Magazine: Year-round information portal on the topic of "Self-determined living"
Lionel Messi and OrCam: Enhancing self-determination in the lives of people with visual impairments
Off the soccer field, professional footballer Lionel Messi is known for his commercials for Pepsi, Lay's or Dolce & Gabbana. Now he has also become the brand ambassador for OrCam MyEye and shines a bright light on this unique assistive technology. Why did the two decide to form this rather unusual partnership?
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Crisis-proof: moso navigates confidently through the coronavirus pandemic
Years of business expertise, in-house production, and new personnel competency – the Motion Solutions GmbH is well-positioned to withstand the challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic and continues to offer its customers the best service. CEO Gierse discusses the role products like the COSEAT and EasyStand play in this setting and reveals the expectations the moso team has for the future.
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Accessible hiking in the mountains: The X8 off-road power wheelchair takes users to the top
From the valley to the hut in a wheelchair – and no shuttle bus or mountain railway required. Wheelchair manufacturer Sunrise Medical teamed up with various partners as part of a joint initiative to turn this idea into a reality.
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Joëlette Kid makes outdoor experiences more accessible
Going on new adventures with the whole family is fun for everybody. At least, if the necessary assistive devices meet the needs of their users. So does Joëlette Kid – the new all-terrain chair by Ferriol-Matrat. In an interview with REHACARE.com, Alison-Lore Bourget told us about the special features and how especially the children react to their new possibilities.
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Mobility: Small hand control systems with a big effect
Simple, ergonomic, reliable – the multifunctional handles, ACCEL BIKE and ACCEL QUAD, enable improved participation in a mobile and self-determined life. What the two solutions have in common and yet differ, Pierre Gouraud, International Sales of Sojadis Equipement, reveals in an interview with REHACARE.com.
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EXTRA: Made to measure sports wheelchair for a better performance
Solid and adapted – this is how auxiliary means for competitive sports such as wheelchair basketball should be. That's why EXTRA wheelchairs from Turkey offers made to measure sports wheelchairs to professional sports people. REHACARE.com talked to Demirhan Serefhan, Managing Director of EXTRA, about the importance of customization and valuable feedback directly from the basketball court.
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Photo gallery: A safe island for siblings
Since May 2020, the sibling support of the Angelika Reichelt Kinder- und Jugendhospizes Joshuas Engelreich (English: Angelika Reichelt Children and Youth Hospice) has been taking place in the newly created so called Geschwisterinsel (English: Sibling Island). You can gain a small insight in our photo gallery.
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Evelyn Brezina – That's how she rolls
Vienna from a wheelchair perspective – this is how Evelyn Brezina captures all the beauty in her surroundings in her photos. Because she really loves taking pictures. What assistive devices she would like to have for this passion, who she would like to ask as many questions as possible and how she otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Kim Cremer – That's how he rolls
Kim Cremer is a doer, he doesn't let anything stop him. And even though he doesn't need a wheelchair himself, he sees where society still has a lot to catch up when it comes to accessibility – both in everyday life and in people's minds. Who has always encouraged him in his doer mentality, how this mentality fits in with his big dream and and how he otherwise rolls, he tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Nicole Kultau – That's how she rolls
Enjoying life despite all the difficulties: That is Nicole Kultau's attitude. One of the hurdles in her life was breast cancer – a topic that has left its mark on her and about which she informs her followers today. She wants other people affected to feel understood. Why her son is her teacher in matters of happiness and how she otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Erika Griessler – That's how she rolls
Erika Griessler is a nature lover, dreamer, author – and a stroke survivor. For her, it was self-evident: nothing can stop her from doing anything because of her spastic hemiparesis. Today, she uses social media to promote greater understanding of physical and psychological impairments. Which other topics are important to her and how she otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Jana L. – That's how she rolls
Dancing is her great passion - Jana L. distinctly shows this on her social media channels. She uses the attention of her thousands of followers to make her disease ME/CFS better known; a disease that makes physical exertion and thus also dancing mostly impossible. Why she does not let herself be stopped and how she otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Laura W. – That's how she rolls
When Laura W. was diagnosed with Rigid Spine Syndrome, she wanted to find out more about it – but experience reports were rare. Today, she uses her blog to lobby for society to think less in stereotypes and for other people to speak courageously about their various disabilities. Why this is so important to her and how she otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Functionality meets design: the new adaptive sport equipment Spike
Activities aiming at occupational therapy and rehabilitation are boring? Not necessarily! A new assistive exercise and sports equipment named Spike is not only designed to be fun, but also suitable for everybody who wants to get and stay fit. How this works for whom and what kind of history connects Spike with REHACARE? We asked!
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Pro Walk: Overcoming foot drop one step at a time
Safe walking without tripping or falling is challenging for people with foot drop. Luckily there are technologies that provide active support by using functional electrical stimulation (FES). Pro Walk GmbH delivers these types of foot drop systems. How do these devices allow users to complete everyday tasks? REHACARE.com asked Nico Riedl, Product Manager and Physiotherapist at Pro Walk GmbH.
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REHADAT Gute Praxis: "Labor force participation requires targeted and personalized measures"
What are strategies for successful inclusion in the primary labor market? Many employers only have a vague idea of what this entails, revealing the importance of comprehensive and practical information. The new REHADAT Gute Praxis (English: Best Practice) portal aims to be their go-to resource – and includes 900 practical examples. Why are they especially useful? We asked...
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Fashion by MOB Industries: "Inclusion means to truly embrace all body types"
Fashion without barriers – that’s the mission of Viennese-based startup MOB Industries (German: Mode Ohne Barrieren, hence the abbreviation MOB). How has the coronavirus outbreak affected the company’s latest collection and how do functionality and aesthetics go hand in hand? REHACARE.com asked MOB founder and CEO Josefine Thom.
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Why inclusion is more important than ever amid the coronavirus crisis
How are families of children with disabilities coping during the coronavirus crisis? A recent online survey asked this question, prompting over 1,600 participants to respond in just two weeks. What do the survey results reveal about the current state of society in terms of social participation and inclusion? We asked Dorothea Kugelmeier and Dr. Raimund Schmolze-Krahn, who launched the study.
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Flexible, light and foldable - Mobility aids for people with disabilities
New treatment for people with spinal cord injury
Using physical therapy combined with a noninvasive method of stimulating nerve cells in the spinal cord, University of Washington researchers helped six Seattle area participants regain some hand and arm mobility. That increased mobility lasted at least three to six months after treatment had ended.
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Participation for people with mobility impairments
The project "mobisaar – Mobility for everyone" has passed the acid test. The Saarland Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Transport has granted follow-up funding following a decision by the Saarland state parliament. For mobisaar, this means that regular operations will start in 2021.
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Exo-suit donation to support stroke survivors
ReWalk Robotics, a manufacturer of robotic medical devices for individuals with lower limb disabilities, announced it has donated one of its ReStore Exo-suits to Brooks Rehabilitation, located in Jacksonville, Florida. The ReStore will be utilized by the therapy team in one of the specialized Neuro Recovery Centers to conduct gait training sessions with patients seeking post-stroke rehabilitation.
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Glucose earring could revolutionise how patients manage type 1 diabetes
A product design graduate from the University of Huddersfield has defeated thousands of entries from around the world to become one of the finalists of the 2020 Global Grad Show with their design for a discrete earring that monitors blood sugar levels and delivers feedback in real-time.
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Robotic exoskeleton training improves walking in adolescents with acquired brain injury
New Jersey researchers find potential for gait training using robotic exoskeletons in the rehabilitation of adolescents and young adults with hemiparesis caused by acquired brain injury.
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An application that allows blind people to enjoy Christmas lights
The Human Language and Accessibility Technologies (HULAT) research group at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has developed and validated a mobile application that allows people with visual impairments to enjoy Christmas lights in the city of Madrid.
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Quantum power chair is better manoeuvrable and more narrow
Consumers are hungry for information. They’d like to know more about the differences between power chairs, especially exciting, new innovations before meeting with a therapist and ATP. That was one of the main takeaways from Quantum focus groups of power chair users.
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New sensor improves fall prevention for the elderly
Senior citizens who are a little weaker or frail are often prone to falling. The FRADE concept of the Fraunhofer Center AICOS in Porto offers effective help with prevention. Sensor-based analysis of movements serves as a basis for a tailored training program. If the person actually falls, the system alerts the caregiver via text message. FRADE thus closes a major gap in health care.
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Exercise classes reduce loneliness and social isolation in seniors
Older adults who joined group exercise classes experienced decreased loneliness and social isolation, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. The classes have continued virtually since March, and early results suggest the online versions are also effective.
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Hand disinfection for passengers
The AMF-Bruns Sani-Station is a new innovation to answer sanitation challenges facing the transportation industry.
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Monitoring glaucoma at home
Glaucoma is a chronic condition that affects cells at the back of the eye. It is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, and is responsible for 1 in 10 cases of serious sight impairment in the UK. Now, a study suggests that in the future glaucoma eye tests could be performed at home.
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Young at heart with assistance robots
Staying independent and in familiar surroundings as long as possible in old age – this is the wish of the most of us. It will be made possible by humanoid assistance robots that help people cope with everyday life and wearable robots that support the movements of the wearer. Research by scientists of KIT is aimed at making such futuristic robotic solutions suited for everyday life.
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Exoskeletons can reduce strain also in health care
Wearable exoskeletons are increasingly being used in physically demanding jobs to support good ergonomics and augment muscular strength. In ground-breaking studies led by researchers at Tampere University and LUT University in Finland, exoskeleton vests were worn by nurses to discover how the new technology would suit the special requirements of patient care.
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Diabetes: Computer vision app allows easier monitoring
A computer vision technology developed by University of Cambridge engineers has now been developed into a free mobile phone app for regular monitoring of glucose levels in people with diabetes.
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Mobility Networks: Protecting lift users and ensuring manufacturing quality
Safety mode is unique to Mobility Networks. The team has been working hard to develop a higher standard of lift-based technology and this has enabled them to produce Safety Mode.
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Spinal cord injury: Exoskeleton-assisted walking improves mobility
Exoskeletal-assisted walking is safe, feasible, and effective in individuals disabled by spinal cord injury, according to the results of a federally funded multi-site randomized clinical trial. The article "Mobility skills with exoskeletal-assisted walking in persons with SCI: Results from a three-center randomized clinical trial" was published August 4, 2020 in Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
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Assistive technologies: CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition shows advances
CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition: In total, 51 teams from 20 countries competed against each other, completing everyday tasks with the help of state-of-the-art assistance systems. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the teams competed for the first time in different time zones and locations. Apart from the winning teams, the technological advances attracted the most attention.
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Rehabilitation: Improving the usability of exosceletons
Wearable robots such as exoskeletons are often used in the rehabilitation of paretic patients. However, these exoskeletons work more or less without knowledge of the patients’ body internal information. PhD candidate Guillaume Durandau of the University of Twente is adding controllers to wearable robots so that intuitive human control is possible.
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Smartwatch app alerts d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing users to different sounds
Smartwatches offer people a private method for getting notifications about their surroundings – such as a phone call, health alerts or an upcoming package delivery. Now University of Washington researchers have developed SoundWatch, a smartwatch app for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people who want to be aware of nearby sounds.
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Diabetes: Dietary counselling slows down the development of insulin resistance in children
A new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that individualised and family-based physical activity and dietary counselling considerably slows down the development of insulin resistance, which is a precursor of type 2 diabetes, in 6–9-year-old children. Published in Diabetologia, the study focused on predominantly normal-weight children.
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