Browsing by Author "Gomes, Manuela"
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- Exposure to immersive relaxing virtual environments for hospitalized patientsPublication . Pereira, Miguel; Oliveira, Patrícia; Gomes, Manuela; Sousa, SaraHospitalized patients are often characterized by various stress factors that can have an impact on their mental health and hospital experience. Improving the quality of life of these bedridden patients is an important task by relieving their anxiety, reducing their pain, and encouraging them in their fight against disease. Virtual reality has already been proved to be a novel and promising tool to improve the quality of life of hospitalized patients. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to focus on studies that gave evidence to the feasibility of virtual reality relaxation therapies for hospitalized patients, which virtual reality relaxation therapies are most used, and the benefits and limitations of this type of intervention.
- Participation in Leisure Activities as an Indicator of Inclusion: A Comparison between Children with and without Disabilities in PortugalPublication . Silveira-Maia, Mónica; Sanches-Ferreira, Manuela; Alves, Sílvia; Gomes, Manuela; Santos, Bárbara; Lopes-dos-Santos, PedroParticipation is recognised as an important indicator of school inclusion and educational success of children with and without disabilities and one of the fundamental human rights. In particular, the participation in leisure activities plays a vital role in children’s life and needs to be given a higher attention. The aim of the present exploratory study was to reflect on the inclusion of children with disabilities in Portuguese schools, by portraying and comparing their participation profiles in leisure activities to those of typically developing peers. The participation patterns in leisure activities of 61 children with disabilities and 114 children without disabilities were assessed. Results indicate that the pattern of participation of children with and without disabilities differs whether they are school or community-based activities. Regarding school-based activities, findings reveal that children with disabilities participate more frequently in these activities, but in solitary and constrained spaces at school compared to children without disabilities. For community contexts, our findings indicate that children with disabilities participate in less diverse activities than children without disabilities. In addition, the range of activities is correlated to their level of independence. This exploratory study contributes to an understanding of the pattern of participation of children with and without disabilities
- Virtual reality interventions to improve function after strokePublication . Pereira, Miguel; Oliveira, Patrícia; Gomes, Manuela; Fernandes, Ângela; Portugal, Paula; Coelho, TiagoStroke is the most common neurological disease and one of the most common fatal diseases in the world. Stroke patients suffer from several physical, cognitive, and sensory complications that impact their functionality and independence in daily activities and, consequently, can reduce their quality of life. Given this impact, it is important to assess the various ways to ensure effective and satisfactory rehabilitation for the stroke person. Virtual reality has been proven in recent times as a promising tool in stroke motor rehabilitation, being effective with its immersive elements and, at the same time, motivating patients. With all this in mind, this chapter aimed to analyze the current scientific evidence of Virtual Reality intervention for functional rehabilitation of stroke patients.