Tuesday, March 6th
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What Kind of Assistive
Technology Do You Need if You Break your Neck?
Graham H. Creasey, MD, FRCSEd
VA Palo Alto Health Care System |
This tour will be held at the VA
Palo Alto Health Care System campus in the Spinal Cord Injury Service. The
class will convene in Building 7, Room E111 at 4:30pm. Due to space
limitations, it is open to enrolled students only.
Abstract: Breaking your neck can
affect nearly every part of your life. Physically, you may be paralyzed from
the neck down, with no feeling in the body, unable to control your bladder or
bowel or sexual function. Obviously, this affects you emotionally and socially
- your education, work, house, travel, and relationships. What can assistive
technology do to change this?
The industrial revolution gave us new tools,
special beds, mattresses, wheelchairs and cushions, catheters, implants, and
many other gadgets. The microelectronic industry has revolutionized
communication and control of equipment in the environment; if you can control a
computer, you can control many other things. What about controlling paralyzed
muscles? What about curing paralysis?
Biosketch: Graham Creasey is
the Paralyzed Veterans of America Professor of Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at
Stanford University, the Chief of Spinal Cord Injury Service at the VA Palo
Alto Health Care System, and the Medical Director of the Stanford Partnership
for Spinal Cord Injury and Repair. He is trained in trauma surgery and has
specialized in spinal cord injuries since 1980. His interests are in restoring
function after paralysis using bioengineering and biotechnology. He led a
multi-center clinical trial of an implanted pacemaker for restoring bladder,
bowel and sexual function after spinal cord injury, resulting in FDA approval
of the device
- Contact information:
- VA Palo Alto Health Care
System
- Spinal Cord Injury Service
- 3801 Miranda Ave.
- Room C115, Building 7
- Palo Alto, CA 94304
- gcreasey -at- stanford.edu
- Links:
- Graham Creasey -
Stanford School of Medicine Academic Profile
- New program for
spinal injuries
- The Stanford Partnership for
Spinal Cord Injury and Repair
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Assistive Technologies: The
Benefits for Returnees
Shari Dekelboum,
OTR/L, ATP; Karen Parecki, OTR/L, ATP; Evi Klein, MA, CCC-SLP, ATP; and Debbie
J. Pitsch, MPT, GCS, ATP
VA Palo Alto Health Care
System |
Abstract: The Assistive Technology
(AT) Center serves veterans with brain injury, polytrauma, ALS, and other
conditions. Featured products will include Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC) Aids, alternative computer access devices, electronic
cognitive aids, electronic aids for daily living, specialized seating &
powered mobility, and adaptive sporting equipment.
Biosketches: Sharon Dekelboum
is an Occupational Therapist who has worked at the Palo Alto VA since 1999. In
that time, she has had experience working with veterans with spinal cord injury
and with those in the polytrauma system of care. Her primary areas of expertise
in assistive technology include wheeled seating and mobility and electronic
cognitive devices. She has been certified as an Assistive Technology
Professional through Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology
Society of North America (RESNA) since 2007.
Karen Parecki is an Occupational
Therapist who has worked at the Palo Alto VA since 1999. In that time, she has
had experience working with veterans with long term care needs and those in
acute inpatient rehabilitation, including specializing in working with patients
with polytraumatic and head injuries for the past 10 years. Her primary areas
of expertise in assistive technology are EADL/ECU, adaptive computer access,
and electronic cognitive devices. She has been certified as an Assistive
Technology Professional through RESNA since 2010.
Eve Klein is a Speech Language
Pathologist who has worked at the Palo Alto VA since 2000. She joined the
Assistive Technology Center in 2010. She has extensive experience working with
patients with neurogenic speech, language and cognitive disabilities, and voice
disorders, in acute, outpatient, and rehabilitation settings. Her primary areas
of expertise in assistive technology include augmentative and alternative
communication and electronic cognitive devices. She has been certified as an
Assistive Technology Professional through RESNA since 2010.
Debbie Pitsch is a Physical Therapist
who has worked at the Palo Alto VA since 1999 and joined the Assistive
Technology Center team in 2010. She has over 15 years of experience working
with veterans with neurological and orthopedic impairments including
polytraumatic head injuries and amputation care in acute, outpatient, and
rehabilitation settings. Her primary areas of expertise in assistive technology
are adaptive sporting equipment, prosthetic training, and neuroprosthetic
ambulation aids. She has been certified as an Assistive Technology Professional
through RESNA since 2010.
- Contact information:
- Debbie Pitsch, MPT, GCS, ATP
- Physical Therapist
- Assistive Technology Center
- VA Palo Alto Health Care
System
- 3801 Miranda Ave., Building 7
- Palo Alto, CA 94304
- 650/493-5000 x 62544
- debbie.pitsch -at- va.gov
- Lecture Material:
- Audio - 1:20:22 -
18.2 Mb mp3 file
- Links:
- WatchMinder - vibrating watch and reminder
system
- Bioness products:
- Hand Paralysis
- Foot Drop
- Thigh weakness
- Neurorehabilitation
- Walkaide - FES for
Foot Drop
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