[Frontiers of Rehabilitation for Neurodegenerative Diseases]

Neurological intractable diseases are progressive, and as the disease advances, symptoms can include not only motor impairments but also autonomic nervous system disorders and higher brain dysfunction, with a wide range of pathologies. Patients face a variety of difficulties in daily life, and various issues were identified even in a survey targeting home care support service provider that create care plans on-site. The role of rehabilitation is to provide a stable home life and to maintain ADL (activities of daily living) and QOL (quality of life), which are crucial points. In home settings, there are issues such as staff lacking knowledge of rehabilitation for intractable diseases, not knowing which rehabilitation content is more appropriate, a shortage of human resources for rehabilitation, and insufficient teamwork. Consideration is being given to creating rehabilitation pamphlets to assist in rehabilitation guidance. Additionally, there have been reports on the development of rehabilitation using new devices [external stimulation, VR (virtual reality), tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation)], indicating progress in clinical research.