Magazine: Year-round information portal on the topic of "Self-determined living"
Height-adjustable, versatile and adaptive – wheelchairs for kids
A wheelchair should fit your needs and support your life wherever it may take you. In theory, you can find the perfect model from many available options. But for one group of people, the choices are more limited – children. Meanwhile, they are the ones in dire need of assistive technology that helps them play with their friends and fosters their independence.
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Labor force participation of people with disabilities in the time of Coronavirus – opportunities and stumbling blocks
Not many of us are lucky enough to find our dream job and stay in it until the day we retire. Sometimes this might be due to health and medical reasons, which could necessitate occupational rehabilitation. If people have a severe disability, Germany’s Federal Integration Offices, or Inclusion Offices along with the pension insurance providers are the responsible authorities.
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Rollators: lightweight mobility aids with style
They used to have an image problem. But now, rollators or walkers, are anything but boring or stuffy. For many, they are treasured state-of-the-art companions for everyday life and a way to express their personality.
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The right assistive technology promotes active sports participation
Whether it’s activities in the water, snow or at home – exercise is a great way to boost your health and feel better. A wide range of assistive technology also makes this an option for people with physical disabilities or mild dementia. Some of these tools allow users to enjoy sports in spectacular, beautiful backdrops – in both winter and summer.
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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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Annette Schwindt – That's how she rolls
Annette Schwindt is a net dweller and speaks fluent HTML – she feels right at home on the internet. She communicates with people all over the world and if she could choose, she would have an extensive conversation with the most famous couple in the world. Who it is and how Annette Schwindt otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Marcel Michitsch – That's how he rolls
Marcel Michitsch's hobby is loud and dirty: He is an enduro rider and spends every free minute off-road on his motorbike. Man and machine fight their way through routes of up to 80 kilometres in length – it's less about speed and more about endurance. Why he was used to challenges even before his hobby and how he otherwise rolls, he tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Julia Porzelt – That's how she rolls
Julia Porzelt is a team athlete: together with her horses Dainty and Bruno, she is internationally successful in dressage. She never gets bored: besides intensive training, she goes jogging and works with her retriever dog Feline – her assistance dog in training. Which celebrities she would like to train with and how she otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Jörg Dommershausen – That's how he rolls
Jörg Dommershausen takes comprehensive care of his clients: He helps those affected to cope with changed circumstances in their professional and private lives after serious accidents. In addition to his counselling services, Dommershausen also produces two (German) podcasts and a guide. What is indispensable for his work with his clients and how he otherwise rolls, he tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Lily Rice – That's how she rolls
Lily Rice can usually be found at the skatepark, refining her WCMX techniques in her pink wheelchair. The training is paying off: Lily entered the scene in 2017, two years later she was Women's World Champion. It was only logical that her biggest challenge to date was in the halfpipe – what it was, who motivates her and how she otherwise rolls, she tells us on REHACARE.com.
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Sporty and flexible biking – with the new TRETS from HASE BIKES
On your bike, get set, go – the new TRETS from HASE BIKES makes this possible for children with neuromuscular disease. And the best thing about it? Since it has a medical aid registration number, German health insurance companies pay for or contribute to the purchase of the trike. REHACARE.com asked Dario Valenti to find out what makes TRETS unique and why working for HASE BIKES is so special.
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Sensor glasses: Move the wheelchair independently with your eyes
The eyes play an important role in everyday communication, for example in recognising facial expressions. But for people with severely limited mobility, the eye makes much more possible: Equipped with the MyEcc Pupil, they can move their power wheelchair or a robotic arm independently. How do the glasses make all this possible? REHACARE.com asked Managing Director Thomas Rosner.
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Myd'l: Diverse, innovative and individual – ramps for all occasions
Shopping – especially in city centers – can quickly turn from pleasure to frustration. Namely, when stores are only accessible via one or more steps. The French company Myd'l has a solution ready for every barrier in terms of accessibility – whether private or business. Successfully active in international business for 22 years, the manufacturer now also offers its products in Germany.
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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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Outdoor fun: Sports equipment for outdoor activities
Ottobock well-prepared for challenges of 2021 Paralympics
The International Paralympic Committee has confirmed the dates for the Paralympic Summer Games. The Corona pandemic led to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics for a whole year. Never before have preparations for this international para sports event been so challenging – and this is also true for medical technology company Ottobock.
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HASE BIKES Tech Support launches video tutorials
Since last year, HASE BIKES has been moving forward towards more digital forms of customer communication: Its new tech support videos are aimed at both dealers and end customers.
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Stay up to date: Pride mobility and quantum rehab launch app
Pride Mobility and Quantum Rehab have launched PQ-365, a new one-stop app for wherever you go, whenever you need it. PQ-365 includes everything Pride and Quantum-related, designed for providers and clinicians.
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Advanced neck support technology transforms lives of ALS patients
A revolutionary neck collar designed to ease pain and make everyday tasks such as eating and communicating much easier for patients living with motor neurone disease (ALS) is now available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
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MDR: Funke Medical AG offers free online seminars
The Funke Medical AG supports dealers and users by implementing the legal requirements of the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR). In a free online seminar of Funke Medical AG, interested parties will learn worth knowing facts about the most important innovations according to MDR 2017/745.
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Low-tech devices for independence in old age
The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in nursing homes, causing many families to rethink whether to keep an aging parent at home instead. Now a new study by UC San Francisco has found that many elderly Americans lack the basic self-care equipment that could enable them to live at home longer, postponing the need to move into residential care facilities.
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Researchers develop hybrid handbike
Unlike the classic bicycle, the handbike is powered by the arms and is one of the most popular pieces of sports equipment among paraplegics. The new hybrid "BikAble" design, developed at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), combines the functions of the sports apparatus and the wheelchair.
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3D scanning technologies for prosthetic limb design
Cutting-edge 3D scanners have been put to the test by researchers from the University of Southampton and partners Exceed Worldwide to help increase the quality and quantity of prosthetics services around the world.
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Electric car now available as wheelchair accessible vehicle
The new Mercedes-Benz eVito is now available as WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicle) with AMF-Bruns rear cut floor. According to the manufacturer, the fully electric Vito with a battery capacity of 90 Kilowatt-hour guarantees a range of up to 421 Kilometers and is thus also suitable for long journeys.
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Multiple Sclerosis: Gamified digital health solution
Researchers aim to help people with multiple sclerosis self-manage their condition by using a new evidence-based digital application. Due to digitalization of healthcare, there is a strong vision that digital tools will also be used by patients to target specific health conditions. However, there is not much evidence yet that this would bring value in the care process.
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Neuroscience-driven multisensory technologies for vision impaired
Vision impairment is a pervasive problem facing nearly 2.2 billion people globally, according to the World Health Organization. But help is on the way: Neuroscientists are working at the cutting edge of technology and brain science to develop new ways for the vision impaired to navigate the world around them.
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Self-walking exoskeletons: Engineers combine AI and wearable cameras
Robotics researchers are developing exoskeletons and prosthetic legs capable of thinking and making control decisions on their own using sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
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Paw hygiene no reason to ban assistance dogs from hospitals
Over 10,000 people in Europe use an assistance dog; think of hearing dogs for people with a hearing impairment, medical response service dogs and psychiatric service dogs. According to a UN-agreement and the Dutch law, these dogs are welcome in hospitals and other public places. However, in practice, many assistance dog users and their dogs are regularly refused entry.
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Donation of intensive care bed mattresses for Portuguese hospitals
The Funke Medical AG, one of the leading German manufacturers of decubitus therapy systems, donates intensive care bed mattresses to two clinics in Portugal. After Portugal had the highest new COVID infection rates worldwide in the meantime, the situation has been easing for about two weeks. Nevertheless, the country is currently still struggling with the third wave of Covid.
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Retinal implants can give artificial vision to the blind
Being able to make blind people see again sounds like the stuff of miracles or even science fiction. And it has always been one of the biggest challenges for scientists. Diego Ghezzi, who holds the Medtronic Chair in Neuroengineering (LNE) at EPFL's School of Engineering, has made this issue a research focus.
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ReWalk enters supply contract with German health insurance company
ReWalk Robotics, Ltd., a leading manufacturer of robotic medical devices for people with lower extremity disabilities, has entered into a contract with BKK Mobil Oil Insurance to provide ReWalk Personal Exoskeleton devices to its eligible beneficiaries with spinal cord injury.
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Digital app can help people with chronic pain manage their pain
Digital solutions including remote monitoring can help people with chronic pain manage their pain and reduce the probability of misuse of prescription opioids.
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Picture books can boost physical activity for youth with autism
While physical activity is important for everyone, research has shown people with developmental disabilities do not exercise as often as their typically developed peers. In an effort to close this disparity, a researcher at the University of Missouri recently created fitness picture books that help youth with autism exercise more frequently.
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Actively involved with the stand up wheelchair
Finally standing up by themselves, being able to reach for a glass, looking over the railing in the zoo without any problems or simply darting around the square with their playmates without having to be pushed or lifted up. The new PARAVAN PR 35 S fulfils these children's dreams. It is small, compact, colourful and versatile.
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Therapy dog assisted learning helps building skills for life
A new UBC Okanagan study finds children not only reap the benefits of working with therapy dogs – they enjoy it too. "Dog lovers often have an assumption that canine-assisted interventions are going to be effective because other people are going to love dogs," says Nicole Harris, who conducted this research while a master's student in the School of Education.
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Fully supportive, yet mobile, splints
Around 80 percent of sports injuries are so-called musculoskeletal injuries, for example sprains, strains or overstretching. Conventional supports either do not provide enough stability or restrict the mobility of the joint too much. A research team from the Zoological Institute at Kiel University (CAU) has now developed a flexible joint splint that combines maximum mobility and optimal stability.
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