Pretty excited my wife and I start into this vacation, because for three years it is the first that we make again without a camper. Our journey starts right at the apartment door, with the S-Bahn to the airport.

Barrier-free room? Of course!

Key West - The drive over the bridges of the Overseas Highway, right through the ocean, is spectacular. At the hotel we have a déjà vu, because chickens and a rooster march across the parking lot. This reminds us of the island of Kauaii, there these animals also just run around freely. Many questions simply do not arise in the USA. Barrier-free room, wheelchair accessible shuttle bus - of course! This lack of worry is almost unusual and contributes to the fact that real relaxation spreads in the vacation.

We don't just hop from hotel to hotel, but always seek out adventures, like the Everglades Safari Park. Again, it's a moment when it strikes me as extraordinarily positive that everything is normal. It is normal for a person in a wheelchair to want to ride in a propeller boat. It is normal that I can look at everything in this park, without stairs and steps. It's normal that there is a handicapped accessible restroom. All of this makes it incredibly easy to marvel at the nature of the Everglades, which is so unique. The alligators, the many birds and the wonderful plants with water everywhere.

Miami - With its glossy facades, it is the stark contrast. Ocean Drive in the famous Art Deco style is a special attraction at dusk and at night. Florida shows itself in the most colorful colors.

On Black Friday, of course, you go to the mall! Shopping until the credit card glows, from the Nike Store to Victoria Secrets and the Levi's store to the Oakley. It is just normal that even a person in a wheelchair moves in these crowds.

Guest in the "Rocket Garden"

I freaked out when I read a few days earlier that we would be able to see the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket live at the Kennedy Space Center. Rarely have I looked forward to an event so much. And again, it's just normal for a person with a wheelchair to come here, too.

You experience normalcy as something so special and totally relaxing at the same time. Past the "rocket garden" we go to a meadow where we have a clear view of the launch pad. We follow the countdown on the video wall, watch the engines ignite and a few moments later see the rocket rise into the cloudless sky. The Americans just know how to put on a good show, as evidenced by the other attractions here, like the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit.

If someone had told me in 2019 that I could savor the Kennedy Space Center or two days of Disney World like this, I would have outright called them crazy at the time. What's almost crazy to me is the fun I was able to have at Disney World. No day in the Magic Kingdom is allowed to end without fireworks. There is even a separate area with a clear view of the illuminated Disney Castle and the spectacle in the sky.

My tip: Buy souvenirs during the day, after the fireworks, the stores are totally crowded and the lines at the cash registers endless.

Without the wheelchair, I would never have been able to experience everything on this vacation, let alone enjoy it so much. If you want to go on vacation in a wheelchair, the USA is a real tip. It's too good just to be normal.

This was the personal travel report of Matthias Fuchs from the Guidzter.com team. You can meet him and other guides at REHAB. Here he presents his travel experiences live.

You can find the press release in German version here!

You can find the press release in German version here!

You can find the press release in German version here!

You can find the press release in German version here!

“Evidence-based paediatric therapy is not really possible”, says Dr Kristina Müller. This is because comparable progressions happen too rarely for randomised studies. Despite this, the neuropaediatric specialist has chosen to focus on precisely this topic in her presentation at the CON.THERA interdisciplinary therapy conference taking place alongside REHAB in Karlsruhe. But why?

Technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI) are easing the rehabilitation process for youngsters by making the many necessary repetitions fun and exciting. This helps the brain learn and pushes it to improve performance. The fun factor is vital here. Robot-supported electronic training equipment boosts motivation, allowing patients to continue their exercises properly at home after leaving the hospital. “But it’s early days yet, there is a very long way to go”, says Dr Müller.

Gait robot relieves therapists

Robotic gait orthoses and other training devices are already relieving therapists so that they can focus on individual patient needs. Sharing neurological knowledge and research results, as well as an evidence-based approach through observation, are also essential parts of training for therapists. That is why the CON.THERA conference is open to all disciplines and professions involved in the therapeutic process. “Although training is becoming much more academic, practical knowledge and the human element are at least just as important in creating gifted therapists.”

Useful links:

• Presentation of PD Dr Kristina Müller at the CON.THERA conference on Friday 16 June from 2.30 to 3.15 pm
• Information on evidence-based medicine from the German Federal Ministry of Health (in German
• Paediatric rehabilitation at the Mauritius-Therapieklinik in Meerbusch (in German)
• Information for families from the Alliance for Child and Youth Rehabilitation (in German)
• Information and support for aids provision – rehaKIND e.V. _ The International Support Association for Child and Youth Rehabilitation at REHAB in Hall 3, Stand N18 and at www.rehakind.com

It is therefore essential that the environment in which these people live both enables the greatest degree of autonomy and provides as much support as possible to carers.

Homecare marketplace offers solutions

This subject will be the focus of the Homecare & Nursing marketplace at the 22nd REHAB trade fair in Karlsruhe from 15 to 17 June. Together with the Expertise Network for Outpatient Intensive Care (CNI) and the industry magazine beatmet leben published by hw-Studio Weber, the event will provide an overview of products and services that make life easier for people who require assistance, as well as the specialists and family members who care for them. A series of accompanying presentations by participating exhibitors will provide further information and support.

Sven Kübler from the board of the CNI explains: “Our presentations at REHAB will focus on reacting to the latest legislative developments. We will take a critical look at the implementation of Germany’s new Intensive Care and Rehabilitation Improvement Act (IPReG), for example, as well as the practical consequences for outpatient intensive care. One of the key focus areas at REHAB is care for children and young people. That is why our agenda will also look at their transition from youth to adulthood.”

One area in which the CNI and its members are particularly active is cutting bureaucracy in healthcare, a goal that the German government has agreed to pursue: “All parties recognise the pointlessness of follow-up prescriptions for aids for people who need these their entire lives. Once a need has been established, it will not go away. Patients, carers, providers, care services and medical professionals should not have to constantly worry about repeat prescriptions, as well as all the hassle that involves”, complains Kübler.

Visitors to REHAB will be able to discover and try out countless new and proven products that improve life at home for people receiving care. The mobile lifts in particular grant users freedom of movement throughout their own home, while protecting their back during transfer at any stage of life. With market leaders like SLK, Petermann, Liftstar, Liftec and handi-move all showcasing their products, visitors will get a complete overview of this diverse market. The aids are as unique as the people who require them, with static, drivable and rail-based solutions all available.

Useful links

• Legal information about structural measures for improving living environments (valid in Germany)
• Handbook for carers and relatives (in German)
• Foundation and support point for caregiving relatives in Germany
• Producers of living environment aids exhibiting at REHAB

You can find the press release in German version here!

You can find the press release in German version here!

Since 2018, there has been a special counseling service for people with disabilities and their relatives: the Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling (EUTB).

On their website, a dictionary provides support for all people interested in the self-determined participation of people with disabilities. The collection of terms it contains is intended to help people prepare better for a counseling interview, apply for benefits or better understand laws, but also to create awareness for the self-determined perception of interests with the clarification of terms.

Click HERE for the book

That is the idea behind the Klub der Alltagspioniere (everyday pioneers club). This is a community for collecting and sharing ideas that make life easier for people with disabilities. The community provides a platform for solutions from people who know what it is like to experience barriers in everyday life, encounter bureaucratic nightmares, have difficulty in gaining approval for living aids or who struggle to find suitable support for their own problems. The everyday life hacks are collected, organised into categories and presented on the website, social media and as useful videos on YouTube.

The club is a fast-growing community, and all people with chronic illnesses or disabilities are welcome to share their ideas. The beat way to do so is via email: hallo@alltagspioniere.de.

• More information about the community can be found HERE (German only)
• Want to know more about the everyday life hacks? Watch the videos on YouTube (German only)

In Germany, the focus on independent and autonomous activity was enshrined into law in 2020 with the Federal Participation Act (Bundesteilhabegesetz, BTHG). But in medicine, the change from seeing those affected as people in need of care to people capable of caring for themselves happened long ago.

Exhibitors present aids at REHAB

National and international manufacturers of living aids have risen to the challenges and responded with new technology throughout the period of the pandemic. The REHAB 2023 trade fair at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre will showcase a broad range of arm and hand mobility aids for users of all ages and with a variety of conditions.

The Gowing is a mechanical, flexible and tailor-made arm support that can be attached to any point on therapy chairs or furniture. It is also suitable for young children, helping them to perform tasks with friends of the same age and therefore gain independence.

Goal: Increase the quality of life

The Dowing is fitted with a motor and is designed for weaker patients. Despite the weight of the motor, the solution weighs less than the conventional robot arms that have been used to help patients with quadriplegia and muscle conditions for many years. Both products focus on using advanced technology to improve users’ quality of life and compensate for their disability.

Solutions like these all aim to grant users autonomy and independence, and therefore improve their quality of life. Germany’s Federal Participation Act places great emphasis on integrating affected people into everyday life and the workplace, regardless of their degree of impairment. It therefore also supports the people who need it most. Doctors and therapists involved in treatment must work together with users to determine needs in everyday life and participation. These requirements can then be used to select the right aid together with a medical supply store and apply for cost cover from the insurance provider.

All of the aforementioned aid products will be available to try out at the 22nd REHAB exhibition from 15 to 17 June 2023 at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre. This will take place alongside the CON.THERA Interdisciplinary Conference for Therapists, which will offer practical training and professional development to therapists and specialists in rehabilitative and orthopaedic technology.

• Information about Exxomove: HEREHERE
• More Informationen about HKK Bionics and its product: HERE
• Everything about the concept of Neofact: HERE
• The everyday aids from Kinova are available HERE

Neurorehabilitation aims to help patients with neurological conditions live as independently as possible through physical activities. Following diagnosis of the patient’s functional or social limitations, therapists can discuss the specific treatment goals with them. The aim here is to coordinate the entire interdisciplinary team of ergotherapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, neuropsychologists, care and social workers, doctors and orthopaedic technicians. Should a patient need rehabilitation and orthopaedic treatment, they can undergo a training course catered to their needs that uses three approaches:

1. Repeating simple activities over and over again teaches the brain to develop new structures and replace damaged ones.

2. Continuously adjusting the level of difficulty to the patient’s limits leads to improvements.

3. A series of varied training units that are practically focused on everyday life help to convince and motivate the patient.

Scientifically developed guidelines are changing neurorehabilitation, while those training the next generation of therapists are confronting persistent myths.

Customise wheelchairs

Willy Hagelstein is a wheelchair user himself and a mobility advocate at Sorg Rollstuhltechnik, a specialist for children’s wheelchairs. He is convinced: “These light children’s wheelchairs can be fully and precisely adjusted to the child’s size and needs. This is the kind of aid that children with restricted mobility need today from as early as 18 months. The reason this is so important is that this is the age where healthy children learn to walk. Providing a wheelchair can therefore help prevent disabled children from falling behind in their development.”

Lightweight wheelchairs like SORG’s Mio Carbon are made from sturdy aluminium and are best suited to children who struggle to exert physical force but still want to propel their wheelchair themselves.

The benefits of giving children an electric wheelchair to aid their development early on often outweigh arguments made by cost bearers like the risk of injury or hazards in traffic. The responsibility for a child’s safety, whether they are disabled or not, lies with the parents. They must provide a safe environment in which children can learn how to use the wheelchairs.

Electric wheelchairs can be configured to match the child’s needs and capabilities. Special controls let them move safely, while the seating position can be adjusted precisely all the way to a standing position. The smaller variants feature priority switching via an independent controller or even allow complete control by accompanying adults.

This lets the children be fully involved right from the start. They can actively play with other children at kindergarten, go to school and interact with siblings and classmates.

“When a student is able to celebrate their graduation standing with a glass of bubbly and their friends, that’s when you know a wheelchair with standing aid was a good investment”, says Ulrich Maschkow from Vassili. He is proud of how the Italian brand’s HiLo MPRO wheelchair perfectly combines activity and function. “We spent three years developing this product. In that time, we combined a lightweight active wheelchair with an electric standing aid that can be operated manually. This frees up the user’s other hand to drink a coffee with their colleagues, for example. That’s obviously before we even get to the psychological benefits and metabolic stimulation that come from standing.”

More information about the companies exhibiting at REHAB can be found here: https://www.rehab-karlsruhe.com/en/rehab/exhibitor-list/

Employees of the Cologne Sports University spent two years researching the ParaGym app. Visitors to the 21st Rehab, which took place from 23 to 25 June 2022, were also able to find out about the fitness app for paraplegics.

Now the creators are facing the next step of the project. The functionality, user-friendliness and safety of the app will be tested as part of a feasibility study.

Dedreux publishes a book against prejudice and with a committed appeal for the participation of all people in our world without fear of contact. "I want people to read my book because I think what I have to say here is important. Then people will see that living with Down syndrome is also cool," says the author.

Droemer Knaur, hardback edition October 2022, 16.99 euros, e-book 12.99 euros

For those affected, life with long covid or fatigue is very stressful. The syndrome is also of great importance for society as a whole due to long periods of sick leave. Prof. Dr. Christian Dettmers is the head of the Multiple Sclerosis Department at the Schmieder Clinics in Constance and a proven specialist for Long COVID. In various studies with affected patients, he has conducted research on fatigue at the Schmieder Clinics, which specialise in Long COVID, and is familiar with the latest medical developments. He will be speaking at REHAB 2023 as part of the CON.THERA congress taking place there.

Organic or non-organic causes

Long-lasting symptoms following an infection with SARS-CoV-2, also known as long COVID or post-COVID syndrome, have complicated the picture further. Research is still ongoing into the possible causes of this condition. Although patients report lower energy levels, this has proven difficult to measure and verify. They also suffer from a debilitating tiredness that makes everyday life almost impossible and sometimes leads to long periods off work. Recent studies have indicated that these cognitive impairments could be down to areas of the brain being affected and becoming inflamed due to COVID. There may therefore be a connection between organic causes and accompanying psychological or psychiatric symptoms.

Interaction of all actors

He continues: “In many cases, resting can negatively affect the recovery process. All medical specialists involved, from GPs and psychologists to therapists, need to be made aware of this syndrome. We have to develop a standardised method of diagnosis, before moving on to a personalised approach to therapy, while also taking the patient’s psychosocial background into account.”

Resources in our healthcare system are tight at present, and fatigue and long COVID are proving a challenge: “We have to convince long COVID patients that they will most likely make a full recovery, so that this group of people does not remain permanently impaired in terms of their ability to work.” This is already happening successfully in the handful of specialised long COVID outpatient departments. The goal now is to spread the knowledge and experience gained here, in order to enable effective treatment of this growing phenomenon despite scarce resources.

What is most important for children and young people with disabilities and their families when it comes to the provision of aids? And what is the goal of care for all those involved in the interdisciplinary team? “Patient-centredness” is not only called for by the ICF* and current legislation, it also ensures the success of assistive technology provision – because only an “accepted” assistive device that has proved itself in everyday life is used, implemented and leads to greater quality of life and more participation, in addition to functional medical improvements.

Mobility, sitting and standing ... mastering all of life’s situations

Children and young adults with complex movement impairments, who can carry their own weight only with difficulty or not at all and who have low trunk stability, benefit from the lightweight, manoeuvrable design of the Xplore walking trainer from Made for Movement, to cite only one example. This trainer’s young users have their hands free to interact with others. The ultralight design supports independent progress and long-lasting mobility indoors and outdoors.

Locomotion even with special seating solutions becomes child’s play for caregivers and young users in the Galileo seating shell chassis from Rehatec. The important features are numerous adaptative options and a variety of accessories to meet all individual requirements.

It is essential to seek expertise from medical supply stores in the region

Regional suppliers such as the Wurster, Brillinger and Storch and Beller medical supply stores are the first point of contact for customised seating shells and personalised fittings – because every person is different and young patients must always be correctly seated, even as they grow, in order to compensate for deformities and reduce the pain and physical consequences of the disability. This always requires paediatric orthopaedic specialists who, together with therapists and the affected individuals, develop holistic fitting concepts and implement them to achieve the greatest possible quality of life. Building blocks and components of individual sitting and lying shells for people with complex disabilities will be presented at REHAB Karlsruhe by manufacturers such as RehaNorm Bingen, which already has 50 years of experience in the construction of sitting shells.

Standing is essential for all of us – especially for communication “at eye level”, but also to stimulate the metabolism and strengthen the leg muscles or the hips. Visually and therapeutically complex highlights are children’s standing trainers such as the Heidelberg lying bear Lasse or the Heidelberg standing device Benni for regaining postural stability, balance and equilibrium.

Links on the topic of medical aid supply, problem areas and legal issues:

• *International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, October 2005

• Action Alliance for Needs-Based Provision of Therapeutic and Medical Aids

• Position of the Social Paediatric Society (only in german)

• Guidelines on aids “Relevance to everyday life, ICF, individual needs”, particularly interesting starting at § 6ff.

1. Ms Gehrmeyer, could you please briefly outline the highlights of REHAB 2022?

New at REHAB 2022 is the joint stand of DATEurope (European Industry Association for Digital Assistive Technology) and the Peer Congress of the Fördergemeinschaft der Querschnittgelähmten e. V. (Support Association for Paraplegics – FGQ). The focus here will be on networking, consultation and sharing.

A major plus and a special added value for trade visitors will be the interdisciplinary therapists’ congress CON.THERA, which will take place in parallel with the fair for the first time. Conceived in close cooperation with the team from Lamprecht NEURO-Fobis, the congress will offer an interdisciplinary programme for therapists from all disciplines, with top-class participants and divided into five thematic blocks, with a focus on neurorehabilitation, in order to promote the interlinking of all rehabilitation professional groups involved in therapeutic care.

2. How many exhibitors do you expect this year?

For REHAB 2022, we expect around 350 exhibitors on a total of approximately 35,000 square meters of exhibition space. Although the REHAB had to leave its traditional place in the trade fair calendar due to the pandemic, 350 exhibitors have booked......somewhat less than at the last REHAB. As usual, the product range of the exhibiting companies is, as usual, exceptionally extensive. And numerous manufacturers and regional medical supply companies will be available for personal consultations and offer product tests.

3. Ms Gehrmeyer, you talk to exhibitors every day, including many manufacturers. Are there any premieres at REHAB? What innovations can you already announce today?

We expect product premieres and many further developments to be presented live at REHAB. After all, experience has shown that our biggest exhibitors are manufacturers, followed by dealers and other service providers.

4. What feedback have you received from exhibitors and visitors regarding the current mood? What expectations do you have with regard to the upcoming fair?

On the exhibitor side, the industry is struggling with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are all the more proud that REHAB 2022 will take place with nearly all regular exhibitors as well as numerous newcomers. In this respect, the trade fair will gain new significance as a new beginning and a new opportunity in times of pandemic.

5. What changes can visitors expect at REHAB with regard to Covid-19?

For the first time, REHAB will take place in three halls with generous hall and open spaces, widened aisles. There will be a beer garden in our atrium to provide opportunities for ample outdoor time and breaks.

6. What are you personally looking forward to when you think about REHAB 2022?

Finally, a live trade fair again! That is my personal wish and I believe it is not mine alone. This anticipation is evident in the numerous positive feedbacks we have received. Personally, I am looking forward to face-to-face sharing with the various industry representatives and the community. I also look forward to the stories and encounters, to visitor attractions like the climbing tower and the inclusive sports programme. But I am also looking forward to new products that help people lead more independent lives and support them in their everyday lives... to shining eyes and smiling faces... and to personalities like Jürgen Dusel and Raul Krauthausen.

Thank you very much for the interview.

For three days, REHAB Karlsruhe offers ample space and an inviting atmosphere for relevant sharing among professionals from the fields of rehabilitative and orthopaedic technology, caregiving and therapy, as well as interested private visitors. Once again, the trade fair will be accompanied by our supporting programme, which features numerous exciting lectures, informative discussion rounds, interactive workshops and diverse sporting activities!

The following paragraphs offer a preview of some of the highlights:

Forum Hall 2

In addition to showcasing products and services, the marketplaces Cerebral & Neuro Rehab, Homecare & Nursing, Mobility & Daily Living Aids and Therapy & Practice in Hall 2 will offer interested parties a series of lectures on topics such as therapy and rehabilitation after acquired brain damage and strokes, as well as presentations of products in the field of homecare and out-of-hospital intensive care.

In Hall 2, a panel of experts will explore the timely topic of the Intensive Care and Rehabilitation Strengthening Act (IPReG) in a discussion titled “Has the law arrived in reality?” Among others, the panellists will also include Dr Paul Diesener, co-founder and board member of the Dysphagia Network Southwest e.V., who is well known in professional circles primarily for his lectures and seminars on the topics of home respiration, tracheal cannullae and swallowing disorders. The panellists will also include the lawyer Michael Helbig, who critically observes the development of legislation and jurisprudence and plays an active role in shaping them.

Forum Hall 3

The programme in Hall 3 will focus on topics such as inclusion, aids, building & living and child & youth rehabilitation. Here, in addition to the official opening of the fair, Thomas Hildenbrand from the ROLLETS rehabilitation network will share his expertise on the topics of “Guidelines for the individual provision of aids” and “Device-supported standing therapy”. There will also be a practical workshop on the topic of mobility training.

Inclusive sports complex – dm-arena

Sport and activity are top priorities at the Inclusive sports complex in the dm-arena, where people with and without disabilities can try out inclusive sports together and train with coaches and professionals.

Test track and vehicle test drive

The test track for scooters, tricycles and handbikes and the vehicle test drive will enable interested individuals to thoroughly test various vehicles and cars on site.

At the beginning of the year, a small sensation occurred almost inconspicuously in the German system of reimbursement for medical aids. Medical professionals had previously been the sole authorities for prescribing nursing aids, but now the decision about what kinds of aids are important and necessary for patients’ daily lives has been placed in the hands of caregivers who are personally well acquainted with the patients.

The new regulation in §40 of the Social Code XI actually only reflects the lived reality of the situation, in which professional caregivers often “request” physicians to prescribe the necessary nursing aids. Now this bureaucratic step can be skipped over and caregiving can be optimized. The changed rules make it easier for the affected individuals to get the nursing aids they need.

Sven Koppelwiser from the nursing bed manufacturer Burmeier and spokesman of the WG Aids at the industry association SPECTARIS, summarises: “Legislators want people in need of care to receive suitable nursing aids for home care more quickly than before. To accomplish this, the new legislation relies on the competence of trained professional caregivers. If a caregiver sees a need for a particular nursing aid during a home visit, the medical supply store can submit the caregiver’s concrete recommendation to the funding agency in lieu of a doctor’s prescription. This saves valuable time in providing the necessary aids, while simultaneously eliminating paperwork for general practitioners and reducing unnecessary contacts.

The Health Care Expansion Act (Gesundheitsversorgungsweiterentwicklungsgesetz – GVWG) authorizes all nursing professionals with a qualification according to the Nursing Professions Act (Pflegeberufegesetz – PflBG) to make the relevant recommendations. The GKV Spitzenverband offers a standard form for this purpose, but the recommendation can also be submitted to the funding agencies “simply in written form” like an ordinary prescription.

A big step towards reducing bureaucracy in the aid-provision process

Another aspect is likewise unprecedented: at last, legislators have granted comprehensive powers of assessment to trained nursing professionals. Normally, prescriptions for medical aids by panel doctors can be reviewed by the Medizinischer Dienst (Medical Service) at any time at the request of the funding agencies. According to the new guideline, the medical necessity is assumed to be given with the recommendation from the nursing specialist. The Medical Service’s decision is no longer interposed. This shortens the legally permitted “processing periods” to a maximum of three weeks, thus promoting speedy assistance in acute situations.

The necessary legal changes have already taken effect, so this streamlined system can be used immediately. The definition of the professional qualifications of caregivers played a major role in the legislators’ decision. But according to people familiar with the practical day-to-day situation, awareness of this new directive has not yet reached all caregivers on site: professional associations still need to spread the word about the changed legislation. Caregivers, on the other hand, need to be well informed about products, to filter new products on the market according to the needs of their patients, and thus to be able to ensure improved care.

Together with the publishing company hw-studio weber (including the trade journals not, beatmet leben and RehaTreff) and a number of specialized exhibitors in the field of care and homecare, the CNI network will present comprehensive concepts for participation-oriented out-of-hospital intensive care at the Forum in Hall 2 at REHAB. Interdisciplinary cooperation among many professions can even enable people who need extensive assistance (ALS patients, for example) to again participate independently in professional and social life. Forum contributions, expert discussions and practical reports will explore opportunities and options for affected individuals, their relatives and caregivers.

Neurological rehabilitation will be the focus of the CON.THERA congress, which will be held for the first time to accompany REHAB Karlsruhe. In addition to neuromuscular diseases, CON.THERA will also highlight current or innovative therapy options for stroke patients.

Strokes are one of the most frequent causes of death and disability. On average, a person who has suffered a stroke has a twenty percent risk of having another stroke within five years.

The number of strokes is steadily increasing and their prevalence is clearly shifting towards younger age groups. Possible causes for this are increasingly unhealthy lifestyles and longer life expectancies.

A stroke is a medical emergency. If a stroke is suspected, the emergency telephone number should immediately be dialled to summon assistance. Ideally, the patient should be cared for in a stroke unit, i.e., a hospital ward designed especially for stroke patients. It is important to act quickly and in an accurately targeted manner in order to save lives, minimize aftereffects and speedily provide therapy for functional deficiencies.

Depending on which areas of the brain are affected and which functions have been lost, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, neuropsychologists and masseurs may be involved in the therapy. In addition to various exercises to regain lost abilities, electrical stimulation and aids such as orthoses are also used for support. “A lot helps a lot” is a principle that is applied in the rehabilitation of stroke patients and the use of innovative therapy concepts – because the brain learns through repetition. Of course, the patient should not be overtaxed.

This guiding principle is also followed by Professor Thomas Platz, president of the DGNR (German Society for Neurorehabilitation). It is important that all of the disciplines involved are kept up to date on the current state of research, with the overarching goal of providing maximally successful care of the highest quality. This can be achieved through appropriate guidelines that make it possible to implement current findings practically and speedily.

The CON.THERA Congress offers the ideal platform for an update of all disciplines involved.

The road to serial production was a long one. A sizeable amount of development capital was needed and the search for investors was challenging, but the young entrepreneurs convincingly presented their assistive vehicle. With impressive styling, excellent manoeuvrability, intuitive operation and user-friendliness, the BRO masters stairs and uneven terrain and can raise the height of its seat by as much as 87 centimetres. “This enables the user to reach the top shelves when shopping. Many assistive devices are only useable within narrow limits. They make it more difficult for people with disabilities to fulfil their desire for an individualized lifestyle. We want to change that for the better.” The assistive device upholds high standards and is manufactured primarily near Winterthur, Switzerland.

A great many people are potential users of the BRO: “Our device is ideal for all non-pedestrians, from schoolchildren to senior citizens, who want to lead independent, active lives”, Natalie Rotschi explains. “Thanks to its sensors and integrated control, the BRO maintains a stable sitting position in every position for users in weight classes from 40 to 120 kilograms. An extension for lightweight or particularly heavy users is also planned. This enables us to offer many people with disabilities a viable perspective towards greater independence.”

The chassis is standardised, so individual adjustment is achieved via the seat. The electrically powered wheelchair is currently controlled by a joystick in the armrest and can be linked to a smartphone to save the user’s personal settings.

“The English word ‘peers’ denotes a group of people with common interests, similar age, similar social status or similar background.” So-called “peer counselling”, i.e. the counselling of affected persons by other affected persons, is one of the central concerns of the Fördergemeinschaft der Querschnittgelähmten in Deutschland e. V. (FGQ).

Especially in the first months after the onset of paraplegia, the affected individuals and their relatives usually lack perspectives on how to continue. This is where the FGQ’s help comes in. Experienced paraplegics can credibly demonstrate that a good life and a viable future are indeed possible for paraplegics

“Specialised centres treat about 2,500 new paraplegics each year. In total, we are talking about nearly 140,000 people with paraplegia in Germany.” To assist this large group of affected people, an association was founded 40 years ago by committed paraplegics and staff members of spinal-paralysis centres. The supportive association, which combines specialised expertise and self-help for affected individuals, has been present at REHAB from the very beginning and is a permanent feature at the fair, which the FGQ uses as a forum for disseminating information, networking with therapists, doctors and manufacturers of aids, and above all for sharing know-how with affected individuals and their relatives. In the meantime, the FGQ has a full-time management – also thanks to the support of the Manfred Sauer Foundation – and is professionally positioned to administrate all necessary tasks for its 4,000 members.

In the past, it was mainly prominent para-athletes or otherwise famous people with spinal paralysis who were seen as peer role models. In the meantime, however, peers are more often ordinary women and men who live and work in normal families, professions and constellations. This is the best and most credible way to provide counselling at eye level. “Of course, a world-famous wheelchair skater like David Lebuser, who supports us as a peer, is an attractive role model for young affected persons, but we are more likely to reach the father of a family or a mature woman through peer counsellors from the affected person’s own age group and with comparable life circumstances”, Kevin Schultes summarises the results from 40 years of the FGQ’s work.

Further information can be found online at www.fgq.de and www.der-querschnitt.de.

Expert information on the topic of paraplegia is provided by the member magazine PARAplegiker. https://www.fgq.de/news/der-paraplegiker/

There are many sides to digitization, and some are truly fantastic. A young creative troupe from Berlin wants to create a high-quality inclusive Wimmel book and really depict "diversity. To do this, it is breaking new ground and launched a crowdfunding project in which anyone can buy "into the book" with a certain contribution, or enable other people to be depicted in the book.

The goal of the creatives: They want many different people, but especially those who are otherwise hardly or not at all depicted in the media, to be visible in this book. Especially for children it is important to be there, to see themselves and others as a natural part of society.

This hidden object book should contribute to depicting everyday, mostly unseen realities of life, to change viewing habits and to do so with humor and many little everyday stories.

Further information: https://www.startnext.com/stadtgewimmel-inklusiv

You will find further product novelties in the REHAB Innovations Centre ONLINE

You will find further product novelties in the REHAB Innovations Centre ONLINE

You will find further product novelties in the REHAB Innovations Centre ONLINE

“Do what you want to do and go for it!!!” This crystal-clear message comes from someone who has taken a few low blows in terms of his health. Til Augustin from Chemnitz is not quite eighteen years old and has already spent “years” of his life at Leipzig University Hospital. But he says the hospital’s school is so “fab” that he’s sailing smoothly toward his Abitur (school leaving examination) two years from now. And Til has a special hobby: wheelchair skating.

German and world championships spur him on

Til first came into contact with wheelchair skating at a trade fair when he was fourteen, and his enthusiasm for this breakneck sport – at least it looks like a breakneck sport – was unstoppable. A national pro and a coach for wheelchair sports took him under their wings. “It would have been nothing without Patrick and Timon”, Til is sure. And that’s how it – and he – really became something. The three latest jewels in the crown of Til’s Wheelchair Motocross (WCMX) career are two German championships and a world championship in his young age group. HIs great role models David Lebuser and, in the USA, Aaron Fotheringham set milestones when they threw themselves and their wheelchairs into halfpipe and skate arenas.

When life gives you a wheelchair, find a skate park!

Of course, all this demands the right equipment. In addition to a helmet, back protection and pads for the arms and legs, an extremely resilient and highly customized wheelchair with special suspension is a must. Such a wheelchair is “essential for survival” for Til, who was born paralyzed from the navel downward with caudal regression syndrome and a back tumour, and has since undergone countless operations and most recently lost half his hip and a piece of his thigh bone. Donations financed his first sports wheelchair. Til’s aid supplier from Cologne works together with the Reha-Sport-Club Rhineland accordingly knows exactly what WCMX heroes need. There are about 100 such athletes of all ages in Germany. “WCMX is super inclusive”, Til says. “The new skate park in Chemnitz is almost barrier-free. Young people with and without handicaps all cavort there.”

Individually equipped aids are “essential for survival”

Til also uses his customized wheelchair in everyday life because it is the only one that is completely tailored to suit his stiff back, partly missing pelvis and corrected ribs. He recently has applied to his health insurer for a similar model in a version suitable for everyday use. “We’ll see if that goes through, but we haven’t found any other wheelchair that fits my physique like this.” An everyday wheelchair is important because although his family’s apartment is on the ground floor, it is not very spacious and stairsteps lead up to the front door.

Til’s mother Gundel Augustin supports her son in his hobby: “With eight special children, one of whom is especially special, you sometimes have to be more relaxed and simply let go. Besides, I always look fate in the face with optimism. When I trust my kids with something and let them learn from their experiences, everything usually goes well and they end up stronger afterwards.” Gundel accompanies her son to Leipzig for his many hospital stays. “That’s when my rescue chain of family and friends has to step in. I’m very grateful to them.”

This single mother is currently heading for her dream job: “I’ll be starting my new job this fall as a social pedagogue with administrative training. My task will be to coordinate the lives of refugees in our area after their initial reception here. All my talents will be needed.”

And what’s next for Til’s talent? What’s your dream, Til? He responds without missing a beat: “First, I want to get my driver’s license and then tour Europe with a converted camper van and a dog. That would be cool.” His mother has a down-to-earth dream of three weeks off, with nothing but free time for herself and her interests.

Inclusive sports facility: playing sports together at REHAB

Who knows, maybe you’ll meet Til and Gundel at REHAB? For example, at the Inclusive Sports Facility, where interested people with and without handicaps can get to know inclusive sports and try them out. In previous years, a daily program featuring wheelchair versions of rugby, fencing and basketball, as well as frisbee, inclusive field hockey and wheelsoccer, encouraged people to join in and play together. The program for the upcoming REHAB will be available in March 2022.

YouTube-Video about Til

More Information about wheelchair skating

The Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss – GBA) is now tasked with drafting the implementation guideline for the IPReG. Associations of patients and professional groups are among those that have been invited to submit comments. The Interest Group for Self-determined Living (Interessengemeinschaft Selbstbestimmt Leben –ISL) writes in the conclusion of its commentary on the submitted draft guideline: “A common thread of external control and professed solicitude, coupled with a very obvious strengthening of institutional care and efficiency, runs through the guideline. Contrariwise, the affected individuals deserve to be regarded as self-determined, competent and capable people. The insured persons affected here are not objects to passively receive solicitous authoritarian treatment, but possess the right, the power and the self-determination to make their own decisions. The right of wish and choice is not only anchored in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but also in Germany’s constitution.”

Affected individuals and their relatives, experts from the fields of medicine, caregiving and medical technology, relevant associations and other activists have joined forces and formed a thinktank to develop provide constructive criticism of the IPReG. Their aim is to ensure that individual intensive care is provided in the genuine best interests of the affected individuals. The separation of care for children and adolescents as stipulated by the age limit of 18 years is extremely important for rehaKIND e.V. Families are already heavily burdened by the struggle for assistance and care options; far too few specialized caregivers are available; and since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, siblings must be looked after and taught via homeschooling. Everyone involved is at the end of their tether.

Since September 2020, expertise has been gathered in regularly scheduled Zoom meetings to inform the GBA and the Federal Ministry of Health about the realities of caregiving. These demands are also based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the German constitution, the social security laws and numerous fundamental publications.

At least one good thing has come from the IPReG: networking is progressing on personal and professional levels. New networks to ensure the individual quality of care have been formed and will continue to actively participate in shaping the legal and political framework. Two activists from the thinktank summarized their personal motivations in this regard.

Let us hope that the affected and concerned individuals, who are often the best experts in their own field, will be heard before the Federal Joint Committee (GBA) publishes the implementation guidelines. To help accomplish this goal, the thinktank is launching a poster campaign showing the great diversity in the people who need out-of-hospital intensive care and in the lives they lead. Many adults among them pursue productive careers and thus contribute to Germany’s gross national product.

Link to tips about the detailed essentials and participants of the thinktank: https://www.cody.care/gkv-ipreg-thinktank/

Link to the GKV-IPReG: https://www.cody.care/gkv-ipreg/

“Hello! My name is Ariadne and I can support you in your search for assistive resources. However, I do not replace professional advice.” This is how the digital assistant introduces herself when she offers to navigate advice seekers through the new REHADAT Assistive Resource Finder app.

With fourteen portals, as well as numerous publications, apps and seminars, REHADAT is a central, free and impartial information service on participation and inclusion of people with disabilities. REHADAT began as a digital database of specialized literature and has grown to become a contact and collection point for everything worth knowing about disability, medicine, therapy, professional life and much more. REHADAT will have its own booth at REHAB 2022, where professional and private visitors can learn about REHADAT’s s digital information and consulting services.

Tips and explanatory videos on social media and YouTube

In addition to the portals, there are also easily readable, illustrated and comprehensive brochures on a wide variety of disease patterns ranging from diabetes through hearing impairment to rheumatism. REHADAT’s team collects knowledge and prepares it so that even non-medical people can readily understand it and get helpful tips. Resources for vocation and work, degree of disability and compensatory levy: many topics are explained in an ever-growing collection of videos on YouTube. Mareike Decker adds: “Sharing with users and feedback from them are extremely important to us because we want to offer practical added value for the people who consult REHADAT, many of whom are facing personally difficult and challenging circumstances. By informing people impartially and reliably, and by offering them a broad range of information, we pursue our goal of creating a basis for individual options for action.”

Link tips:

Central access: www.rehadat.de

Resources:

https://www. hilfsmittelfinder.de

Brochures on the design of occupational participation for individual disease patterns (knowledge series): https://www.rehadat.de/presse-service/publikationen/

Tips on issues related to disability and occupation::

https://www.rehadat-gutepraxis.de

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVymJtubI33eFXHiJ4OyHyQ

Further addresses of aid providers and central contact points:

https://www.rehadat-adressen.de

Numerous companies have already decided to participate in REHAB 2022 and will present their new rehabilitation, orthopedic and medical technology products as well as innovations for care and therapy at the upcoming REHAB. Already now, the companies and their products can be found in our exhibitor and product database.

Exhibitor and product database

Extended exhibition area in 3 halls

By opening the third hall, we can now accommodate your specific placement wishes better than ever before.

Would you like to take part in REHAB 2022 as an exhibitor, increase the area of your stand or change your placement? Then take a look at the preliminary floorplans and secure your preferred stand space.

Floorplans

Jenni-Juulia Wallinheimo-Heimonen is a total work of art herself - her open nature and her unusual politically influenced artmaking cannot be overlooked with indifference. She combines her life and experiences with OI – also called brittle bone disease – with creativity and her artistic training at Aalto University in Helsinki to create a specific perspective. Her creative expression is rich: starting with textile art, Jenni-Julia has expanded her repertoire to include video art, sculptures, installations, and performances.

In Germany, interest in her artistic work is growing.

Growing up in a family with visual impairment (on her father's side) and osteogenesis imperfecta/ OI (on her mother's side) in the fourth generation, she lives a life of ingenious practices designed for coping with everyday life that have been passed on from generation to generation. When OI family members break a bone, for example, certain routines are adapted to the changed situation to continue everyday life as normally as possible. Living with physical limitations is normality for the family members and becomes a special way of life - even if outsiders and the physically unimpaired would like to classify this lifestyle as adaptation, extreme courage or even survival.

“5 situations that people without disabilities never experience” shows clearly, with a wink, how people with and without a wide variety of disabilities experience our coexistence. It brings a smile, but still induces us to pause and think: together and with interest in one another it is completely normal to be different, and that is how we can really live inclusion.

Laughter is the best medicine

Against barriers in people’s minds, too. This is the young comedian’s philosophy, and he not only makes his audience laugh, but makes them think as well: about our society, inclusion, and about how important it is to stand up for issues that are important for us.

He is only 15 years old and is already a superstar on the Internet: Carl Josef celebrated his breakthrough in the German comedy scene in 2019 with an appearance in the stand-up show “Nightwash”.

In the 6-part mini-series “The Outsider. Nothing can stop us. Except kerbs.”, working jointly with Aktion Mensch, he is now making the case for a more inclusive society. Along with many other familiar YouTubers and comedians, like Cindy Klink, Freshtorge, and Phil Laude, he shows how precious differences are in our society. True to the motto: “All different. Cool together.”

More Information

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsXOekvOXit29KqTmQScBM8usS2GfdlcZ

Germany’s population is becoming overaged. The number of those in need of care is rising dramatically and there is already a shortage of care professionals: where the number of people in Germany in need of care had still been 2.3m in 2010, the federal government’s latest Care Report is assuming a figure of 3.5m in Germany 2030 and 4.5m in 2050. Dementia-type illnesses like Alzheimer are becoming more widespread and are increasing the complexity of the task of providing sufferers with adequate care. 2/3 of those requiring care are still attended to at home. The Care Report mentions the challenge of promoting and maintaining immediate family’s willingness to provide care, supporting them as needed, and strengthening the commitment of volunteers.

Here you can inform yourself about the marketplace Child and Youth Rehabilitation at REHAB:

Child and Youth Rehabilitation

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Information about inclusive sports complex at REHAB can be found:

Inclusive sports complex

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You can also find more information about AAL on the pages:

Special area AAL

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Are you interested in the topic of orthopaedic aids? Then take a look at our topic area for this:

Marketplace Mobility & Daily Living Aids

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“Here at Heidelberg University Hospital, we take research into paraplegia very seriously. Unfortunately, many of our major projects that relied on international funding were paused or even went backwards during the pandemic”, rues Professor Rüdiger Rupp from Heidelberg University Hospital.

“Nevertheless, the latest studies give us hope that stimulation implants in the spinal cord will be able to improve certain functions in future. Brain-computer interfaces can be used to intuitively control neuroprostheses or robot arms for paraplegic patients with severely injured spinal cords. But it can take a very long time for highly advanced technology like this to reach patients”, continues Rupp.

His research laboratory for assistive neurotechnology is located right next to the hospital’s paraplegic clinic. “This allows the results of our research to flow into patient treatment quickly. We can measure and observe how living aids and neuro-orthoses help patients. This is extremely important, as these tests are the only way for us to find out whether these devices only work in laboratory conditions and are too complex to be suitable in everyday life.”

Paraplegiology research area

Rupp is a qualified engineer from Karlsruhe who founded his own research area at Heidelberg’s renowned Spinal Cord Injury Center 27 years ago. In this time, the patients undergoing treatment have changed greatly, with the average age now over 60. This is because, instead of the typical motorcycle or bathroom accidents among young men, it is neurological and orthopaedic diagnoses like inflammatory and degenerative spinal cord conditions or tumours that are now the most frequent causes of paraplegia.

The advances in assistive technology are already having a positive effect. Smart gloves that use external electrodes to activate paralysed muscles can help patients eat and drink independently again. Some people with severe paraplegia are able to consciously control the motions and grasping actions of a robot arm. To do so, however, they have to mentally break the desired movement down into partial steps and perform one step after the other. Eye trackers fitted in special glasses can execute these actions much faster and more intuitively, so patients can move the arm or wheelchair in the desired direction. But this technology is not entirely unsusceptible to errors and is not suitable for every patient in everyday life.

Marketplace at REHAB 2023

Even if the miracle of being able to heal spinal cord damage remains a distant prospect, the broad range of customised aids, digital solutions and virtual reality applications gives reason for optimism in therapy and everyday life for patients. At REHAB 2023, users will find ideas and contacts at the Mobility & Daily Living Aids and Cerebral & Neurological Rehabilitation marketplaces, as well as at the joint stand of DATEurope, the European industry association for digital assistive technology.

Annika Gehrmeyer, who leads the REHAB project, is pleased with the focus on neurotechnology at REHAB 2023 and the CON.THERA conference: “We see at trade fairs all over the world how the latest developments, improvements and innovations are reaching the people who need and use them faster and faster. It is becoming increasingly important to discover new technologies, try them out and share experiences of premium living aids.”

Hand-arm use has top priority

Professor Rupp sums up: “I still find it incredibly moving to hear stories of young people who suffer bathing accidents, as these often result in severe paraplegia in the cervical spine with little hope of recovery in motor skills. Over the years, we have learned that rather than walking, the thing that people with paraplegia want most is to be able to use their hands and arms. This ranks alongside controlling bladder, bowel and sexual functions. All medical professionals must listen closely to their patients and work together to achieve true quality of life.”

Find more information about the topic:

• CON.THERA congress programme
• REHAB 2023 at the Karlsruhe Fair Trade Center
• Kinova
• Homebrace
• Exxomove
• Otto Bock
• Munevo

The time has come, the 2021 winners of the third Inclusion Award of the City of Karlsruhe have been chosen.

We congratulate Prometheus GmbH, Brigitte Reisz and the Beiertheim primary school for their outstanding work. Keep it up!

We would have been happy to welcome the award winners to our exhibition halls this year and present them with the Karlsruhe Inclusion Award as hosts at the REHAB. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, REHAB 2021 could not take place, but there is a great film showing the award winners and their commitment to inclusion*.

Next year, from 23 to 25 June 2022, REHAB will again show how important inclusion is in the workplace and will once again dedicate a separate thematic area to the topic: Marketplace Occupation & Education.

*only in German

More information about this and other topics at REHAB can be found:

Topics

And visit the REHAB:

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