Česky
Apply specific hand pressure to the screen to control the flow of an animated house on fire, or practice concentration and short-term memory as the patient tries to figure out which vegetables are missing. These tasks seem simple enough, yes, for a healthy person they are. However, for someone trying to get back to life after a serious injury or even a coronavirus infection, this is an excellent rehabilitation tool.
"When a person has to lift their arm 40 times, they don't really enjoy it. But if he concentrates on the task that this interactive board gives him and gets absorbed in it, he suddenly exercises his arm without thinking about it directly," explained Pavla Košková, the head occupational therapist.
We are talking about the currently very popular MYRO device, which through an interactive screen helps to restore the motor functions of a flaccid arm or to revive or restore feeling in the hand. Brain functions can also be trained. "The therapy can target gross and fine motor skills of the hand, coordination of movements, muscle strength, as well as cognitive disorders such as concentration or attention that arise in patients with neurological disorders," Košková explained.
The interactive whiteboard is also suitable for patients who have undergone covid. "The device is also widely used for the rehabilitation of post-covid patients who often come to us with cognitive deficits such as memory, attention, spatial perception or executive functions related to planning," said Pavla Košková.
The device has a wide range of applications and its use is limited only by the necessary basic ability to operate a computer.
"Rehabilitation on the device is recommended by a doctor and in the beginning we first try it with the patient to see if he is suitable for it. For example, it is limited by age, when it is necessary to know basic computer skills. So, for example, it would certainly not be ideal for an 80-year-old grandmother who is not very good with computers. For young people it is something else and it is an interesting motivation. Patients come in daily and the length of the session is between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the severity of the problem," said the occupational therapist.
The hospital bought the device at the beginning of the year. Since then, they have tested its capabilities intensively and now it is a full-fledged part of occupational therapy. But the pandemic still limits full operation. "We are still limited by the covid. In other words, inpatients are using the machine regularly. But the outpatient clinics are still operating in restricted areas, so unfortunately it is now impossible for everyone to use the device," mentioned Pavla Košková.
The length and results of therapy are very individual. "If you have two people with the same disability, they will both heal and rehabilitate differently, whether it is a post-surgical condition or a stroke. So it differs very significantly," explained Pavla Košková, adding that all costs for rehabilitation on the MYRO device are fully covered by health insurance.
Radek Kaša, Berounský deník, 20 September 2021
