“Muutoksen voima” (Power of change): Group rehabilitation for 18-68 year-olds with diabetes or sleep apnea

The group rehabilitation is suitable for you, if

• you are aged between 18 and 68
• you have one of the following medical conditions:
• Type 1 diabetes
•  Type 2 diabetes for which you take medication
• sleep apnea that is not under control, for example because a CPAP machine is not suitable for you or you have tried using one but have not been successful
• you are overweight (BMI over 30)
• you have been treated for diabetes or sleep apnea for at least a year 
• you have received guidance from healthcare providers but find it hard to make lifestyle changes 
•  you are motivated to participate in face-to-face and online rehabilitation.

Aim of the rehabilitation

The aim of the rehabilitation is to provide you with counselling and guidance on how to come to terms with the challenges caused by the illness and help with any practical problems you may face. You will receive guidance and support with making positive lifestyle changes, having to do with such issues as weight management, physical activity, nutrition, quality of sleep, and cutting back on smoking and intoxicant use. In addition, you will learn how to strengthen your self-efficacy, which will help you make lifestyle changes and build up your resources and life management skills. You get peer support while participating in active group discussions.

What group rehabilitation involves and how it is implemented

The rehabilitation is implemented as group rehabilitation taking each client’s individual goal and need for rehabilitation into consideration.
It includes group discussions, working in small groups and a variety of activities, along with individual interviews and discussions with rehabilitation experts.

The rehabilitation is partly arranged on the service provider’s premises and partly in the form of telerehabilitation. If necessary, the service provider will lend you the device needed for you to be able to participate in telerehabilitation.  

The rehabilitation arranged on the service provider’s premises lasts 4 days. You can stay overnight at the place of the rehabilitation or travel there from home each day.

The telerehabilitation part of the course is implemented over a period of 10 weeks:

• as real-time videoconferencing in which a close relative of yours may participate
• as online rehabilitation at a time suitable to you
• as days of telerehabilitation that include videoconferencing and online rehabilitation. For the days of telerehabilitation, you can also apply for rehabilitation allowance from Kela.

The service provider contacts you before and after the rehabilitation and between the rehabilitation periods.

The Muutoksen voima group rehabilitation is an experimental rehabilitation programme that is part of Kela’s Elinvoimaa kuntoutuksesta (“Gaining energy from rehabilitation”) project. The programme will gather information and experiences about the functioning of the group rehabilitation, using methods such as an evaluation study carried out by the Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

Personnel

The group rehabilitation is implemented by the following experts:

• a physician specialised in internal medicine, general practice, physical medicine, respiratory medicine and allergology, or occupational healthcare. The physician may also have special competence in diabetes treatment or in rehabilitation or sleep medicine.  
• a nurse, public health nurse, nurse specialised in the treatment of diabetes or sleep apnea, or occupational health nurse.
• psychologist
• nutritional therapist
• physiotherapist.

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