Occupational Therapist
- Can you tell me about your therapy background, particularly in stroke rehab? How did you become interested in stroke rehab?
Throughout my 25-year occupational therapy career, I’ve had the opportunity to treat a variety of diagnoses and conditions, but I’ve always been drawn to our neuro population. My career began in inpatient care, then I moved on to a neuro outpatient setting. During that time, I also had the opportunity to teach continuing neuro education courses and work as a consultant with a company that develops products to help patients use their stroke-affected side while performing task-specific repetitive training. The research on neuroplasticity and how the brain can adapt, change, and function even years after an event really shows the importance of therapy throughout the various stages of recovery, so that patients can continue to be as functionally independent as possible. - What does stroke rehab typically involve, particularly in the early stages after injury? Why is therapy such an important part of recovery?
As an occupational therapist in the inpatient setting, I get to work with patients on functional independence with activities of daily living and start their journey of neuro recovery. We have the opportunity to teach our patients how to be as independent as possible while providing neuro re-education. Occupational, physical, and speech therapy – along with music and recreational therapy and psychology – work closely together to provide a whole-body, multi-specialty approach that focuses on patient and family goals during an inpatient rehab stay. We provide education to help patients and their family achieve as much independence as possible, and we work with our physicians and case management team to help the patient and caregiver in their next steps. - What qualities make Spain Rehab a top provider of stroke rehabilitation?
Using evidence-based therapy is key in maintaining a high standard of treatment and success in therapy. We have a large staff who is committed to excellence, and this includes a focus on continuing education in neuro rehab development, which helps them maintain knowledge and skills with new and emerging technologies. Our whole-body, multi-specialty team approach – combined with access to community resources – really helps patients succeed in inpatient rehab and make continued progress once they leave.