Patients with motor disabilities can now benefit from a new vehicle simulator installed in São Brás de Alportel by the Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS), to enable them to drive a car autonomously again.
“This is the second piece of equipment in the country that allows the exact assessment of the capabilities of a patient with motor disabilities, providing a simulation of driving in reality,” the chairman of the board of directors of ULS Algarve told news agency Lusa.
During his visit to the Southern Medical and Rehabilitation Centre (CMR), in São Brás de Alportel, where the simulation centre is located, João Ferreira added that by the end of the year it should be possible for users to carry out the practical part of their recovery in an adapted vehicle.
The new equipment can be used by users from all over the country, but will primarily benefit those from the Algarve region, who until now had to travel almost 300 kilometres to reach the only location with an identical simulator, the Alcoitão Rehabilitation Medicine Centre, in the Lisbon region.
According to João Ferreira, there are already 11 users on the list to use the new vehicle simulator, but others are sure to be attracted by the new equipment from now on.
The simulator is the result of a collaboration protocol between the Algarve University Hospital Centre (CHUA) and the São Brás de Alportel Council, with a total investment of around 100,000 euros, of which 25,000 were supported by the local authority.
“The municipality naturally provides this support because it is justified by the response it gives not only to our citizens, not only to the region, but it is a response that we give to the Portuguese, to all those who need this service”, highlighted the president of the municipality, Vítor Guerreiro, present at the visit.
The new equipment will allow several scenarios to be simulated in a context close to reality, and will train the patient before they are transferred to a vehicle adapted to their needs.
“After the assessment, we were able to obtain some more objective values, such as reaction time when braking, the force required to turn the steering wheel, for example. With this data, we were able to produce a report to provide the doctor with more objective information to support the decision as to whether or not the person is fit to drive,” explained Clarisse Mendes, coordinator of the ULS support projects unit.
CMR Sul is a reference unit in the area of intensive rehabilitation and specialized care that aims to promote interdisciplinary rehabilitation in situations that require prolonged and complex interventions.
The center is designed to receive patients with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, strokes and other neurological, rheumatological, orthopedic, cardiovascular and pneumological pathologies.
Source Lusa - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
