Nina Beroggi
N. Beroggi - Developing a greener mobility
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Nina Beroggi, a student in the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy program, completed her internship at the Centre Mutualiste de Rééducation et Réadaptation Fonctionnelles in Kerpape, Brittany. For her travel, she chose to use the Green Travel Top-Up scholarship promoted by Movetia, aimed at those who prefer to travel in an eco-sustainable way.
In which department of the Centre Mutualiste de Rééducation et Réadaptation Fonctionnelles in Kerpape did you work? What were your responsibilities?
The department where I completed my internship is the TRABmed occupational therapy service for adults, specializing in trauma, lower back pain, rheumatology, amputations, burns, and spinal cord injuries. The occupational therapists are highly skilled, and the service has several rooms for various types of interventions: a therapeutic kitchen, a gardening room, a woodworking shop, and a DIY room.
There is also a room with various materials and tools (foam, standard and leather sewing machines, thermoplastic material and tub, etc.), which the occupational therapists can use to create custom adaptations or aids together with the patient.
Patients can be either inpatients or outpatients, and the frequency of occupational therapy sessions varies according to their needs, from five times a week to once a week. The occupational therapists follow a process that includes assessments, interventions, and reassessments. Both functional and occupational rehabilitation is offered, depending on the individual’s needs.
The sessions can take place in the specific department or in ecological environments to simulate real-life situations, based on the person’s requirements.
The range of occupational therapy services is very diverse and includes, for example, therapeutic groups for people with lower back pain, ecological training, driving school lessons, and walks along the seafront to familiarize walking with a prosthesis.
Collaboration with other professionals is essential and involves home-based occupational therapists, physiotherapists, doctors, orthotists, driving instructors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and many other professionals.
Weekly departmental meetings are held, attended by at least one occupational therapist.
What made you think that the Green Travel Top-Up was the right solution for traveling to Brittany?
First of all, there are not many other alternatives to reach Brittany: plane tickets are very expensive, and there are no direct flights.
Additionally, in general, I am very environmentally conscious and wanted to travel there using sustainable means.
What memory do you have of this long journey?
The journey to the internship location from Ticino is quite long: about 11 hours by train from Locarno. However, I think it’s an opportunity to take the time to become aware and reflect on the upcoming experience. You have the time to gradually get in touch with the new environment, familiarizing yourself with the French language.
The landscapes are fabulous, and you have to change trains in Paris. Indeed, you can take advantage of the opportunity to visit this wonderful city.
Would you repeat this mobility experience and recommend the Green Travel Top-Up to your classmates?
I would definitely repeat this mobility experience with the Green Travel Top-Up because it gives you the opportunity to start and end the internship experience in a more intimate and introspective way, thanks to the time you can dedicate to yourself during the train journey.
Therefore, I warmly recommend this option to my classmates.