Therapy at the Rehaklinik Zihlschlacht

Neuropsychological therapy studies cognitive functions in the neurological patients – concentration, memory, logical thinking, etc. Therapeutic methods are used to improve their performance impaired by the disease, thus enabling the patients’ best possible reintegration into everyday professional and private life. In addition, we assess the performance capacity with due regard to any existing residual effects in everyday life. 

In addition, we offer counselling and psychotherapeutic arrangements in individual or group settings to help the patients come to terms with their conditions. We help them to find a way in the new life situation and to develop the strategies of their own that would help deal with it.

Neuropsychological therapy at the Rehaklinik Zihlschlacht includes the following:

• Neuropsychological diagnostics
• Cognitive individual training
• Cognitive group training
• PC-supported attention training
• Psychotherapeutic individual sessions
• Psychotherapeutic group sessions
• Relaxation groups
• counselling for relatives
• Biofeedback therapy

In occupational therapy, individual work and occupation history is used in case with patients of working age with due regard to the workplace environment and context-related factors. This is done in order to accurately assess job-related work requirements. After a detailed research, work and stress tests are used to identify the issues and search for the resources.

Occupational reintegration is coordinated and triaged on an interdisciplinary basis during the inpatient phase, with the employer and the cost-bearer involved (if necessary). The overriding goal is to help the patients get back to work as soon as possible, to build up their ability to perform without excessive demands, with work trials and step-by-step reintegration.

Exercise material for occupational therapy

In connection with many years of professional experience in occupational therapy/ergotherapy, M. Venedey, occupational therapist, has gathered quite a lot of exercise materials.

The materials are available in a digital form.

They are focused in computations and planning and are mainly intended for patients who intend to get to work after rehabilitation. The sales proceeds will be used exclusively for the work of the pro humanis Zihlschlacht Benefactors Association.

Music therapy offers experience at different levels.

• Stabilisation
• Improves quality of life
• Helps with creativity
• Helps with communication disorders
• Promotes attention
• Helps with frustration

In music therapy, non-verbal, emotional and verbal dialogue forms are used to complement each other. It is a psychotherapeutically oriented procedure. Its basic effective factor is resonance. Music therapy is offered in individual and group settings.

Orthoptics (orthos = straight, correct) is a branch of ophthalmology that deals with diagnosis and treatment of visual disorders. It is mainly associated with visual field defects, eye movement disorders and poor visual acuity.

Visual disorders are often consequences of brain injury. They make everyday life more difficult and are particularly stressful in combination with other impairments – such as gait disorders.

Double images, visual field defects and blurred vision make both visual orientation and reading difficult. These phenomena are often rather disturbing for those affected – but also for their families. Therefore, such patients require careful diagnosis and treatment. The Neuroophthalmological Department of the Rehaklinik Zihlschlacht offers comprehensive care and treatment by specialised orthoptists (experts in diagnosing and treating defects in eye movement and problems with how the eyes work together). If necessary, they bring in the inhouse ophthalmologist, too.

The key objective is to treat visual impairment by means of optical corrections, compensatory training or special aids in a way to make the patient’s everyday life easier.

For more information, please see our brochure "Visual Rehabilitation of Neurological Patients" available by clicking on the image below:

We also offer some longreads about Orthoptics. Click here to learn more! 

Speech therapy is used to diagnose and treat neurological disorders, including speech, language, voice, chewing and swallowing issues, as well facial paralysis. Such symptoms can have adverse effect on people's ability to communicate, deteriorate their quality of life, and prevent them from socializing.

Here are the services we offer:

• Individual and group therapy sessions
• Diagnostics of speech and language disorders utilizing standardised test procedures
• Clinical and instrumental swallowing evaluation (FEES)
• Speech and language therapy using the latest digital and conventional therapy methods
• Biofeedback therapy, bioimpedance analysis and electrical stimulation for treating swallowing disorders
• Treatment of patients with tracheostomy tubes
• Involvement of relatives into individual consultations and group discussions
• Patient aftercare services

The range of sensorimotor therapies is quite extensive as successful rehabilitation takes many of them at once, in particular:

• Physiotherapy/sports therapy 
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy 
• Robotics 
• Qigong

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a modern treatment procedure, which uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. TMS allows to reduce the imbalance between the damaged and intact cerebral hemispheres after a brain injury such as a stroke. This can improve neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, which is important when it comes to recovery of neurological impairments.

At the rehabilitation clinic Rehaklinik Zihlschlacht, we offer comprehensive (neuro)urological and urotherapeutic care in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Our services are divided into two fields: 

(Neuro)Urology, which includes

• Sonography
• Uroflowmetry (urine flow measurement – UFM)
• Urodynamics (bladder pressure measurement)
• Cystoscopy
• Lifelong suprapubic catheter placement
• Botox injection into the bladder

Urological Disorders Therapy

• Advice on bladder dysfunction and urinary incontinence
• Drinking and feeding behaviour advice
• Optimal micturition behaviour advice
• Bladder training
• Behavioural therapy
• Intermittent self-catheterization (advice, instruction and review)
• Advice on fecal incontinence and bowel management
• Electrical stimulation with non-implanted probes (transdermally, or with vaginal/anal probes) to help overactive bladder and pelvic floor muscle training/innervation training
• Urinary tract infection prevention strategies
• Sexual dysfunction
• Advice, support and assistance related to use of relevant products – incontinence products, catheters, condom catheters, vaginal and anal tampons)

The nutritional counselling team cares for patients with various nutritional disorders. We attach great importance to individual needs and a diet that would meets all the requirements.

During the rehabilitation stay, nutritional therapy is used in the following cases:

• Metabolic diseases
• Obesity
• Malnutrition and hyponutrition
• Chewing and swallowing problems
• Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis
• Food allergies and intolerances
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Digestive disorders
• Tube feeding

The most common consequences of Covid-19 are pathological fatigue with persistive exhaustibility. Another critical disorder associated with Covid is polyneuropathy (CIP) with paralysis – it is especially common in patients who had to stay long in the intensive care units. Almost half of the patients suffer from cognitive disorders, too. 
Our clinic knows how to treat even severely affected patients but starting treatment at a very early stage can be absolutely crucial for the healing process.

Another group of patients includes those after a stroke or those with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome or other neurological diseases, who have had coronavirus infection and are therefore doubly burdened with the long-lasting effects. We have developed a special rehabilitation program for such patients to help them take back their independence as quickly as possible.