Physical therapy support for more mobility
Physical therapy is an important component of the holistic palliative care we provide at the Sternenbrücke children’s hospice. The goal of this treatment is the greatest possible physical and mental well-being of our guests. There is a primary focus on supporting the vital functions, such as respiration and digestion, as well as facilitating individual mobility. The ultimate aim is to help our guests to develop more independence and, above all, to participate in an active everyday life and in their environment.
Our guests’ skills and resources are observed, fostered and enhanced through new offerings in order to create new possibilities and perspectives. Enabling them to feel, perceive, and experience themselves and others, with all their senses, as well as to enjoy life and engage in play, are important elements of physical therapy. Advising and assisting the families with respect to handling, positioning as well as aids and equipment play a major role in this connection. Services for alleviating pain form another focal point.
The various medical conditions of our young guests often present special challenges for our physical therapists: For example, the individual therapy sessions are greatly influenced by the specific needs and abilities of our smaller and larger guests as well as simply by how they are feeling on that particular day. We are flexible in tailoring our physical therapy to take these factors into account.
Physical therapy: What seems like small changes can make a big difference
Our physical therapists carry out a wide range of tasks that go far beyond the usual treatments. Their close contact with the families during the latter’s stay at Sternenbrücke gives them insight into the everyday problems that these families face. For this reason, one focus of our physical therapy work is to advise families, make their day-to-day lives easier and improve their quality of life. This is done, for example, by offering and trying out positioning possibilities, wheelchairs and rehab buggies or aids that facilitate food intake or communication.
We can provide therapies at the children’s hospice that are often not available at home: for example, training on a Galileo vibration plate, relaxation on a Salima “sound recliner”, or osteopathy. On request, parents can also receive treatment. After all, the better the parents are doing, the better they can take care of their children. At home, parents often don’t have enough time to take care of themselves. Families benefit from our wide range of treatment approaches and treatment options – over and above non-drug therapy.
“It is especially moving to experience those moments in which we make a big difference with what seems like small changes", says physical therapist Rita Gansen.
MPS Movement Room
The MPS Movement Room was created to give our guests who suffer from MPS (mucopolysaccharidosis) an area in which they can freely move around and experience their surroundings without being hindered by protective hands. Children with this condition have an unusually strong urge to move around, which, when combined with limited coordination, balance and awareness of danger, makes very close, attentive supervision necessary.
By remodeling our multifunctional therapy room to ensure that there are no hard materials or sharp edges, the children are able to experience a true feeling of freedom and self-determination.
Nevertheless, thanks to a custom-made door that can be locked at the bottom and opened at the top, our care specialists can always keep a watchful eye on the children and adolescents at play.