Käpylä center

Seems, that money from the lottery has finally been used wisely.. Jump to my next trip there!

I was in Käpylä during July 1997. The main idea was improving my physical condition. In the beginning KELA (that's our insurance system) gave two weeks. Okay, finally they made it to full four weeks.

 

Physical therapy

So, gymnastics was the most important thing. And, I got plenty of it. This device for improving stomach muscles.

Physical therapy made attempts at my neck, too. Normally, my other eye has the blinder in the eye. But not now, the neck gets this way better position - no-one cares, how I can see!

I admit, that stretching is very important thing. But I think, it's some refined version of torture, anyway.

Here my neck-muscles are stretched. Very painful!

Then massage. That's very important thing, too. Especially as my muscles are so stiff.

Some part of exercise is done in water. In very warm water.


My wheelchair got some renovations. Very dramatic changes to back.

This is the final result!

Quite bizarre thing: horses are used for therapy. One forgets to be tense - one is more afraid of the horse. By the way, the horse should be very tame!

I'm so negative about that! But my wheelchair was modified just before that. And that modification wasn't very good!

I nearly forgot it: the gym. When training-things for "normal" people are very odd-looking, the ones for handicapped look like some medieval torturing-instruments. And they are very much like that...

 

Speech therapy

Speech therapist tries to do something. But what can she? By the way, this speech therapeut is Leena Tuomiranta. She worked with me for the first two weeks.

The new speech therapist does things to my neck. This seems easy, but it really isn't!

Problems in my neck are detrimental to speech. So, the most efficient could be affecting them.

Speech therapy is really hard. One can say, that it's harder than physical therapy.

 

Neuropsykology

My neuroshrink tries to do something, too. I don't know, because her place is in the beginning. Then her job is really important.

Then I put of her own text. Neuropsykologhy examines and rehabilitaties people with brain damage:

Neuropsykolog tries to make one conscious about injury. And then it's affects on mental things, ability to work/go to school, and - for instance - ability to drive a car. Neuropsykolog consults relatives and other therapeuts, too. (S)he is very importantly in doing further plans.

Occupational therapy

Work therapy is a very important part. Okay, it's mostly pottering.

Occupational and physical therapists visited my home. Just to look at my computer installations!

Then we are choosing new furniture for my computers (I must agree, my computers are rather bizarre).

Rehabilitation meeting

All my therapeuts (and my mother & father) met in a rehabilitation meeting. There we discussed, what had been done and what will be done...

Then I must introduce everyone. From my left:

Quite many!

One can see my doc here. And where I lived, roughly behind my head!

 

Own doings

Then there were all kind of groups. Here is the "handling of wheelchair". And that time, there was just one member to that group!
I was once in relaxation group. Dimmed lights. Music. We lay down on mattresses. Hypnotic speaking. Might be effective, I must admit.

Free time

We visited a 'pesäpallo' match. That game is the Finnish version of baseball (but don't say so in certain places of Finland (or, if You have very big suicide-urge...)).

And then - after long and hard day - there's some time for actual relaxation. One really needs it, be sure!

In the beginning (okay, nearly all the time) it was just intolerably hot. Okay, I admit, that complaining about that thing in this country, is a heavy sin. So, I'm a sinner.


Olli Arnberg <oar@arnberg.fi>

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