and then there are neurodegenerative diseases. However, rehabilitation is important and different nuances of intervention can be provided depending on the need.”
The rehabilitation process in case of serious seizures begins from the hospital wards. Here the health company determines the rehabilitation path that also includes the patient and his family.
Initial trauma in the family
“The event was like an earthquake in the family. Family members often receive information from the departments – says the expert – but we notice that they do not have full awareness of what happened and what the future expectations are. For this reason, we have different working tools. There is a special team, typical of rehabilitation, In which we also tend to include family members and caregivers available for individual and group interviews in which we explain the goals to be achieved and the projects to proceed. A course of seminars is also offered in the nursing home in which we address all issues, from explaining the disability to How to intervene, as well as address bureaucratic problems.”
Caregiver education
Therefore, rehabilitation is a precise and essential path to finding new balances and improving the quality of life. “The caregiver and operators learn to do what is necessary for home care. The important thing is to gain the trust of patients to reduce the anxiety experienced by family members that is transmitted to the patient. We lead family members and patients to awareness and acceptance.”
Never replace yourself
The so-called caregiver, who may suffer from “burnout”, that is, a state of chronic and constant stress, linked to the context in which he lives, must take the place of the patient. “Those who help – says Iannelli – are accompanied through bureaucratic procedures, especially in the case of elderly patients. Family members must learn not to replace the patient because returning home must be a rehabilitative moment to be appreciated. We are there even if you notice the problem of fatigue among family members”.
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