By Roland
The health and wellbeing of our children surpasses all of life’s other concerns. As parents, we nurture and guide our precious young through the many challenges they face during their formative years. We protect them, nurse them, teach and console them through to adulthood. Nature blesses parents with the love and instinctive attributes to raise fit and strong youngsters with a bond instilled from the moment of conception.
Sadly, for the few, the natural abilities of parents are stretched and challenged beyond their natural parenting skills. Genetic disorders, sickness and accident can create seemingly insurmountable hurdles for some parents resulting in heartbreaking despair for those that nature has entrusted with safeguarding the young.
Samitivej Hospital recognize this despair and are committed to its alleviation, for both parent and child. It is the hospital’s commitment to maximizing a child’s quality of life that they created their dedicated pediatric rehabilitation center. This is a modern, purpose built facility has been designed with a single objective, that being to improve the lives of children with health challenges that go beyond the instinctive nurturing of a parent.
Samitivej Hospital Pediatric Rehabilitation Center employ a multi-faceted approach to the treatment of every child. With each child being an individual, then so should the therapeutic approach to their treatment. Multiple medical skills and therapies are brought together in a coordinated, program, each of which is individually designed to suit the unique needs of every child. This harmonizing of the center’s assets has resulted in an unsurpassed level of rehab success.
Aquatic Therapy
Pool based therapeutic programs have proved to be immensely beneficial with many advantages over any dry land equivalent. The major difference is buoyancy. Buoyancy reduces the weight of body which allows the child to move and exercise in ways they would otherwise be unable to. individually devised pool exercises improve the functioning of the arms and legs whilst also promoting core muscle and ligament development. The warm water of the pool has a massaging affect which reduces pain and promotes circulation.
The aquatic therapy pools are maintained to very strict standards. For maximum comfort the temperature is held at between 88 and 90 degrees. Water quality is constantly monitored to ensure there are no water bourn contaminates and a salt chlorination system reduces the risk of eye and skin irritation.
Aquatic therapy has proven to be beneficial to children with cerebral palsy, as well as those that have experienced injury or have undergone orthopedic surgery. Aquatic therapy also benefits children by being an enjoyable and relaxing activity. Children have a tendency to look forward to this form of therapy, thus, creating a positive mind set which improves their own psychological wellbeing.
Robotic-Assisted Walking Therapy
Robotic-assisted walking therapy is ideal for stroke victims, children with spinal cord issues or any other physical trauma which results in brain, bone or muscular weakness of the lower limbs. Samitivej Hospital have adopted the use of the FreeD Intelligent Gait robot. This is a cutting edge bodyweight support system which is combined with a treadmill and interactive computer.
The system allows children to children to begin walking with a smooth and steady gait which also stimulates the sensory nervous system. The child can follow their own progress with the interactive monitor system which allows them to see their progress. This alleviates boredom and aids in maintaining a child’s positive approach to therapy.
The FreeD system provides a continuous display of progress and results for each walking activity in real-time. The realistic imagery of the muscle stimulation inspires, encourages and motivates the young patients to reach predetermined goals. The positive stimuli experienced by a child through the interactive abilities of the robotic-assisted walking therapy has a self-perpetuating effect on the patient’s overall attitude to the physiotherapy process.
Redcord Suspension Exercise System
This system targets the neuromuscular reeducation of the whole body. Redcord’s patented “bungee assistance”. This suspension exercise system has been specifically developed for children suffering with chronic muscle and joint issues. It aides in tackling pain, musculoskeletal instability and helps in restoring motor control. This is achieved via suspension and support of specific parts of the body.
Cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease sufferers benefit greatly from this form of physiotherapy. As do, children that have undergone surgery, suffer joint pain, have experienced physical injury or have any other medical issues that are negatively affecting neuromuscular strength.
The unique Redcord therapy allows the child to exercise particular parts of the body individually. This helps the mind and body learn how to use specific muscular groups whilst also enabling the patient to undergo longer sustained sessions of therapy. Redcord works with the body’s natural rhythm, helping to improve coordination and relaxation.
Snoezelen Multi-Sensory Environments
For children, a Snoezelen multi-sensory environment can be a very special place. A place of peace and tranquility, curiosity, stimulation, fascination and curiosity. The concept was developed in Holland by Jan Hulsegge, and its title is a portmanteau derived from the Dutch words “Snuffele”, meaning to snuggle, and the word “Doezelen”, which means to snooze.
Samitivej Hospital has embraced this form of therapy with great success, as have establishments in over 50 countries around the world, and are now one of its leading exponents. Snoezelen is non-directive by the therapist, moreover, allowing the child patient to explore and stimulate their senses through their own volition. Multi and single sensory responses are explored through sounds and textures, visual stimuli, lighting, atmosphere and smells.
The range and intensity of the experiences that a child can explore can be geared to the sensory requirements of each individual. With the Snoezelen environment tailored to the needs of each child, maximum motivational stimulus can be achieved, thereby improving communication, function and life quality.
Although originally aimed at autism sufferers, Snoezelen therapy has proven to be of immense benefit to children with all manner of learning difficulties, special needs and mental health issues. It also helps children with brain damage, be it genetic or incurred due to trauma. The multi-sensory environments also offer relief to children with other conditions that result in chronic pain.
Samitivej Hospital Pediatric Rehabilitation Center has a very simple philosophy, and that is to be of the utmost importance to the child’s development and well-being. To this, the multi-skilled team are committed and have improved the wellbeing of many young people enabling them to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.
