Insight
NR Times reports on a new rehabilitation approach taking place in Cambridgeshire.
Despite a year of relentless change and upheaval for all involved in neuro-rehab, one provider in Cambridgeshire has been able to keep its ongoing development on track.
In a former life in newspapers, it was at this time of year that the dreaded churn of annual reviews and previews came... Ups and downs of the months gone by and ill- informed soothsaying for the year ahead served only to plug the festive news glut. Pity the junior reporter seeking their highlights of 2020. This year feels less a series of chronological news events and more a mighty tempest that has shaken our entire reality off course.
Every aspect of neurophysiotherapy has had to adapt with the onset of COVID-19, including how students prepare for a career in the profession. Here, student Tabitha Pridham discusses her experience of a pandemic placement.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of physiotherapists routinely holding sessions with clients remotely was quite unlikely. While used to some degree in a small number of practices nationally, telerehab, as it has now become widely known, was not on the agenda of many
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced huge changes within case management and the traditional ways in which clients have been supported. In our continuing series of Q&A features with case managers across the country, Martin Gascoigne of Neuro Case Management UK (NCMUK) shares his experiences.
Can you summarise how the past few months have been for you. The past few months for NCMUK have been extremely challenging. This is due to the Government initially ring fencing all of the PPE supplies for NHS staff which made it very difficult for us to procure the necessary equipment. Also, due to our Paediatric Clients Parents furloughing, we have experienced different challenges with the type and level of care that they felt they would like us to provide whilst still working in accordance with National Minimum Standards.
The Sue Ryder Neurological Care Centre Lancashire opened, after years in the planning, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Centre director Terry Mears and neuro rehab lead Hannah Halliwell share their experience of such a difficult, yet rewarding, time.
Opening a new specialist neurological care and rehab centre is a seismic task in any climate - but to do so at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is probably a feat few would attempt. But having been badly wanted and needed in its area for over 15 years, and after an 18-month construction and development project, the Sue Ryder Neurological Care Centre Lancashire opened its doors to patients in April.
By David Withers, partner at Irwin Mitchell.
In serious injury cases, the parties can often disagree about whether an injured person has a need for a hydrotherapy pool. The installation, and subsequent maintenance, costs of a hydrotherapy pool are significant. This is often one of the most contentious heads of loss that arises in a serious injury case. Legal position In tort, the principle of “restitution in integrum” applies. This means that insofar as is possible the injured person should be put back in the position that they would have been in but for the negligence [see Livingstone – v – Rawyards Coal Co (1980) 5 App Cas 25]. This is often known as the full compensation principle.
In the orchestra of the brain, the firing of each neuron is controlled by two notes - excitatory and inhibitory - that come from two distinct forms of a cellular structure called synapses.
Synapses are essentially the connections between neurons, transmitting information from one cell to the other. The synaptic harmonies come together to create the most exquisite music--at least most of the time. When the music becomes discordant and a person is diagnosed with a brain disease, scientists typically look to the synapses between neurons to determine what went wrong. But a new study from Duke University neuroscientists suggests that it would be more useful to look at the white-gloved conductor of the orchestra - the astrocyte.
When Mark Fricker suffered a stroke aged just 32, the lack of access to dedicated rehabilitation inspired him to retrain as a stroke rehab specialist. Here, he shares his inspirational story
Mark Fricker is very matter-of-fact about the impact of his stroke.
“I view it as a positive moment in my life,” he says.
Episode six of the Curious Case Manager features Fifth Sense, a charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders.
In this episode Vicki Gilman talks to Duncan Boak, founder of Fifth Sense and Nina Hill, director of development and operations. They discuss Duncan’s own experience of loss of smell after he suffered from a traumatic brain injury, and how this led him to establish the charity. Duncan and Nina explain the history and development of the charity and explain how they support individuals with smell and taste disorders through providing information, advice and access to a network of specialist clinicians.
Natalie Mackenzie, of BIS Services, has worked with 'James' since 2002. In fact, he was one of her earlier clients in her career. She is immensely proud of the challenges he has overcome; not all of the effects of the accident have been surmounted, but none the less he has exceeded many expectations of medical professionals, with a will of iron and an exceptional talent that is finally being acknowledged. Here she shares the experience.
James is not defined by his brain injury, but his experiences and the challenges of his TBI have moulded his work and the individual we now see. As we are all aware, living with a severe TBI is a lifelong journey, and I still support Jim in the community, and have continued to do so whilst he has travelled around the world, through the now ‘normal’ virtual rehabilitation.
I have watched his art bring meaning and focus to his daily life, encouraging a motivation and structure that is always needed for individuals like James managing their cognition. Although there remain issues with some areas of function, James has learnt, consolidated and implemented a toolbox of strategies that support him to pursue his passion and bring joy to others.
It has been a pleasure to work with someone as driven as James, and I have seen him take a turbulent journey through his recovery, which I am sure many professionals in the field can relate with.
Five brain injury professionals spanning dietetics, case management, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy share what they've learnt from to shift to virtual therapy.
At the start of the pandemic, many statutory rehab services were redeployed, and some independent therapy teams closed or therapists moved back into frontline work within the NHS and community. A group of private therapists in the North West of England started keeping in touch on social media and in weekly group support sessions to share their fears and concerns, and identify the strengths that helped them survive in such challenging times.
