The Valais Hospital offers early neurological rehabilitation, provided by the geriatric and rehabilitation clinic at the Brig site.

This service fills an important gap in the care pathway between intensive care and rehabilitation in normal wards. Previously, patients had to be transferred outside the canton to receive early rehabilitation.

Early rehabilitation is a hospital service that allows direct transfers from other hospital departments, without prior guarantee of coverage by health insurance funds. It is intended for patients suffering from severe neurological disorders, for example as a result of cognitive disorders, dysphagia or neuropathy and myopathy related to a serious illness. Younger people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury also benefit from this specialised service.

The nursing and therapeutic team plays a decisive role in the success of early rehabilitation. The management of neurological and infectious complications is also important. In the medical field, skills in decannulation management, dysphagia diagnosis and spasticity management are essential.

The infrastructure in Brig, with its ICU beds, operating theatre, radiology department and acute care services, offers optimal conditions. The treatment meets CHOP criteria and is therefore billable. In Brig, we have recognised expertise in the management of dysphagia and tracheal cannulas and offer training in FEES (fibre endoscopic examination of swallowing) video endoscopic diagnosis.

The results of the first year show that early rehabilitation promotes functional recovery, reduces complications and facilitates a lasting return to everyday life. At the same time, valuable experience has been gained, which benefits both patients and the entire treatment team.