Rehab@home: a tool for home-based motor function rehabilitation.

Purpose: This paper presents the Rehab@home system, a tool specifically developed for helping neurological patients performing rehabilitation exercises at home, without the presence of a physiotherapist. It is centred on the rehabilitation of balance and on the sit-to-stand (STS) movement. Method: R...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 67 - 75
Autores principales: Faria, Carlos, Silva, Jorge, Campilho, Aurélio
Formato: pictorial research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jan2015
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Purpose: This paper presents the Rehab@home system, a tool specifically developed for helping neurological patients performing rehabilitation exercises at home, without the presence of a physiotherapist. It is centred on the rehabilitation of balance and on the sit-to-stand (STS) movement. Method: Rehab@home is composed of two Wii balance boards, a webcam and a computer, and it has two main software applications: one for patients to perform rehabilitation exercises and another one for therapists to visualize the data of the exercises. During the exercises, data from the boards and the webcam are processed in order to automatically assess the correctness of movements. Results: Rehab@home provides exercises for the rehabilitation of balance (in sitting and in standing positions), and for the execution of the STS movement. It gives automatic feedback to the patient and data are saved for future analysis. The therapist is able to adapt the difficulty of the exercises to match with each patient's needs. A preliminary study with seven patients was conducted for evaluating their feedback. They appreciated using the system and felt the exercises more engaging than conventional therapy. Conclusions: Feedback from patients gives the hope that Rehab@home can become a great tool for complementing their rehabilitation process.