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Medical Rehabilitation: Therapies change lives!
Medical rehabilitation focuses on the treatment of disabilities to help individuals achieve greater independence. The Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center enhances the lives of children and adults with all types of disabling conditions, whether experienced at birth (such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida) or later in life (such as paralysis due to a spinal injury or stroke). Contact us for more information on medical rehabilitation therapies at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy services focus on enhancing or restoring mobility for individuals like Zach Harris, our 2009 local youth representative. At the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, licensed physical therapists and physical therapy assistants use therapy exercises, assistive devices and special techniques to encourage independence at home, at work, at school, and in the community. Therapists have a variety of tools at their disposal, including a "Discovery Wall" used to improve strength, balance, hand-eye coordination, flexibility, and self-esteem for young clients.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center assist people of all ages with varied disabilities to complete activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, playing, and working. Occupational therapists are trained to evaluate and treat the areas of fine motor skills, sensory-motor skills, visual-motor skills, oral-motor skills, sensory integration, upper extremity function, and activities of daily living. Treatment is specific to each person's needs and may include custom-made splints, adaptive equipment, threshold electrical stimulation (TES), adaptive computer systems, fitting of wheelchairs, therapeutic exercise, aquatic therapy, activities of daily living, and sensory integration. Occupational therapy helped Josh Woolsey, our 2009 local child representative, develop skills for home and school. Therapists attend continuing education workshops to keep current with new developments in the field. All therapists at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center are state certified.
Our occupational therapists offer handwriting workshops for children who need help refining their print and cursive handwriting skills. The program is designed for all children -- those with AND without disabilities -- who want to work on their handwriting skills. Fun activities improve hand strength and sessions utilize the “Handwriting Without Tears” method. Classes are limited to eight children and are led by an occupational therapist.
Speech and Language Pathology
Speech-language pathologists evaluate and provide therapy for individuals with communication or swallowing disorders. At the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, licensed and certified speech-language pathologists work with people of all ages to maximize their communication skills. Specific areas targeted include: language and language processing, oral-motor, fluency (stuttering), articulation/phonology, dysphagia (swallowing), neurological (apraxia, aphasia, and dysarthria), and voice. A certified auditory-verbal therapist specializes in working with individuals with a diagnosed hearing loss. The Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center's speech-language pathologists hold master's degrees and are certified by the American Speech, Language & Hearing Association (ASHA).
Audiology
Audiology services focus on identifying hearing loss or impairment in individuals of all ages, including infants. After diagnosis, the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center may provide hearing aid fitting and appropriate therapies or, if required, referral to physicians or other medical professionals. The latest technology enhances our services. In 2006, Ronald McDonald House Charities funded "Real Speech" equipment to help audiologists better serve clients with hearing impairments.
Services for People with Autism
Autism and other sensory integration disorders require unique treatment strategies. A multidisciplinary approach combines the expertise of professionals such as a speech pathologist, occupational therapist, audiologist, social worker, and psychologist. The team helps individuals and families set goals, develop an individual treatment plan, and work to achieve greater independence.
A new program—The P.L.A.Y. Project—is expected to change lives for area children with autism and their families. The P.L.A.Y. Project is designed to help children with autism achieve their greatest potential, and to help parents experience the joys of their child’s first words, first smiles, and first hugs.
Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters is a nationally proven, home-based, family-centered early intervention program for children from 18 months to 6 years of age. Therapists from the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center recently earned certification as P.L.A.Y. Project home consultants, and are now accepting local families into the program.
Aquatics
A wide array of programs are offered at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center's therapeutic pool, restored through donations in 2006. Programs are designed for all levels of fitness and ability, and include aquatic exercise classes for those with low back pain and arthritis; water aerobics classes; open swim times; individual swim lessons for children with and without disabilities; and individual physical and occupational therapies for individuals with disabilities. Pool water is 92 degrees (5-10 degrees warmer than a non-therapeutic pool). This warmth enables optimal muscle relaxation. The pool features non-slippery deck flooring, a wheelchair-to-water lift, wheelchair ramp and therapeutic steps into the pool, grab bars, four water levels to allow for a variety of therapy alternatives, and adjustable parallel bars in the water at each level. Three locker rooms are available--men's, women's, and unisex (for a person with a disability assisted by a care-giver of the opposite sex)--and all are fully accessible. For details on aquatic therapies and individual swim lessons for kids, and for a current schedule of exercise classes, call 812-474-2365 or contact the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center using our online contact form.
Pool Lift
The Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center therapeutic pool is truly accessible to everyone, thanks to the 2008 addition of a motorized wheelchair-to-water lift. This state-of-the-art equipment was funded by a generous grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Ben Trockman was one of the first individuals to add aquatic therapy to his rehabilitation program after the new lift was installed. Ben, who was severely injured in a motorcycle accident, has previously received physical therapy in the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center gym. The new lift allows Ben—and people of all ages, sizes and abilities—to enter and exit our warm-water pool safely, even if their mobility is extremely limited.
Contact us to learn more about the benefits of aquatic therapy at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center. For many individuals, regular sessions in our fully accessible warm-water pool will truly change their lives, greatly enhancing their mobility, fitness, and overall quality of life.
Massage Therapy
Medical rehabilitation therapies can be complemented by massage therapy, which is particularly beneficial for many people with disabilities. For details, follow this link or call Joy McDaniel, 812-305-0153.
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