# Telerehabilitation--A Viable Option for the Recovery of Post-Stroke Patients
## 5 How Can Technology Contribute to Rehabilitation Progress?  
Nowadays, there is a continuous growth in the number of people of all ages that use communication technologies, the majority having at least a mobile phone if not also a tablet or a computer [4]. Health professionals often make incorrect assumptions about patients' interest and abilities regarding TR, especially when it comes to the elderly, cognitively impaired patients, people coming from underprivileged environments or those with financial problems. These assumptions have frequently been misleading as these patients managed to conform to and involve themselves in TR [36]. One study showed that for the older population, the most reliable way to deliver telemedicine was through a mobile phone, which was probably the most accessible and easy to use kind of all devices [1]. However, multiple types of devices were used during TR, most of them being already present in patients' homes or easily acquirable (Figure 2).  
One of the most used ways to replace traditional exercises that take place in a physiotherapy room is through serious games. These games are designed to target functionality and performance in order to accomplish their purpose of enhancing the user's various skills [19]. Moreover, when developing such games for rehabilitation, the programmer, by respecting the relearning process and constant feedback necessities [19], may create an intelligent application that can be in some cases a better substitute of human guidance because the equipment such as video camera and sensors can become flawless assessors and tireless helpers. Furthermore, the permanent online storage of acquired data permits previously written algorithms to process and analyze information based on current experience [13]. The programmed artificial intelligence being able to analyze hundreds of data inputs from multiple sources at the same time could provide the specialist with a quicker and more informed therapy solution.  
Besides the patient-side technical equipment and training space, a special workspace for the therapist has to be set up (Figure 3). The minimal equipment needed by the therapist for TR coordination is a data server, a computer, a tablet or a telephone, camera, headphones, a stable internet connection and a private workspace [36].  
Figure 1: Safe space for TR practice at home.  
One issue that has to be addressed when it comes to TR is data security and network safety during data transfer from patients' devices to the local server and to the clinician's workstation [5]. Therefore, it is appropriate to work together with an IT professional for the development, administration and support of the entire data system in order to assure security, reliability, data integrity and redundancy of both server-side and client-side applications. Special measures should be taken in order to assure the security of patients' personal and clinical data by regularly testing the system infrastructure and the data storage center for security flaws (Figure 4).  
Figure 3: Therapist’s private workspace and data server room.  
Figure 2: Devices used for TR at the patient’s home.  
TR has the potential to contribute to the standardization of rehabilitation services and to offer objective monitoring with long-term data storage and follow-up [4; 36].