[Long-term neurorehabilitation]

Our slogan of rehabilitation to be "holistic and permanent", in terms of its holistic aspect, expresses inclusion of the patient's total environment--relatives, politics, administration, legislation. The aspect of permanence may involve periods of many years, and is not amenable to standardization; meaningful limitation is subject to the individual needs, based on critical scientific follow-along of rehabilitation. The emergence of "rehabilitation hospitalism" may best be prevented by proper attention to the patient's emotional situation and social environment, with special regard also to experiences of frustration, to regressive tendencies, "associated depression". Well-versed rehabilitative management should therefore include the dimensions of pleasure and diversity. We have been able to realize some of the above in the "Vorarlberg Rehabilitation Model", in terms, on the one hand, of the scientific identity of rehabilitation, and of individualized, optimum patient-orientedness on the other. An important step forward has moreover been the inauguration of a "Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neuro-Rehabilitation and -Prevention" at the Landes-Nervenkrankenhaus Valduna, of Rankweil, Austria.