(Rivista Internazionale - December 1997: The Awakening Unit of the St. John the Baptist Hospital - 6/6)

(Left) The therapy in the gymnasium integrates the work in the hospital rooms aimed at restoring the respiratory balance, reactivating the physiological functions, motor and cognitive component and fostering compensatory strategies. The rehabilitation programme follows a progressive scheme of neurophysiological and neuropsychological reconstruction recalling the evolutionary pattern of a child, guiding the patient from the stage of simple awakening to that of conscious activity and from the stage of reflex movement to the ability to move spontaneously. (Right)The medical team was set up to take over the patients totally and continually, at the same time assuming a maternal role. All the team is well aware of the significance of a stable, welcoming human presence which goes beyond mere technique in sending an emotional echo and establishing a sympathetic relationship. The team's role is fundamental in constructing a daily pattern to give the patient trust and confidence, helping to overcome the inevitable tendency to regress. In the teams eyes, the whole problem of the complex rehabilitation of the seriously brain injured patient rotates around a thorough understanding of the patients specific needs. Dr. Maria Rachele Zylberman Head of Department for Neurorehabilitation SMOM St. John the Baptist Hospital, Rome back to previous page back to summary next article