Abstract
Since January 1967 the special department of Workers Insurance Union at Koblenz (West-Germany) has organised, with the help of a specialised doctor, physical trainer and a Welfare Officer, visits to paralysed patients in their home environment. From these visits a statistical study of 86 spinal paraplegic patients has been made.
The criteria for this study were medical condition, family, housing and financial conditions, professional and physical training. As a result of these visits it was possible to direct the patients to their family doctor when treatment was needed. Moreover, suggestions and requests regarding supporting and orthopaedic apparatus were made to the Workers Insurance Union.
A large number of patients could be interested in taking up physical training (sport) organised for paralysed patients. During the last National Sports Meeting for paralysed people a selected group was successful.
These visits make it possible to maintain close contact between the discharged paralysed patients and the Spinal Centre where they had been originally treated. Therefore, these visits should be considered important in the after-care of paraplegics.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Guttmann, L (1956). Dtsch. Z. Nervenheilk. 175, 173.
Guttmann, L (1958). Int. Congr. of Rehabilitation, etc., Liepzig, 161–165.
Heipertz (1957). Arch. orth. Unfall-Chir. 48, 679—Tagung d. Deutsch. Ges. für Unfallheilkunde, Heidelberg 1956.
Leimbach, G (1963). Hefte z. Unfallheilk., Heft 78, Verhandlungen der Dtsch. Gesellsch. für Unfallheilk., Versicherungs-, Versorgungs- und Verkehrsmedizin, XXVII. Tag. in Berlin 1963.
Leimbach, G (1960). Diskussionsbeitrag zur Querschnittsgelähmtenfrage, Hefte z. Unfallheilkunde 66 (verh. Dtsch. Ges. für Unfallheilk. Lindau 1960).
Leimbach, G (1961). Die olymp. Spiele für Paraplegiker in Stoke Mandeville, Die Berufsgenossenschaft.
Leimbach, G (1957). Berufsgenossenschaftliche Sonderstation im Rahmen des Unfallheiverfahrens, Monatskurse ärztl. Fortbild.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Meine, E. On after-care of paralysed patients in their home. Spinal Cord 8, 154–157 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1970.27
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1970.27