Stralsund receives new motor skills center: DRK expands occupational therapy offering!

Stralsund receives new motor skills center: DRK expands occupational therapy offering!

The German Red Cross (DRK) recently opened a new occupational therapy facility in the Strelapark health center, which has established itself as the largest of its kind in the Vorpommern-Rügen district. After the previous division of the practice rooms with physiotherapy, patients can now use their own area for occupational therapy, which includes several treatment rooms, a group therapy room and a modern motor skills center. This expansion is no coincidence: the demand for occupational therapy appointments has skyrocketed, which made it necessary to expand the practice, as the Ostsee-Zeitung reports.

The clientele of occupational therapy is diverse. From children with developmental delays to older people who need support after operations or strokes, numerous patients find adequate therapy here. In addition, a growing proportion of patients stands out: people suffering from Long Covid. These sufferers are often confronted with symptoms such as fatigue and memory impairment, which significantly reduce their quality of life.

Occupational therapy and Long Covid

Dealing with Long Covid is a challenge that also takes current rehabilitation guidelines into account. About 6% of people with COVID-19 report health problems three months after becoming ill. These symptoms can vary and include difficulty breathing, difficulty concentrating and even mental illness. An updated S2k guideline provides guidance on rehabilitation and shows that individually tailored therapies are essential for post-COVID sufferers. According to the German Society for Occupational Therapy, the offerings are all about an interdisciplinary and multimodal approach that focuses on both physical and psychological symptoms.

The DRK is adapting to these new challenges. Around half of the patients in occupational therapy are children, but the everyday-relevant impairments that cast their shadows with Long Covid also make a special offer necessary. “Our new group therapy rooms with a workbench and ceramic oven enable us to help children and young people as well as affected adults together,” says DRK managing director André Waßnick.

Is the need for occupational therapy growing?

With the additional team of six new occupational therapists who will start working in September, nothing stands in the way of the growing need for appointments. These therapists will also make home visits and support integrative daycare centers and schools. The current situation with waiting lists shows that demand remains high. But the new specialists will help to quickly expand capacities and make necessary therapies available more quickly.

The reopening of occupational therapy in Strelapark is a positive step in health care in the region. In view of the increasing number of patients, especially with regard to the long-term consequences of COVID-19, it is of great importance both for those affected and for the entire healthcare system that the gaps in therapeutic treatment can be closed quickly. Because every step counts when it comes to regaining people's quality of life and everyday abilities.

In view of these developments, it is to be hoped that occupational therapy interventions will continue to have a positive impact on patients' recovery - especially in the area of ​​rehabilitative measures for Long Covid. Hopefully nothing will stand in the way of a quicker return to normality.