Article

PURPOSE: This study assessed (a) the impact of a technology-aided programme on
the leisure and communication engagement of persons with advanced amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS) and (b) the opinion of rehabilitation and care personnel
regarding the programme. METHOD: The programme's impact was assessed with four
participants who were allowed to activate leisure and communication options
through basic responses (e.g. knee, finger or lip movements) and microswitches.
Forty-two care and health professionals rated the programme after watching video
clips of persons with ALS (three of the four involved in this study and three
involved in previous studies) during and outside of the programme. RESULTS: The
programme was effective with all participants. Their mean percentages of session
time with independently initiated leisure and communication engagements were zero
during baseline and increased to between nearly 70 and 80 during the
intervention. The care and health professionals rated the technology-aided
programme as beneficial for the participants' positive engagement and social
image, fairly practical for daily contexts and interesting from a personal
standpoint. CONCLUSIONS: The programme might be viewed as a viable resource for
persons with advanced ALS. Implications for Rehabilitation A programme
characterised by versatility, simplicity and relatively low cost could be
considered practically relevant for persons with ALS and their contexts. A
programme that is effective in fostering participants' independent leisure and
communication engagement and is positively rated by care and rehabilitation
personnel is more likely to be accepted and used with consistency. Any programme
directed at persons affected by ALS needs to be adapted to the persons'
progressive deterioration, starting from the response and microswitch used for
accessing the programme's options.

Langue : ANGLAIS