With the motto “Self-determined Living,” the REHACARE trade fair will return from September 14–17, 2023 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany. The focus will be on inclusion and digitalization.
The event will provide this unique community—consisting of people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, and companies—with an international platform to network intensively with experts and like-minded people, to make new contacts, and to learn about the latest developments and trends. The trade fair will present the complete range of solutions required for self-determined living, ranging from digital and analog mobility solutions and assistive devices to care and therapy options as well as inclusive sports and leisure activities.
“This year the focal theme of the trade fair will be people with disabilities at work and their integration into professional life—this is one of our key themes that always meets with a lot of interest,” explains REHACARE Director Hannes Niemann. “Centerstage in Hall 6 will be very concrete solutions that show what needs to be done to accomplish integration into working life despite impairments, and how workplaces can be re-designed. A whole host of people will be on hand for ideas and discussions. This year’s partners include the state of North Rhine Westphalia, Landschaftsverband Rheinland, the Federal Employment Agency, and German Statutory Accident Insurance.”
Advanced Digitalization
Advanced digitalization will also play a crucial role at REHACARE 2023. Digitalization opens up new possibilities to compensate for many impairments by technical means, to regain skills and to improve care. Innovative solutions such as digital nursing assistance systems, telemedicine applications, care robots, smart care beds, and many other innovative products provide enormous support and help to meet the challenges of an aging society.
Just how fundamentally and profoundly digital aids can make life easier for people with disabilities will be demonstrated by REHACARE together with DATEurope (European Association for the Digital Assistance Technology Industry) at a joint booth.
A series of topics will be dedicated specifically to digitalization in care. In this area, REHACARE closely cooperates with the “Techniker-Krankenkasse NRW” which has been promoting the implementation of digital solutions in care practice for years in a consulting, networking, and financial capacity. This includes initiatives such as digital care planning systems, electronic documentation systems, telemedicine applications, and mobile health apps.
REHACARE’s Sports Event
REHACARE’s own sports event in cooperation with the Disability Sports Club NRW (Behindertensportverein Nordrhein-Westphalen (BRSNW) has a long tradition. Visitors can get active in an entire sports hall devoted to the games.
BRSNW will offer various join-in activities and demonstrations for wheelchair users; in addition, guests can try out adaptive sports equipment and talk to experienced athletes. Hannes Niemann cites climbing and skiing as highlights. “Long lines formed for those activities last year,” he says.
Other join-in disciplines will include archery, table tennis, and basketball. The German Sailing Federation will present inclusive sailing; although the hall will not be “flooded,” very realistic dry runs will be possible on a complete boat.
REHACARE 2023 Event Trio: Cybathlon, Invictus Games, and therapie Düsseldorf
At REHACARE, visitors will also have the opportunity to participate in the Cybathlon, the Invictus Games, and “therapie Düsseldorf,” which will provide an unforgettable and impressive experience.
Swiss Cybathlon
The top performances that assistive technologies are capable of today can be experienced live at the Swiss Cybathlon organized by ETH Zurich. In these competitions, disabled athletes with technical aids compete against each other in various disciplines: Paraplegics in wheelchairs, with exoskeletons, with prosthetic arms or legs. And quadriplegics even compete against each other, using a computer-brain interface to move objects through a course.
The development teams and their pilots will demonstrate the latest devices and technical developments at the tournament before competing with them at the next regular Cybathlon 2024. In addition, there will be an exhibition on inclusive design, previously already showcased at Milan Design Week. “We have hands-on demos such as a brain-computer interface game for visitors to try out,” says Anni Kern, co-head of Cybathlon.
Invictus Games
Another highlight will be the Invictus Games, an international sports event for physically and mentally wounded, ill, or injured soldiers, veterans, and members of police and fire departments, taking place concurrently with Rehacare at the neighboring soccer stadium Merkur Spiel-Arena. Teams from more than 20 countries in Europe, North and South America, as well as Asia and the Middle East have registered.
Participants can not only prove their skills in the wheelchair basketball, archery or rugby disciplines in sporting competitions; the Invictus Games also serve as a platform for rehabilitation and exchanging experiences. As an accompanying program, there will be various lectures by experts.
therapie DÜSSELDORF
Also running concurrently with REHACARE will be “therapie DÜSSELDORF,” a trade fair with congress for therapy and medical rehabilitation aimed at physio, occupational, and sports therapists as well as masseurs and medical bath attendants in Western Germany.
For further information on visiting or exhibiting at REHACARE 2023, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit www.rehacare.com and www.mdna.com.
