From a question to a revolution in rehabilitation
“What if it were a family member of mine who suffered a stroke, and could not receive the proper therapy—what would I do?”
Everything begins with a question.
This question ran through the entire career of Valerio Sarmati, a physiotherapist specialized in Neurocognitive Rehabilitation. A simple, yet powerful question. Capable of challenging existing models. And of creating a new one.
It was then that Perfetti had a bold intuition—shared by Valerio: to instruct the boy’s mother so she could continue the therapy at home. All the exercises were recorded on a VHS tape. That recording was given to the mother, who had followed each session with attention and participation.
It was one of the earliest examples of remote rehabilitation, but above all, an act of trust in the family as an active part of recovery.
After his period at Perfetti’s clinic, Valerio returned to Rome, his hometown, and opened the Centro Fisioterapia Roma. There, he continued treating stroke patients through the neurocognitive approach.
But something had changed.
Valerio no longer accepted that patients’ family members would wait in the waiting room.
He began to actively involve them. He taught them simple exercises, observed their reactions, and made them participants. Those exercises, although basic, had the power to extend rehabilitation beyond the clinic—into everyday life, the home, and daily gestures.
Soon, patients from all over Italy began coming to his center—not only for therapy, but for his human, deep, and relational approach.
But if the mission was to offer the best possible rehabilitation to everyone, a single center was not enough.
In 2014, Valerio made an uncommon decision: he moved with his family to the island of Malta, to lead all work remotely and make Neurocognitive Rehabilitation accessible anywhere.
That’s how Stroke Therapy Revolution Ltd was born—an organization that is 100% online and uses the internet not to replace therapy, but to bring it into the homes of those who have no other alternative. Soon, Cristina Sarmati, Valerio’s sister, joined this adventure. Together, they built an extraordinary team that today includes more than 30 collaborators worldwide, supporting patients in more than 30 countries.
Over time, another need became clear: more neurocognitive therapists were needed around the world.
That’s how the Neurocognitive Academy was born—an online school that trains physiotherapists in neurocognitive theory according to Perfetti, making this approach increasingly accessible and professional.
In many cases, patients supported by Stroke Therapy Revolution have been able to find a trained therapist near their home. In others, a family member received training to successfully support the recovery process.
Today we can say it clearly: what we do is not telerehabilitation.
It is real rehabilitation. It is relationship. It is knowledge.
It is a clinic that enters the patient’s home, involves the family, trains the local physiotherapist, and accompanies the person over time and in depth.
It is a revolution.
And this is our story. A story that began with a question. A story that continues every day—with patients, families, and therapists who choose not to stand still.
Our story continues with every patient who decides to begin their neurocognitive rehabilitation journey. Join us and write your own chapter of recovery.
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