A “hospital apartment”, to train patients in everyday activities before returning home

This December 17, 2024, the therapeutic apartment at Lille University Hospital officially reopened. After work costing 100,000 euros, the place was modernized and redesigned to be more efficient. A little-known place, yet key to the care pathway for rehabilitation patients.

It’s a place that few people know about. In the middle of the occupational therapy department, this large room with white walls accommodates patients who are following a rehabilitation program. But unlike the other medical spaces at Lille University Hospital, this space contains no desk or examination table. Passing the door of this unusual place, we discover a kitchen, a bathroom and even a bedroom. Everything suggests a real house.

Many other hospitals have this “therapeutic apartment“. But the University Hospital of the capital of Flanders has been benefiting from its benefits since 1994. A 20-year-old room, whose noble age was beginning to be felt. Old, outdated and above all less efficient, the therapeutic apartment of the Lille hospital deserved a good facelift This December 17, 2024, after 10 years of waiting, it finally reopened after a long redevelopment phase.

On Tuesday, the occupational therapy department of Lille University Hospital was able to discover its new treatment room, in the presence of Brigitte Macron: the Fondation des Hôpitaux, of which the First Lady is president, is one of the main sponsors of the project.

Brand new, completely modernized and automated, the 42m apartment² is unrecognizable. “There, we have three beautiful, very distinct spaces, with a bedroom area, a kitchen area, a dining room and a bathroom. Before, everything was in the same room, nothing was individualized, which posed a problem for the privacy of care.” Vinciane Pardessus is head of the medical care and rehabilitation center at the Lille hospital center. Looking at the renovated room, this doctor is already struggling to remember the old apartment.

The walls were painted in colors that were outdated, the furniture was not modular… It’s a great step forward for the service.

Vinciane Pardessus, head of department at Lille University Hospital

Contrary to what its name might suggest, no patients actually reside in this apartment. It is more of a medical office, like a physiotherapy room, where everyday furniture has been constructed to represent a classic living space. Patients who stay at the medical care and rehabilitation center of the CHU can go there during their hospitalization, to receive rehabilitation care, focused on actions useful for everyday life.

“90% of our patients pass through this apartment“, underlines Vinciane Pardessus. “Some will come once to do an assessment, some come to work with a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist to recover the function of their limbs. And then those who still have a disability can work on finding gestures and objects that can help them in their everyday lives.“

The targeted patients have generally suffered a stroke or an accident which has left them with after-effects. On prescription from their doctor or the occupational therapy center, they can go to the therapeutic apartment for sessions of one to two hours, which constitute a key step in their rehabilitation.

The idea behind this apartment is to stick to the real living conditions of patients, to allow them to recover basic movements, and help them regain their autonomy by directly confronting the difficulties they may experience on a daily basis.

If someone suffers from cognitive difficulties, we will help them regain their abilities by having them make a cooking recipe, by explaining the steps again when washing… In short, making them experience steps that put them back into movement.

The advantage of carrying out this rehabilitation in the hospital, rather than directly at home, is to have access to ordinary, but “medicalized” objects. The kitchen worktop and the bed are of variable height, the cabinets can be lowered, the shower has removable walls allowing the cabin to be opened on one side or the other to test safety bars. support…”We wanted to automate all of this, without being too futuristic, so that patients can obtain the equipment that suits them in specialized stores.“Ergonomic equipment, home-automated moreover, making life easier for patients.