My stay at Soča Rehabilitation Center
It was a great experience to meet you and to learn what you do for your patients. I believe the invitation of people who already manage their live after an incident can help patients to become aware about possibilities for their future live. It is not only the body that has to function again when leaving a rehabilitation programme. A patient needs also a vision about how to manage daily live and still having a good quality of life. You support this with these invitations as people become aware about possibilities - may it be a handbiker who trains for sporting activities or someone who is using a special bike for mastering daily requirements or traveling on it for holiday. Having possibilities gives one the freedom to decide what one wants to do or not and this supports ones quality of life to a huge amount.
For me, using my bike means managing my daily live, having training, fun, recreation, independence from public transport .... My tour through Slovenia was great although it was interrupted three days ago due to a problem with my bike. I managed about 588 km of distance and 7580 m of altitude from Graz to Trnovo ob Soči where my pedals went on strike. I was not anymore able to push forward my bike. Unfortunately, the problem could not be solved on-site and I was brought back to Graz. For this I am especially thankfull to Juta who helped me with her contacts. Hopefully, I can continue my tour next summer. Slovenia is really fascinating.
On my last cycling day, not long before the bike went on strike, I was in a restaurant near Bovec. When I left the restaurant there was an elderly man waiting. He turned at me and asked in German: Are you speeking German? I said: Yes. He: Are you the person who was in the television with such a bike? I said that this was possible. So I knew that they already had broadcasted the interviews of us at Soča, and this made me happy. I hope you will get back many positive feedbacks!
Now, I wish you all the best and that your innovative ideas how to inspire and informe patients about further possibilities for Managing daily living will fall on fruitful soil.
Medizinische Universität Graz
Institut für Pflegewissenschaft
Universitätsplatz 4
8010 Graz
Tel. +43 316 38572073
www.medunigraz.at