FaceRehab
Facial Paralysis Rehabilitation at Home
Challenge
FaceRehab involves all end-user groups throughout the project in order to really fulfill the needs and to understand the issues related to remote healthcare solutions for medical professionals. The involvement of all levels of end-user is explained, with the benefits clearly articulated, including how the solution will form part of the care pathway for people with facial paralysis and what the associated outcomes will be for the different end-user groups when compared to the existing interventions available to treat and support people with such health problems.
Solution
FaceRehab will develop a solution for supporting facial rehabilitation exercises at home using technology as a mean to improve digital transformation of the health and care for people affected with Facial Paralysis. It will contribute to integrate actions of formal and informal carers using a common ICT-based solution by extending rehabilitation programs performed in hospital or clinical environments to the community setting. In particular, FaceRehab will address the need for technological solutions that monitor the realization of facial paralysis rehabilitation exercises at home. A need felt by patients, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists while undergoing a rehabilitation program.
Objectives, Activities and Results expected / achieved
FaceRehab has improved the quality of life (QoL) of primary end users. The most important contribution to QoL provided by the FaceRehab solution is that it has addressed an often overlooked but prevalent problem of facial nerve paralysis. This consequence can be caused by an acute event such as a stroke, but it can also appear without an apparent cause. It has devastating consequences on self-esteem and causes self-isolation, physical problems (swallowing, corneal protection, noise dampening) and mental disorders. Paralysis results in facial asymmetry that alters identity, the ability to communicate, and the effective expression of emotion. FaceRehab set out to develop a solution to support better and faster rehabilitation through exercises and bio-feedback at home, which will have a major impact on people's lives.
Objectives achieved:
- Development of a digital tool to support the rehabilitation of facial paralysis in a clinical environment and at home;
- Business model design for new digital tools in the European market;
- Validation of the new solution with end users.
Results achieved:
- Digital tool prototype that includes guidance for carrying out facial motor stimulation exercises;
- Virtual character as an intermediary for the exercise;
- Closed video consultation system;
- Physical device adapted and integrated for the intended use;
- Involvement of around 15 users in validating the solution;
- 1 registered industrial design.
Project Reference
AAL/0001/2020Funding
Intervention Region
Portugal, Spain and LuxembourgTotal Investment
821.812,50IPN Investment
144.792,00Total Eligible
821.812,50IPN Eligible
144.792,00EC Funding – Total
681.906,25EC Funding – IPN
144.792,00Duration
24 MonthsStart Date
2021-05-01End Date
2024-04-30Approval Date
2020-11-26Consortium
Instituto Pedro NunesCentro de Medicina Física e Reabilitação - Fisioermesinde
Think Digital
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu
Rehazenter
Website
https://facerehab.las.ipn.pt/Keywords
Health Care and Prevention;Telecare and Telehealth;
Therapy;
Care;
Physical Abilities;
Information and Knowledge;
Communication.
