Physical Rehabilitation Facility Closing and Its Alternative Solution

It was announced on May 30,2012 that Rutland Regional Medical Center’s inpatient rehabilitation unit in Vermont would be closing its doors. Many current and former patients have protested and urged the facility to remain open. They maintain that they received excellent care there and would consider it a tragedy if that help couldn’t be provided to others in need. “Without the superior care I received there back in the summer of 1998, I would not be living life as comfortable as I am now”, said one of its former patients. When a vital institution such as a rehabilitation center is forced to close its doors for financial or other reasons many people suffer–patients as well as the professional and lay staff. In the case of the cancellation of physical rehabilitative services it is important to know that alternative physical therapy solutions exist. Specifically the system being used more and more these days is called TELEREHABILITATION, aka telemedicine, telehealth and other similar terminology. In the field of physical rehabilitation one system stands out above the others. Known as the TUTORs this system is used usually by patients who are in or who have been discharged from an inpatient rehabilitation facility or who live at too great a distance from a facility. They can receive a good deal of their physical therapy needs through the use of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR. These physical therapy products are designed to allow the patient to receive intensive exercise programs monitored and regulated by physical and occupational therapists who may be miles away. The TUTORs consist of comfortable ergonomic gloves or braces strategically located on various parts of the body and powerful dedicated rehabilitation software in the form of challenging games. These games allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. This controlled exercise practice will prevent the development of compensatory movement patterns. The dedicated software allows the therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability.The TUTORs are designed for patients who have experienced limited joint or limb movement ability due to a stroke, brain or spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, MS, CP and other upper and lower extremity difficulties. Currently in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and clinics the TUTORs are available for children as young as 4 and are fully certified by the FDA and CE. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for further information.