Technology and occupational therapy in the rehabilitation of the bedridden quadriplegic.
In recent years, home health care services have been expanded considerably. These services, combined with current technological advances, allow severely disabled, even bedbound, people to remain at home. This report demonstrates how one individual, although bedridden and quadriplegic, has successfully adapted his home environment. His functional independence has been markedly improved through computers, environmental control units, innovative carpentry, and adaptations by the occupational therapist. His need for attendant care has been reduced and his quality of life significantly enhanced through increased control of his surroundings. This paper suggests innovative and technological solutions to environmental problems at home. These ideas may aid the home health care occupational therapist in treating individuals who are bedbound.
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D004867:Equipment Design; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008838:Microcomputers; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D012931:Social Environment; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation