In March 2020, the coronavirus took control over the whole world. There were hardly any other topics being discussed, with thousands of new infections daily. You could almost forget that there were other diseases and injuries.

Unfortunately, Olaf had to experience one first-hand. He suffered a stroke on March 17, 2020, the second day of the first lockdown in Germany.

Due to the great uncertainty at the start, his wife and his daughter could not come to visit him for the first eleven weeks. “This tough time made me a different person,” says Olaf.

What is admirable about Olaf is his positive thinking. “Thanks to my Plan B, I was able to meet many interesting people,” says Olaf. He also gained some new interests. For example, writing on his blog or in the column for the BDH magazine (German Rehabilitation Association).

He put his heart and soul into talking about his experiences in rehab and the hurdles in daily life. “Only someone who lives with a chronic disease or long-term limitation themselves can understand the hurdles that lurk along the way. In some cases, I knew more about my treatment options than my doctor,” says Olaf.   

After his stroke, Olaf spent a week in a stroke unit and after that, half a year in a rehabilitation facility. He had 863 hours of therapy over 151 days (yes, he counted) – physio therapy and occupational therapy, neuro-education, and wood-workshop as preparation for working life.

At that time, he trained with the robotic devices, Diego and Amadeo, in the upper extremity lab at the rehabilitation facility. “Throughout my entire time rehabilitating, I only really had two “aha” moments. One of them was my first therapy session with Diego. I was able to raise my arm again. Before that, I could only do it with a lot of effort and in uncontrolled movements. With Diego, it was very easy,” says Olaf.

The arm of an adult male weighs between 13-14 lbs. After a stroke, an affected arm can feel like dead weight making it almost impossible to lift on your own.

The weight relief system from Diego provides assistance as needed, making it possible to raise the arm again. After a stroke, patients train according to their individual capacities. Musculature and neuronal networks are challenged during rehabilitation, but not overstrained.

The second “aha” moment in rehabilitation for Olaf was the exercise pool. “In the water, I felt as though I could tear up trees,” says Olaf.    

Olaf also has difficulty with the fine motor skills of the hand. He can close his hand relatively easily, but he struggles with opening the hand. To regain this ability, Olaf practiced with Amadeo several times a week during his rehabilitation. At the start, his fingers were trained passively, but he was soon able to switch to an assistive mode.

At the end of his rehabilitation, Olaf was able to move his fingers on his own and trained on Amadeo in the active mode.

In a following stay at the rehabilitation facility, Olaf used the sensor-based surface of Myro to further train his gross-motor and fine-motor skills, rotation movement, hand-eye coordination, and motoric coordination. 

Thanks to his own story and his voluntary work at the BDH, Olaf saw how difficult it can be for patients to get effective therapy sessions.

He pleads for the patients’ own initiative: “It is difficult to get access to advanced therapeutic approaches, especially in the outpatient sector. In some cases, doctors and therapists themselves do not know what aids are available on the market. The blame is not on their side. More information is needed at all levels of the healthcare system. Until we are there, patients must stand up for their rights themselves.”

A full year and a half after his stroke, Olaf can use his right arm at about 80% again. A foot-lifting weakness persists in his right leg. To be able to live with his limitations, he reduced his work hours and regularly goes to therapy. Once a week, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and adaptive sports are on his schedule.

Another immediate goal is to be able to drive again. For this purpose, his car had to be converted to left-hand drive, and he had to take another driving test. 

We wish you all the best, Olaf!

Author: Michaela Partel

Sources:

https://weitermitplanb.org/blog/

https://www.bdh-reha.de/bdh-klinik-hessisch-oldendorf/rehabilitation/stroke-unit.php

Pictures: Olaf Schlenkert