Rehabilitation equipment procured
Rehabilitation Becoming More and More Up-to-Date at the Children's Hospital
On 8 September, together with the Olympic athlete Laura Ikauniece-Admidiņa we launched new rehabilitation equipment at the Children's Hospital site in Gaiļezers – this was done for the money contributed by donors! During the event, we were taken on a tour of the rehabilitation day in-patient unit, had a look at the specialists' offices, and the hospital staff informed us about the rehabilitation possibilities at the Gaiļezers site where children can get rehabilitation services both as in-patients as well as day in-patients, and these are paid for by the state.
In 2015, more than EUR 29,000 was received as donations from the public, to improve the rehabilitation possibilities for the little patients in the Children's Hospital! The charity campaign Support! was implemented in collaboration with long-standing partners and friends of the Children's Hospital Foundation – the customers of retail chains Rimi Latvija and Supernetto! There are two types of equipment procured with the help of donors. Exercise bike and treadmill will help children to recover from extremities trauma and will improve their physical stamina - especially for children with impaired mobility and those being overweight. On the other hand, verticalizer and auxiliary equipment for sitting will enable children with impaired mobility to better involve themselves in the rehabilitation exercises and to learn self-care skills, as well as will reduce the risks of contractures and osteoporosis. During the next months, one more exercise machine will be procured to improve the rehabilitation process; this will be for recovering the arm and hand movements.
"Rimi has already implemented several important projects in partnership with the Children's Hospital, with the goal to improve the treatment possibilities for the little patients. Last year we launched a fund-raising campaign towards purchase of rehabilitation equipment for the Children's Hospital. Our consideration was that it should be robust and long-lasting, and the children and parents are able to assess the results in long-term. We are happy that, together with our customers, we succeeded in raising a significant amount of money, which will enable the children to use modern and valuable rehabilitation possibilities that will improve their quality of life. We say our thank you to all donors for theirs support and engagement!" Inga Bite, Public Relations Managers, Rimi Latvija.
Patients of various profiles receive rehabilitation services at the hospital site in Gaiļezers; therefore the new equipment is a major investment towards the improvement of health and quality of life for many patients! About 50 children daily, both in-patients and out-patients, receive rehabilitation services at the Gaiļezers site. Last summer rehabilitation possibilities were notably improved and enhanced in the day in-patient facility - the premises were redecorated and new specialists hired to provide full and up-to-date rehabilitation to children also when they are staying as day in-patients. Simultaneously there is an effort to find possibilities how to improve the equipment used for rehabilitation, therefore the new auxiliary devices and exercise machines are a valuable addition to the existing equipment. The development of rehabilitation services within the framework of the Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital foundation partnership is one of the priorities, therefore right now we are working both on the development of new services and the enhancement of the existing services. Rehabilitation programme can be mentioned as an example – shortly it will be made available to children at the Gaiļezers site.
