title: [The Family Conference as an example of involving the patient's relatives in neurological early rehabilitation].
abstract: For the patient the social support plays a crucial role when trying to cope with critical life events. Therefore the "Saarland-Heilstätten" hospitals in Saarbrücken usually integrate the relatives of patients in a minimally conscious state ("apallisches Syndrom") or having a severe brain injury into the therapies during the neurological early rehabilitation. All members of the interdisciplinary working team attend to the relatives of those patients: there are one-to-one meetings with therapists, weekly meetings with groups of relatives, and Family Conferences. This article explains why generally the qualified work with patients' relatives is absolutely necessary, and it illustrates that concept by describing the approach of the Family Conference. Finally the therapeutic possibilities and limitations of Family Conferences in the rehabilitation process are discussed as seen after several years of experience.
authors.affiliation: SHG-Kliniken Sonnenberg, Neurologische Frührehabilitation, Saarbrücken. NeumannZielke@t-online.de
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neumann-Zielke
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D003128:Coma / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003376:Counseling; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011368:Professional-Family Relations