Developmental delay is a situation in which toddlers do not attain the desirable level of physical and mental development, as per their age. Holistic development among children might get delayed due to certain medical conditions or unknown reasons. Children, whose health development gets stalled, may be treated through rehabilitation processes so that they can catch up with the others of their age and gain confidence to move on with their regular activities. Categories of Developmental Delays among Children: - Speech Delay - Eating and Swallowing Disorders - Developmental disorders: Orthopaedic Conditions, Neurological Conditions, Movement Disorders There are some developmental delays that are mild and some that are more serious. However, all of these categories can be treated through effective communication with the patients and their parents, along with following the correct processes in rehabilitation. Rehabilitation Processes for Treating Children with Developmental Delays: Speech and Language Therapy: This therapy treats children facing difficulty in speaking, communicating ideas, understanding concepts, and putting words together to form sentences. The specific health areas that this therapeutic process deals with are autism, birth defects, cognitive delays, excessive drooling, swallowing disorders, weak oral muscles, hearing impairments, and effects of traumatic brain injuries. Therapy includes speech training,...

At ApoKos, we believe in a humane touch along with professional medical therapies that are conducted to help patients regain their former independent selves. The personal and family-like care provided to patients at our rehabilitation centre, is an integral part of our programme that aims to achieve the best results for the patients and their family members. ApoKos believes in nurturing lives and helping every person live with dignity and as much independence as possible. Here is a touching story of Mr. Binode Goswami, who suffered a massive life altering stroke. With the strong support of his wife and the services of ApoKos, today he is able to live almost like his days prior to the illness. Let us take you through the wonderful narrative provided by Mrs. Goswami, to help you understand our mission at ApoKos. "Once in a while, we are given a special gift-- a gift that has meaning, a gift that cares, and a gift that truly impacts one's life. APOKOS Rehabilitation Hospital has been that gift to us. A massive brain stroke in September 2016 reduced my husband to a faint shadow of his former self. His justify side was totally paralysed making him almost...

Patients ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics sometimes require speech and swallow therapy owing to an injury or ailment suffered or a pre-existing condition. Typically, patients with speech and swallow therapy have difficulty in effective communication and nutrition intake, which can hinder their life further. Therefore, every comprehensive post-acute care rehabilitation program should incorporate effective speech and swallow therapy if the patient exhibits such deficit. Two categories of speech and swallow therapy - Adult speech and swallowing therapy: This is usually conducted in cases of stroke, traumatic brain injury, nerologic disorders, tumors, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), srtictures, and diverticula. Paediatric speech and swallowing therapy: This is conducted in the most common speech issues, which are articulation and language disorders, and some swallowing issues like reflux, food aversions, tongue thrust, and dysphagia. What does speech and swallow therapy entail? The level of deficiencies vary from one patient to another. A thorough assessment of the patient’s condition is thus essential before a prognosis can be arrived at, which will cater to their requirements.  A speech and swallowing rehab plan involves the following therapies: Speech production improvement Computer aided speech therapy Language therapy Training for fluency development Voice improvement Swallowing therapy Who should undergo...

Total knee replacement is a surgical method of restoring the functional aspect of the joints. The surgery, which involves replacing the knee joints with metal balls, reduces long-term pain in the knees that occur due to depreciation in bone health during old age. In order to regain physical balance and independence after total knee replacement, periodic orthopaedic rehabilitative care is necessary. This is the predominant type of rehabilitation programme that helps patients  after total knee replacement recover and regain independence. Orthopaedic rehabilitation programme is conducted by an interdisciplinary team, through a multidisciplinary treatment approach that involves occupational therapy. The interdisciplinary team consists of expert therapists who assess the patients' mobility, physical ability, motor control, medical status, and psychological determination. Physical Therapy: This is a set of pain relieving therapeutic processes that involve moving the limbs gently in order to release pressure from the centre of the joint towards its surrounding areas. Such movement results in balancing out the pain and gradually helping in regaining mobility. Mild massage is also provided to the patients to relax their skeletal-muscular system and ease its function. It involves physical toning of the muscles, which in turn relax the bones lying beneath them. Postural Re-orientation:...

Going through rehabilitation procedures at an old age can be difficult for patients due to both physical and mental weakness. A well balanced and healthy diet is extremely necessary for development and regeneration of the cells in the body, so that rehabilitation has a positive effect on the system. Every form of rehabilitation entails a long term procedure that involves different types of exercises, counselling, and intake of healthy food along with regular medicines. Every elderly person going through a rehabilitation procedure must follow a proper diet chart in order to maintain proficient health conditions ever after the procedure is completed. Here are a few tips to help you build a diet chart with accordance to your health requirements during and after rehabilitation procedures.   Food Rich in Minerals - Minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc restore the body’s energy levels and ensure proper functioning of the brain. Calcium has a special property of keeping the bone health and density intact. Foods rich in minerals must be consumed on a daily basis, so that health problems related to old age can be kept at bay. Such foods include bananas, milk, yoghurt, watermelons, apples, beans, lentils, Bengal gram, whole grains,...

Alzheimer's disease is a common and intense mental degeneration that mostly occurs among the elderly. This disease causes a person to lose track of regular life affairs and forget everything that was once held in high esteem. Recent incidents, acquaintances, and visited places often escape the mind. A person suffering from Alzheimer's disease even fails to recognise close connections like family and friends. A comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation procedure helps the patient cope with regular life in terms of performing activities that are to a certain extent independent of others. Rehabilitation in Alzheimer's disease differs from one person to another, based on the symptoms during extreme cases. However, there are specific guidelines that are followed throughout the general course of rehabilitation for such patients. Physical Exercises and Activities: Patients are treated by therapists on a regular basis, who train them to carry out easy physical exercises so that their bodies regain the energy that is lost due to daily mental fatigue. Exercises and physical therapies rejuvenate the body's central nervous, skeletal, and muscular system, thereby attempting to cease further depreciation of the brain cells. Similar and Rewarding Activities: Therapists make the patients carry out certain important activities on a regular...

A sudden trauma, a strike or jolt to the head, can damage the brain in what we call a Traumatic Brain Injury. A TBI can be as mild as a concussion and as severe as a coma with later proving fatal in many instances.  Traumatic brain injuries can be broadly classified into three kinds based on the level of brain trauma sustained and symptoms experienced by the patient. Three kinds of TBI based on severity Mild, with concussions falling under this category, the patient may or may not lose consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. The symptoms suffered could include a headache, dizziness and vision problems. Moderate, in which the patient can experience prolonged lethargy. Severe, in which the patient often slips into the coma state. Severe TBI can result in fatality as well. Preventing TBI TBI affects the youth and the elderly the most because of their increased risk of falls and sustaining mishaps. Most instances of TBI are preventable by observing caution. While falls are the leading cause of TBI they are closely followed by road traffic accidents as the next cause. Obey road traffic rules- Obeying traffic rules can bring down the instances of road traffic...

Autism Spectrum Disorders are neurological conditions which affect the brain and its ability to function. Children stricken with Autism Spectrum Disorders may experience restricted motor movements, issues with speech and communication and focus. Children with autism can also run into developmental issues, learning difficulties along with restricted social skills. There exists no ‘cure’ as such for ASD and also their exact causes remain elusive. But a comprehensive and dedicated rehabilitation program can help children with ASD lead a more functional and productive life. Tailoring Treatment Each individual exhibits a different pronounced symptom making it difficult to come up with a one-size-fits-all rehabilitation plan for ASD. But there of course exists some basic principles on which the rehabilitation for children with ASD rests on.  A comprehensive rehabilitation program will include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, educational support, plus a number of other interventions to help children and parents. The rehabilitation plan targets child’s – Communication skills – With speech and language therapy Motor functions – With Occupational and physical therapy Social interaction skills – With counselling and simulated scenarios Caring about the carers Along with providing rehabilitative care to the child, another important aspect of the intervention is supporting the...