A
Simulated Living Suite opened at Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI)
last year is helping patients re-learn the skills needed to regain their
independence and reintegrate into the community.
The suite,
which is also called an Activities of Daily Living (ADL) room, is a
home-like environment with an accessible bedroom and attached bathroom.
It has a living room with a television, an accessible kitchen, and
specially adapted equipment. A washing machine, accessible doors and
windows, electric switches, plug points, a washing basin with taps, and
adapted switches are also part of the room.
Since the suite
opened, a number of patients with disabilities have been successfully
rehabilitated and are now confidently living independently within their
own homes. Patients who develop a disability after a stroke, spinal cord
injury, head injury, Guliiane Barre syndrome (a disorder in which the
body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system), and
multiple trauma-related injuries can relearn daily tasks with
activities organized in the suite.
The self-care retraining
suite’s activities are part of Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC)
cutting-edge occupational therapy treatments that allow patients with
disabilities to practice self-care activities under the supervision of
an Occupational Therapist (OT).
Commenting on the role the ADL
suite plays in a patient’s rehabilitation, Mr. Sultan Al Abdulla, Chief
of Occupational Therapy at the QRI said: “An Occupational Therapist
helps patients develop and/or regain the skills they need to return to
independent living. The team works with patients to help them carry out
the tasks they need to do at home, at work, and in the community.”
He
added that at the Simulated Living Suite, Occupational Therapists help
patients learn how to use the accessible kitchen, bedroom, and living
room by enabling them to practice carrying out different tasks such as
cooking, by using equipment adapted to their needs. “We advise patients
and their families on the importance of home modifications by actually
showing them how it should look and allowing them to practice carrying
out tasks in the adapted areas,” said Mr. Al Abdulla.
Mr. Al
Abdulla mentioned that there are plans to expand the suite’s services by
introducing assistive technology. “Electronic aids to daily living
(EADLs) enable people with disabilities to have more control of their
environment. When a person lacks mobility, motor or cognitive skills
that prevent them from performing even the simplest tasks, EADLs can
provide them with some basic control over their daily life. Individuals
can control even the smallest amount of movement using, but not limited
to, various types of adapted switches. This is being planned for the
future,” he added.
