With pioneering robotic equipment being used to enhance patient rehabilitation goals in UK residential neuro-rehab settings for the first time, one Cambridgeshire care community is already witnessing first-hand how the innovative technology is transforming its patients’ lives.
Back in June, Askham Village Community acquired cutting-edge robotics and sensor assisted technology, bringing all its rehab services together with the launch of Askham Rehab and becoming one of a very small number of providers in the UK to offer a specialist robotic-led rehabilitation service.
During that time, Askham Rehab has been empowering recipients of the state-of-the-art Tyromotion equipment to push themselves, providing goal-driven therapy that helps those with a range of conditions, including spinal injuries, brain injuries, and various traumas, as well as strokes and other neurological conditions, to achieve more in a shorter time frame.
The new technology includes:
The Amadeo – A robotic and sensor-based rehabilitation device for use of hands, offering
assistive and interactive therapies for individual fingers and thumbs movements.
The Myro – A sensor-based surface with interactive applications. Its force control and touch applications have been designed specifically for people with deficits in motor function, concentration, selective attention, visual-spatial perception, and spatial-perceptive ability.
The Pablo – A sensor-based rehabilitation device for unilateral and bilateral training, allowing for interactive therapies for the whole body, including hand, fingers, arms, legs, trunk, and head.
One example of how the new equipment is transforming lives, is the rehabilitative treatment of Simon Robinson, a 56-year-old who came to Askham Rehab having sustained a C6 (affecting the cord near the base of the neck) incomplete spinal cord injury following a road traffic collision. Using Tyromotion’s Omego Plus, Simon completed sessions for lower limb function, while also undergoing sessions on the Amadeo for hand movement, and Myro for perception and bilateral upper limb movement.
Aside from the aid of the robotic equipment, Simon’s treatment also consisted of hands-on therapy via physiotherapy and occupational therapy, where he worked on transfers, weight-bearing, and functional activities such as food and drink preparation.
Following a period of time in Askham’s onsite rehabilitation accommodation, Simon is now able to independently flat-level transfer and is self-sufficient with all personal care, food preparation and house-hold chores. Commenting on the use of the robotics equipment, Simon used a visual metaphor to sum up his personal experience, explaining that “using the Amadeo was like my hand suddenly moving in colour instead of black and white.”
Another success story from Askham’s early use of the new technology is that of Chris Taylor, a 48-year-old who suffered an extensive left-sided stroke in early 2019. As well as undergoing physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and aquatic therapy as part of his rehabilitation, Chris also completed sessions on the Amadeo for controlling hand spasticity, increased tone, and decreased tissue length.
Having a high repetition for joint mobility within the hand, including specific joints in specific fingers, staff were able to progress his stretching regime via the Amadeo and provide a splint to continue exercises. Chris is now transferring using a standing aid and the assistance of two people but is able to stand independently with his aid. His rapid progression is continuing with the further assistance of Tyromotion’s Myro and Pablo, where he is stepping and working on function of movement with his entire upper limb. Chris summed up his experience simply and succinctly, saying: “It’s nice to see and feel my hand move normally.”
Overall, the use of robotics and sensor assisted technology has proven to be a game changer for the Cambridgeshire care community, allowing the service to bridge the gap of patients’ discharge by increasing the frequency and repetitiveness of treatment.
With 30 years of experience in the care sector, including 10 years of neurological rehabilitation expertise, Askham’s traditional disciplines have been significantly bolstered with the introduction of pioneering robotics. Being able to offer a more quantitative and targeted approach to treatment, as well as greater discretion when targeting key areas following neurological events, the care community has entered the next step in its evolution of delivering a high-quality rehabilitation service.
