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MedStar NRH Today - Winter 2013
MedStar NRH Today - Winter 2013
Today
MedStar NRH
Winter 2013
NASA-developed AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill is used in most MedStar NRH outpatient centers to help advance therapy more quickly and achieve better results.
Focused on You
Presidents Message
as the Boards president. She and her husband retired Gen. Lawrence Skantze, who survives her, also became grateful parents after their son was a patient at MedStar NRH following a serious car accident. Ruth helped us reach out to the international community in D.C. and was our goodwill ambassador. [To learn more about Pat and Ruth, turn to page 9.] The Board of Associates has nurtured a cadre of advocates since chartered in 1990. While it may have been fashioned after the idea of a womens auxiliary, from the onset the Associates Board was different. The members, both men and women, have always been members of the Washington regions professional community, as well as volunteers. Some have ultimately become members of the MedStar NRH Board of Directors. The Board of Associates has helped raise significant awareness of MedStar NRH in the community, and cultivated new supporters for the hospital through special events, such as our signature Gala Victory Awards, and Las Vegas Night, which we will celebrate again this April. Among other activities, Board members visit patients and host monthly celebrations at the hospital to commemorate Valentines Day, St. Patricks Day, Cinco de Mayo, to name a few. The Board of Associates is part of our broader volunteer program, which also includes our community volunteers who provide invaluable administrative support to the hospital. Our community volunteers are often former patients who want to give back in a meaningful way. They do everything from answering telephones to greeting visitors at the front desk. The Junior League of Washington, D.C., is one of our most important volunteer partners. Now in its 20th year, the Junior League Placement at MedStar NRH is the Leagues only hospital-based placement. Every Wednesday evening, League volunteers play Bingo with patients and their families. They host the annual patient holiday party, and also sponsor a book cart. League activities are designed to provide entertainment as well as promote literacy, a key focus of the Junior League. The League has also been a great resource for MedStar NRH, and many members of the hospital placement have gone on to become members and leaders of our Board of Associates or serve on our Board of Directors. Volunteers are essential to the success of MedStar NRH. But they are more than assets; they are beloved members of our family. Many of them spend years working on the Networks behalf and form strong bonds with our staff and patients. So, while we grieve for the loss of both Pat Skantze and Ruth Donaldson, we are grateful for all they did for us and for the wonderful times we spent together. If youd like to give your time and talent to MedStar NRH, please contact our Volunteer Office at 202-877-1782 or visit MedStarNRH.org/volunteer.
Volunteers are essential to the success of MedStar NRH. But they are more than assets; they are beloved members of our family.
Adding Life to Years Helping You Live a Full and Healthy Life
Cats, dogs, guinea pigs and goldfish: Humans form strong bonds with their pet companions and weve been sharing our lives with animals for centuries. Today there are more than 78 million pet dogs in the U.S., and nearly 87 million pet cats,
Calming Influence
Research has shown that people with pets experience less loneliness and depression, and have high self-esteem. Interacting with a pet can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost the immune system. There has been a good deal of research conducted about the human-animal bond, says Rene Wallis, executive director of People Animals Love (PAL). PAL of D.C., is a 30-year-old non-profit organization that oversees a number of community initiatives, including a Pet Visit Program, in which volunteers and their dogs make visits to hospitals and longterm care facilities across the region. Today clinicians are incorporating Animal Assisted Therapy into treatment plans to help achieve physical, social, cognitive, and emotional goals with patients. Animals and their handlers are helping to improve recovery of veterans returning from the Middle East with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and to improve mobility for patients who have had a stroke or other brain injury. This is the highest level use of animals in therapeutic settings, and the dogs are highly trained, Wallis explains. PAL is involved in Animal Assisted Activities, which is focused on the concept that animals can bring hope and well-being to people who are isolated in hospitals or other care settings.
I have repeatedly seen the joy that adults and children feel when animals come to visit, says Joan Joyce, coordinator of therapeutic recreation at MedStar NRH. Patients unwind, relax and connect with the animals in ways they may not with other people. Moods turn on a dime, as they pet and cuddle with a dog or cat. Adrienne Wojciechowski, PAL group leader for MedStar NRH, brings her dog Buddy to the hospital for the twice-a-month visits. Buddy is a Jack Russell mix, she says. At home, he may be overactive and excitable. But when we put on his PAL vest, he knows he is on the job and calms down. Ive seen Buddy be the conversation starter that opens people up to interaction, Wojciechowski says. Pets can be the neutral intermediary between patients and other people.
Among the canine visitors is Fitzy, MedStar NRH Board Member Jerry Fitzgeralds beloved Havenese. Getting involved with PAL has been a great way to get to know patients at the hospital, Fitzgerald says. And its lovely to see how the patients and dogs react to one another. At MedStar NRH we also allow patients to visit with their own pets in the hospitals Victory Garden, Joyce adds. We know that a separation of weeks or even months can be devastating to pet owners. Its just one more way we try to improve the patient experience. Rehabilitation is all about getting back to normal and for many of us a pet is part of our normal day-to-day lives. To learn more about MedStar NRH Recreation Therapy, visit MedStarNRH. org. To learn more about PAL, visit peopleanimalslove.org.
Love Actually
Dogs love unconditionally. And who doesnt want to be around someone who is always happy to see them, Wallis explains. The interactions can also become therapeutic, says Joyce. Simply reaching toward the dog, throwing a ball for the dog to chase, or petting and brushing the dog can help patients improve fine motor skills and increase mobility in their hands and arms. Ive seen some PAL dogs immediately move toward the arm that is mobile in a stroke patient, Wojciechowski adds. They are able to read cues that even we dont see. And I have seen stroke patients who have talked very little open up and talk to one of our PAL dogs.
No Pain, No Cane!
New Knee and Acute Rehab Put Patients Goal within Reach
When she was a small child, Patricia Morrissey spent months in a pediatric hospital feeling isolated and frightened. Doctors only allowed her to write cryptic notes to her parents. Im fine. How are you? she wrote. But she was far from fine: The experience was devastating. surgeons opinion. Dr. Evans said, no problem, Morrissey remembers. In November 2012, Dr. Evans operated successfully on Morrissey. Then after several days in the hospital, he made a critical referral for inpatient rehabilitation at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, and to Robert Bunning, MD, clinical director of the orthopaedic program at MedStar NRH. Dr. Evans told me the key for my recovery was rehab at MedStar NRH, and he was so right.
Therapists Kate Ayoub and Jamie Feinstein join Pat Morrissey (center) and Dr. Robert Bunning (right) for Pats post-surgery follow-up
There is a segment of joint replacement patients that truly benefits from inpatient of intensive therapy, including older people, those having double joint surgery, and those with other health problems.
Robert Bunning, MD, Associate Medical Director, and Director, MedStar NRH Orthopaedics Born with Cerebral Palsy (CP), Morrissey endured surgery after surgery, performed in hopes of increasing her mobility. It was the mid-1950s, and Pats parents were trying to give their daughter the best chance. I was in physical therapy for years, Morrissey recalls. But by the time I was 18, I told my mother I was leaving to live my own life, and I went off to college. She has lived her life independentlyand productively. A disability rights advocate, she helped draft the Americans with Disabilities Act, and today serves on the U.S. International Council on Disability. In her spare time, she wrote Gradual Descent, the first in a series of detective novels that include characters with physical or mental challenges! She pushed her body hard as well, with routine trips to the gym and pool. Still she shied away from doctors and therapists, memories of those early torturous years still fresh in her mind. When knee pain made it difficult to manage steps, Pat overcame her natural aversion and went to see an orthopaedic surgeon. At first I thought I had overdone it at the gym, she says. But when it didnt resolve, I knew I needed help. The surgeon conducted tests, and told me the pain was the result of bone pushing against bone in my knee. The cartilage was more or less gone, and I needed joint replacement surgery, Morrissey says. He also told me I wasnt a candidate, she adds. I think he felt I should just give in, or give up since I have CP. He didnt listen to me or understand what I needed. But Brian Evans, MD, orthopaedic surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, listened and rebuffed the first
Jamie and Kate were amazing. They are young, motivated and so smart. They listen and problem solve, Morrissey adds. I think they walk on water!
When Dr. Bunning discharged Morrissey from MedStar NRH, the hospital arranged for at-home therapy through MedStar Visiting Nurse Association. Today, she continues physical therapy on an outpatient basis, and is making steady progress. Ive learned a lot from this experience, she says. Just because I have CP doesnt mean I have to settle for less. My muscles are very responsive to exercise. Its just a matter of fine-tuning my regimen to get the right mix. I came away from my MedStar NRH hospitalization with the belief that I will one day walk without painand without a cane!
I came away from my MedStar NRH hospitalization with the belief that I will one day walk without pain and without a cane!
Patricia Morrissey
Coordinators help to develop a roadmap for recoveryand work hand-in-hand with case managers to make recommendations for next steps. This may include acute rehabilitation at MedStar NRH, outpatient services through the MedStar NRH Rehabilitation Network, access to skilled nursing facilities, or home care through the MedStar Visiting Nurse Association. The program also offers a pre-hospitalization Joint Replacement Education Class to help patients better understand the procedure, and know what to expect during their postsurgery rehabilitation. To learn more about MedStar NRH inpatient and outpatient orthopaedic services, visit MedStarNRH.org. For details on the PACC program, call 202-877-1220.
Conditions We Treat
n n n n n n
Joint replacement mputation A Hip fracture surgery Cancer surgery Arthritis Multiple orthopaedic traumas
At the McLean centers Runners Clinic, therapists use dual camera video gait analysis to assess running problems.
But this is more than just a therapy site, Brickley says. It also offers diagnostic radiology services and a team of orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and neurologists from MedStar Georgetown. Patients can obtain everything they may need from diagnosis and specialty physician services to rehabilitationall in one location. The center also provides the special expertise of the MedStar NRH Sports Medicine program, which focuses on early intervention after injury for active adults, and both amateur and professional athletes, as well as the development of training regimens to promote safe performance and prevent re-injury. A unique Runners Clinic at the McLean center offers dual camera video gait analysis to assess running gait abnormalities, and incorporates the NASA-developed AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, an Olympic-level injury prevention tool used in training programs for amateur and competitive runners. Therapists also utilize the AlterG to help patients with lower extremity problems ranging from stress fractures to joint replacementadvance their therapy more quickly and achieve better results.
We are not only treating sports injuries, we plan to work with local high schools and community organizations to promote sports injury prevention for children and adults, says Laura Nemets, MPT, OCS, center director. We want to help people maximize their performance, safely. Were athletes ourselves, says Nemets, a physical therapist who specializes in sports medicine and orthopaedic rehab.
The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill helps athletes and patients with lower extremity problems safely advance their therapy.
Ultimately, we hope to expand services offered at the McLean center to include other specialty physician services, such as oncologists, and to bring cancer rehabilitation to the neighborhood, as well, Brickley adds.
CL Injury Prevention Program A Arthritis Program Brain Injury Program Concussion Services Diagnostic Radiology Services Falls Prevention Program Foot and Ankle Services Foot Orthotics Evaluation & Casting Gait Analysis General Orthopaedics Hand and Upper Extremity Program with Certified Hand Therapists Occupational Therapy Manual Therapy Physical Therapy Repetitive Motion Disorder Services Running Clinic Speech-Language Pathology
pinal Cord Injury & Disease S Sports Medicine Program n Spine Services n Stroke Recovery n Vestibular/Balance Rehabilitation
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erry OKeefe, PT, DPT, Clinic K Coordinator Specializes in general orthopaedics, sports medicine, running assessments, ACL injury prevention, and concussions. n Leslie Slutz, OTR/L, CHT, Occupational TherapistSpecializes in treating conditions and injuries of the hand and upper extremity from physical or neurological trauma. n Suzanne Redmond, SLP Specializes in the treatment of adult speech, language, swallowing, cognitivecommunication and voice disorders.
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Robert Hartmann, VP for Marketing & Strategic Development, with friend and Board of Associates Member Patricia Skantze, affectionately known as the Hat Lady.
Dr. De Luigi receives his award from Dr. Kurtis M. Hoppe, 2013 Academy President-Elect. Photo courtesy of AAPM&R
merican Physical Therapy A Association Chicken Out Darren Star Foundation District Amputee Care Center, LLC The Hartford International Launch Services Montgomery Scrap Corporation Nascott The Olender Foundation Progressions Salon Spa Store Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll PC Streetsense The Orthotic Prosthetic Center, Inc. Tri-Union Express, Inc. Volkswagen Washington Express, LLC Harry Gildenhorn Karl Sonneman Eugene Sussman Harry and Renie Freedman
An innovative collaboration is connecting basic, clinical and translational research to accelerate the exploration of brain plasticitythe human brains amazing capacity to heal itself.
The new Center for the Study of Brain Plasticity and Recovery is a partnership between MedStar National Rehabilitation Network and Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC). It brings together GUMCs highly regarded basic neuroscience research initiatives and MedStar NRHs strong clinical and translational stroke rehabilitation research. We believe the center will spark relationships between scientists and a more integrated approach to research, says Edward Healton, MD, chair of MedStar Georgetown University Hospitals departments of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine. And it will serve as a platform for research that has the potential to help us make a huge leap in our understanding of how the brain recovers after injury.
cord injury, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy, Dr. Dromerick adds. Today stroke rehabilitation often includes a method called constraint induced movement therapy, Dr. Healton explains. Through this technique, were forcing the affected limb to perform a task through repetition. Our research has shown us that through this repetition of movement, other parts of the brain take over the role of the damaged area. That shows us that the brain has plasticity.
TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation, is an important tool in helping unravel the mystery of brain plasticity.
Our hope is that through Alexander Dromerick, MD, co-director, Center for our new research Brain Plasticity and Recovery collaboration with GUMC, we can identify more sophisticated strategies to The center has already established boost neuroplasticity, Dr. Dromerick adds. this critical cross communication. Peter I think its plausible that one day stroke Turkeltaub, MD, PhD, assistant professor recovery will include multiple strategies, of neurology at Georgetown University, such as combining drug intervention that is conducting research at MedStar NRH jump-starts neuroplasticity with intensive focused on the development of new training, he says. treatments for language disorders. In
What we learn about recovery in stroke can be applied to patients with any type of brain injury, such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy.
addition, GUMCs Ted Supalla, PhD, renowned for his research on the development of sign language, is working in collaboration with MedStar NRH researchers to study ways to improve methods to recover speech after stroke. Our vision for the center is to create a fertile environment for research with the potential to improve recovery for patients who have suffered stroke. But we know what we do will have an impact on future treatment of other brain diseases, such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, Dr. Healton says. The potential is enormous.
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MedStar NRH is accredited by: CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities The Joint Commision
Sunday, September 22, 2013The 10th Anniversary Super H 5K Run, Walk & Wheel
What: The 10th annual 5K race welcomes everyone to run, walk, bike, hand cycle or wheel to raise funds to benefit the adaptive sports programs for children and adults with physical disabilities at MedStar NRH, which is a proud partner of U.S. Paralympics and BlazeSports America. MedStar NRH has one of the nations largest adaptive sports program and offers children and adults with physical challenges free weekly seasonal team sports in wheelchair basketball and tennis, quad rugby, power soccer and sled hockey. Where: Sport & Health at Tysons Corner