Frequently Asked Question #4

My child (or I) have different abilities than the people I have seen using the suit.  Will it still work? 

At the core, the suit and this method of therapy is a tool. As a tool, I am constantly using it and adapting it for the individual needs of the client. Therefore, how I use it will be different for each person, although the overall framework is the same.

What is the same for people with neurological disabilities is that both they all have brains that are sending different messages to the muscles due to an injury of some kind.

The TheraSuit helps to counteract those messages by providing a different input to the body. This allows the body to experience what more normal movement feels like.

How that will help overall depends on your goals. This is an intense session, and the results are always better if we have one or two specific goals in mind.

So the question is, if you had more normal movement, what would you do with it? How would that change his life?

The answers to those questions gives us the focus and the motivation to use the TheraSuit method as a tool in the most productive way. If it the goals are worth the effort to you, then we are much more likely to be successful.

Frequently Asked Question #3

My child is (blank) years old.  Are they too old to have this method work?

Answer:

This type of therapy is suitable for children (and adults) who are 3 and older.  Why 3 years?  This is due to the skeletal maturity that is required to participate in the program.

There is no age limit, if you have the motivation, there is almost always the potential to improve.

If you have a child who is 3 or younger, there are lots of opportunities to participate in a modified program of play based activities with some strengthening exercises based on individual needs.  This would not be an intensive program.  Please contact us for more details.

Frequently Asked Question #2

Question:

Does the TheraSuit method work with only with children with cerebral palsy?

Answer:

No.  The good news is that this method works for both children and adults with most types of neurological disabilities.  This includes stroke, spina bifida, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, developmental delay, autism and many others. 

There are some secondary medical complications that can preclude someone from using the suit. These are issues like uncontrolled seizures, hip subluxation, and a few other important issues.

Each sign up form includes a medical history that helps us to screen out these complications.

If you have any other questions about weather TheraSuit is right for you or your family, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Newsletter

Well its almost the end of October and we are gearing up for our first ever monthly newsletter.

The goal is to make it short but informative as a way to get more information about the latest happenings in the clinic and in terms of leading edge rehabilitation.

If you would like to receive a copy, send me an e-mail at abilitiesrehab at gmail dot com.

The first copy should be ready sometime next week.

Frequently Asked Question #1

Someone just asked me a great question via e-mail and I thought I would share the question and my answer.

Question:

How long after an injury can the TheraSuit still be beneficial?

My Answer: 

The TheraSuit method, and therapy in general, does not depend on how long its been since the initial injury.  We used to think that for a lot of neurological injuries that the first 2 years were important and after that, progress would taper off.  The research is now telling us that there is almost ALWAYS potential for improvement.

One of the important things in any kind of therapy is having meaningful goals. 

So the question I would then pose to you, is, what are one or two goals you and your child would have in terms of gross motor progress would make the child’s life better?  It could be something like better head control, to walk longer, to stand etc. 

And then, my next question what could the child participate in by using this skill that would be meaningful to him or yourself?  For example, more head control so he/she could watch the X games, or he/she can walk longer so he can walk into WalMart with a walker instead of being pushed in a wheelchair.

It is my experience that having a meaningful goal will influence the progress much more than how long it has been since the initial injury.

It makes sense, even for us.  If I have a goal to get up at 5am every morning to run 45 minutes, unless I have a good reason WHY I am doing it ( for example to prepare for a marathon on a certain date, or to meet my friend to go running with her), I will most likely sleep in instead of run.

Motivation is a huge factor, and that motivation is not affected greatly by cognitive ability, it affected most by a desire to do something.

Hope that helps!

Occupational Therapist Wanted

Does minimal paperwork, maximum resources, and a manageable caseload sound good to you? 

We are on the hunt for a fabulous OT who has either experience with children and adults with neurological disabilities or is interested in working with this population.

Full-time or part-time with very flexible pay (employee or contractor, you choose what is best for you) but guaranteed to be higher than hospital pay levels…this is your chance to work in private practice without having to be in business by yourself!

If you are at all interested, call me at 778-5523177 or email me at abilitiesrehab at gmail dot com and I will tell you more about it.

Or, you can go to the BCSOT website where the ad is posted.

Pass on the word, we are very fun to work with. 

Open House, Date and Time TBA

We have been getting a fair number of requests for an open house.

Yes we will have one.  No I’m not sure when. Yes I will set a date and time by the end of the week.

Feel free to continue to harass me until the date is chosen.

But really, your support has been awesome.  This clinic is going better than I ever expected, and we are only starting our fourth week.

Thanks to all the friends, parents, caregivers, and colleagues that have been nothing but kind and helpful.

What Good Foot Bracing Should Do

There is a fair amount of controversy about bracing feet in general…when to do it, how much to do, and the way that you do it.

Some thoughts are that they are not useful at all.  I don’t necessarily agree with this, as long as the bracing is done in a thoughtful and co-ordinated way. having said this there are times when no bracing IS good bracing.

As you may know, I have experience with using foot bracing as a physiotherapist and a consumer (for both myself and my son with cerebral palsy).

This is what I have learned so far:

1. It is as much of an art as a science
2. What works for one person with one set of issues may not work for another person with the same issues
3. You need to keep the client’s goals and skills in mind
4. Looks count (you try wearing an ugly foot brace!)
5. You need to keep the client’s day in mind – who will be taking these on and off?
6. You need to keep the client’s day in mind  -what are ALL the things the client will be doing during the day?
7. You can reduce the amount of bracing with good bracing followed by good physiotherapy.

To know more, I have written an article here: Foot Braces – 3 Things To Look For And How To Know If They Work (or contact me and I will send you the article directly).

Expect more from your foot braces!

The CTV News

So apprently our story about TheraSuit got bumped last night, and we will be on either tonight’s show or Monday. 

I am told that its still the 6 o’clock news.

Thanks to everyone who told us they were watching last night…your support is great.

Our Clinic in the News

Several people have asked to to forward the links to the news stories about TheraSuit we have had recently.

I thought I would post them here for future reference:

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=27f352bc-01fb-4d4e-b7bc-866063620041 (Province Newspaper)

http://www.canada.com/abbotsfordtimes/news/story.html?id=a320874b-b913-4b39-8aa5-acac834bd01b (Abbotsford Times)

Abbotsford News (link is now broken, let me know if you want a copy and I will forward one to you).