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HEAD project (Human Empowerement Aging And Disability)

Technology and Network for Tele-Rehabilitation Service

Active project

The purpose of the Head project is the realization of a telecommunication network technology and rehabilitation technology to an address which goes to build a network of neuro-rehabilitation aimed at the provision of a distributed sustainable service. When during operation there is an involvement of the patient’s emotional sphere, as well as the rational one, the results in terms of continuity of ‘attention, and the effectiveness of the exercise therapy are significantly higher. For this purpose for the construction of rehabilitation exercises will use some of the content of the showcases RAI and will be implemented an IT infrastructure that would enable staff to prepare exercises using the patient’s life material, photos, memories, home movies, photos of the house and places of ‘childhood taken from Google Earth.

For the use of television content will be made available to the Project Head of the Stretch & Easy TV technologies developed at the Research Centre.
The primary objectives will then be the definition and structuring of rehabilitative care contextualized processes, individualized with the related health and social care for chronic disabling conditions determined by congenital or acquired lesions of the nervous system, with use of innovative technologies.

HEAD project is funded by the Cariplo Foundation and has a duration of three years starting in 2014. The partners involved are: Rehabilitation Centre Villa Beretta of Lecco, of reference of the Scientific Coordinator: Dott. Franco Molteni, the Asphi Onlus Foundation, The Center Searches RAI Teche RAI, the Presidio Sanitario San Camillo do Torino, Fondazione Don Gnocchi in Milan.

The project objectives include the creation of a distributed computing platform to provide rehabilitation services and tele-cognitive and motor rehabilitation, using specially designed exercises and different devices interfacing to high technology: Kinect, RF-ID, touch screen, virtual head ocolus set, wearable sensors.

The features of the HEAD system can be summarized in the following points:

  1. Cross-platform: provide the ability to present content and propose the exercises, in a traditional manner or in telepresence, share information between health and evaluate results through a series of terminals connected TV, PC with touch screen, mobile devices, smartphones and tablet.
  2. The rehabilitation program management: HEAD will use the method of classification ICF(International Classification of Functioning) for profiling of patients and the identificationof therapeutic targets. The system allows for the planning and delivery of therapy in addition to the collection of data and results. The platform provides for disability profilestandard exercises but also allows you to create exercises specifically for the individual patient using semantic algorithms for search and content presentation.
  3. Sustainable and accessible technology: the system will present operating costs and highly competitive operating with the traditional approach. The teleconference therapy will reduce the health and social costs associated with patient transport from their home to the hospital and the subsequent return home and will reduce the overcrowding of treatment centers.
  4. Easily customizable modular exercises and adaptable to the individual needs of each individual: HEAD platform offers tools for the collection of images, sound tracks, favorite shows, photos, memories and movies provided by the patient’s family and for the search of relevant archival footage and from various sources including showcases RAI. This material may be used to achieve extremely targeted therapeutic exercises and without involvement for the subject.
  5. The system provides tools for the evaluation of the patient over time (therapeutic trend, distance between expected improvement and real, graphs and charts).

a. The system, by analyzing the characteristics of the patient and the results of the exercises, may be able to suggest how to vary the treatment.

b. Collection of opinions of ‘user: the system keeps track of the degree of patient satisfaction and caregiver collecting their feedback in terms of usability, satisfaction with the service, interest in the exercises, perceived improvements as a result of the proposed therapies.

c.Il system offers a technology that allows you to evaluate statistically the progress of patient therapy, create custom graphs and reports based on the data in the database and the information operator.