Rehab Impact Fall/Winter 2010

Strum Rock It

OT students become guitar heroes to man with MS

ISSUE 25 ยบ VOLUME 13 ยบ FALL/WINTER 2010 FACULTY OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

REHAB IMPACT is published bi-annually by the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation

DEAN

Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell

ASSOCIATE DEAN GRADUATE STUDIES & RESEARCH

Dr. Joanne Volden Dr. David Magee & Dr. Liz Taylor

language pathology, plus universities and

friends of the Faculty.

Medicine. It’s distributed to more than 4,500 rehabilitation students, staff and alumni in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech

Communications & External Relations Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine 3-48 Corbett Hall University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta CANADA T6G 2G4 T 780.492.2903 F 780.492.1626 www.rehabmed@ualberta.ca ISSUE 25

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FALL/WINTER 2010

ASSOCIATE DEAN PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS & TEACHING

ASSISTANT DEAN Anita Yates

EXTERNAL RELATIONS & ADMINISTRATION

CHAIR, PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dr. Robert Haennel

CHAIR, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Dr. Lili Liu

Dr. Karen Pollock

CHAIR, SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY

MANAGING EDITOR

Laurie Wang T 780.492.9403 laurie.wang @ualberta.ca

DESIGN Helix Design Communications 2001 Inc.

James Shrimpton

T 780.413.1822 james@helixdesigns.com

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Cover: OT student project allows man with MS to play guitar again.

WRITING

Andrea Dobbe Holly Gray Carmen Leibel Laurie Wang Ian Weetman

PHOTOGRAPHY

Laurie Callsen Holly Gray Ryan Jackson Jimmy Jeong University of Alberta, Marketing & Communications Michael Holly, Richard Siemens

PRINTING Dejong Printing

Michael Chesworth

T 780.983.7701 michael@dejongprinting.com

WHAT’S Inside

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22 10

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Dean’s Message

Rehab at a glance

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New Faces

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Faculty Awards in Brief

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EDUCATION Kenya Connection with physiotherapist Jenn Allen

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ALUMNI PROFILE teamwork

Lindsay Russell: Multidisciplinary

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ALUMNI PROFILE being an OT

Wendy Davis: You never stop

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EDUCATION man with MS

Strum Rock It: OT project enables

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REHAB IN THE COMMUNITY

AiiMiT: Healthy Solutions

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RESEARCH Free to Fly: Margie McNeely explores the risks of flying for breast cancer patients

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YOUR IMPACT the heart is

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RESEARCH Family matters: David McConnell advocates for parents with intellectual disabilities

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EDUCATION Speak out: ISTAR helps clients and speech students

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RESEARCH

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ALUMNI PROFILE

Lorianne Kennedy: Rehab is where

Seniors on the road

Chris Zarski: Jack of all trades

What the heck is rehab?

S O E VI D

Let’s be honest, not everyone knows what rehab is, and sometimes people think

of Lindsay Lohan, or Amy

Winehouse, or‌Tiger Woods.

Anyway, you get the drift.

So our students tell everyone what rehabilitation REALLY is through their video contest submissions. The video with

the most views as of January Watch the videos:

29, 2011 wins $1000.

www.youtube.com/rehabmedicineuofa

Pursuing your best

DEAN’S Message

Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell

Rehab at a glance Our days are busy and

full here at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

This fall we welcomed 230 new students to our MSc Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology programs.

www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

Martin Ferguson-Pell, PhD Dean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

DEAN’S MESSAGE

And let’s not forget our wonderful alumni! Wendy Davis (BOT ’74), though retired, says you never stop being an OT (p. 14). The Department of OT is hosting an event for all OT alumni in spring 2011 as part of their 50th year celebrations. Be on the lookout for details to come. Lindsay Russell (MSc SLP ’08) is part of a multidisciplinary team at the Children’s Rehabilitation Clinic in Camrose, Alberta.

The Alberta Initiative for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology (AiiMiT) is a Campus Alberta initiative that aims to communicate unmet clinical needs and connect clinical challenges with solutions using health technologies. A forum was held this fall bringing together rehab professionals, engineers, physicians, nurses and researchers, addressing the topic, “Rehabilitation Challenges of the Bariatric Patient” (p.21).

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Lorian Kennedy (p.24), an OT alumna whose giving inspires the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine to continue to pursue the very best in research, education and service to the community.

There is so much going on here in Corbett Hall, and the activity goes beyond the four walls of our building. This magazine is our way of sharing with you a glimpse of the excitement. I hope you enjoy this edition. Please keep in touch, we love to hear from our alumni and close associates. Your comments and guidance are always welcome.

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Ten of the 76 students enrolled in our MSc Physical Therapy program are completing most of their studies at the U of A’s Augustana Campus in Camrose, Alberta, using our new synchronized distance learning technology. Students in Camrose have real-time communication with lecturers based in Edmonton and vice versa. Forty per cent of the province’s population lives outside of our major cities, yet only 10 per cent of PTs work in rural communities. This pilot project in partnership with Roger Epp, Dean of the Augustana Campus in Camrose, offers students opportunities to practice clinical skills in a rural setting and encourages them to work there in the future.

Chris Zarski (BSc PT ‘03) is the coordinator for this unique program (p. 34).

Our students continue to amaze me with their enthusiasm and talent. MSc OT students helped Randy, a 43-year-old man with MS play the guitar for a first time in eight years (p.18). Some speech students got the chance to complete a clinical practicum at the Faculty’s Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR), enabling people like Walid Omairi to overcome the simplest challenges that fluent speakers take for granted, like ordering a bottle of water (p.30). MSc PT student Jen Allen chose to do her clinical placement in Kenya. Read more about her adventures on page 10. I have just returned from a forum held in Kingston on military and veterans health research where two of our students gave excellent presentations on the role occupational therapy plays in the rehabilitation of our soldiers. Three of our faculty also presented their work on physical rehabilitation.

Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine researchers are involved in a remarkable range of projects that make a direct difference to Albertans and Canadians. In this edition of Impact we highlight studies that: help breast cancer survivors (p. 22), benefit seniors on the road (p. 32), and advocate for parents with intellectual disabilities (p. 26).

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NEW Faces

welcoming

Please join us in

6 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

NEW FACES

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Cori Schmitz, Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education (ACCE), Department of Occupational Therapy Cori Schmitz received her BSc in Occupational Therapy from Queen’s University in 1997 and her Master of Education, Community Rehabilitation & Disability Studies from the University of Calgary in 2009. She has over a decade of clinical experience in Canada and abroad, including Guyana, South America, British Columbia and Alberta. She has practiced in a range of settings including acute care, rehabilitation and community settings. Schmitz has a particular interest in community-based mental health care and services for marginalized populations. She has been actively involved at the Alberta College of Occupational Therapists.

“I know it will be exciting for the students to learn as much as they can about OT through the mentoring relationships created with their clinical educators. Fieldwork is nearly 50 per cent of the curriculum in our OT program. I anticipate that the challenges students are confronted with in the ‘clinical classroom’ may be more immediate, intense and personal than those they experience in the ‘academic classroom,’” she says.

“I hope to be a supportive and resourceful educator for our students during these varied fieldwork experiences. I want them to feel encouraged to find their own unique fit within our profession!”

Jessica Wagenvoort, Receptionist, Admissions Clerk, Department of Physical Therapy Jessica Wagenvoort graduated in 2009 from the University of Alberta with a BA in Political Science. She brings her administrative skills and experience from both a law office and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to her new position as Receptionist and Admissions Clerk.

“I’ve heard great things about the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Department of Physical Therapy, and the University of Alberta. I’m proud I get to join the team!”

NEW FACES www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

A term position, Jody Lopetinsky is responsible for providing Human Resources, Accounting and Procurement support for the faculty.

Lopetinsky has been part of the University of Alberta campus community for almost three years and finds working in this faculty very satisfying both professionally and personally. The role is diverse, which allows her to employ the expertise she has obtained from her education and job experience while adding new skills to her career as an accountant.

“It is a pleasure to come to work and see what the day will bring. The people in this faculty are second to none.”

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Jodi Lopetinsky, Administrative Assistant – Financial, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

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FACULTY AWARDS in Brief

Jaynie Yang, PhD, has been awarded funding from the Alberta Paraplegic Foundation for a study entitled, “Retraining walking after spinal cord injury,” along with colleagues in Medicine. She is also a coinvestigator with Dr. Monica Gorassini on another grant called “Alberta SCI research facilitator.”

Cary Brown, PhD, along with Trish Wielandt, PhD, Allyson Jones, PhD, and Donna Wilson, PhD, have been awarded funding from AHS’s Collaborative Research Grant Initiative about Mental Wellness in Seniors and Persons with Disabilities. Their project is entitled, “Understanding healthcare providers’ barriers to prescriptions/ recommendation of non-pharmacological sleep interventions for community-based seniors living with dementia.”

Eric Parent, PhD, and two of his doctoral students, Elise Watkins and Sanja Bosnjak have been awarded a grant from the Scoliosis Research Society.

Their project is entitled, “A pilot study for a randomized control trial to develop a prediction rule to identify patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and Schroth Curve Type 3c who will respond to Schroth exercises.”

8 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

FACULTY AWARDS IN BRIEF

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Ming Zhang, PhD, has been awarded funds by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation to set up his lab to study cochlear low frequency responses.

Margie McNeely, PhD, and her team have been awarded a CIHR Team Grant in Physical Activity Mobility and Health. Led by Dr. Kerry Corneya from Phys. Ed, the five-year project is called “CIHR team in physical activity and breast cancer survivorship.” Her particular project is “Physical activity, health related fitness and lymphedema” and focuses on the role of physical activity and fitness in the natural history of lymphedema and upper limb symptoms.

Martin Ferguson-Pell, PhD, along with colleagues in Medicine, has been awarded a grant from the Alberta Paraplegia Foundation for a study entitled, “Early detection of deep tissue injury.”

Bill Hodgetts, PhD, along with colleagues from Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine (iRSM) and the Faculty of Engineering, has received funding from the Western Economic Partnership Agreement Grant as well as contributions from an Industry partner for a project entitled, “Prescription and verification for bone anchored hearing solutions.”

Lili Liu, PhD, and Sharon Warren, PhD, are co-investigators on another grant from the same competition. Their project, headed

by Dr. Janki Shankar, is entitled, “Employer perspectives on mental illness and disability: A pilot study.”

Liu, along with colleagues in computing science, pharmacy and the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, has also been awarded a grant from the Healthcare Support through Information Technology Enhancements (hSITE) Strategic Research Network, funded by NSERC. The group will examine two different forms of technology designed to assist seniors with mild cognitive decline in remembering to take medications appropriately.

Marilyn Langevin, PhD, and Yagesh Bhambhani, PhD, have been awarded a grant from the Stollery Children’s Health Foundation.

Working in collaboration with Dr. Luc De Nil from the University of Toronto, their study is entitled, “Relationship between cerebral oxygenation and reading fluency in stuttering and non-stuttering school-age children: A Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy (NIRS) pilot study.”

Joyce Magill-Evans, PhD, along with colleagues in Pediatrics and Nursing, has been award a grant by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation for their project, “Novel clinic-based transition intervention for youth with congenital heart disease.”

Leslie Wiart, PhD, and Johanna Darrah, PhD, have been awarded a grant by the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research (ACCFCR) for their proposal, “Evaluation of the need for therapeutic community based fitness programs for children and adolescents with motor disabilities.”

Kristen Musselman has received a CIHR post-doctoral fellowship to work with Dr. Amy Bastien at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University on a project entitled, “Walking on a splitbelt treadmill: Is learning enhanced by attention or distraction?”

Mark Haykowsky, PhD, and his team led

by R. Thompson, PhD, from Biomedical Engineering, received a CIHR Operating Grant for a three-year project entitled, “Imaging the mechanisms of diastolic dysfunction and its role in cardiovascular performance.”

Tammy Hopper, PhD, along with co-PI Susan Slaughter, PhD, in Nursing and co-applicant Bill Hodgetts, PhD, have been awarded a CIHR Catalyst grant for Pilot Projects on Aging. The group is investigating how hearing loss can contribute to the degree of disability of long term care residents with dementia and the effects of an intervention on that contribution.

Publication Mail Agreement No. 40064303 Return Undeliverable addresses to the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, 3-48 Corbett Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G4

Carol Boliek, PhD, along with colleagues at the Research Imaging Institute at the University of Texas Health Sciences Centre in San Antonio, has received a Clinical and Translational Science Award sponsored by the NIH. Their project is entitled, “Neural correlates of intensive voice treatment effects on children with CP.”

This does compute

By Holly Gray

Albert Cook, PhD, didn’t become interested in rehabilitation medicine until the late ‘70s, when his son was born with a severe intellectual disability.

REHAB IMPACT 25 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

But Cook’s work encompasses far more than just working with children. The former dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine has Canadian and foreign patents, more than 200 scientific publications, and is often a keynote speaker at conferences around the world. He also works on establishing the Faculty’s international connections by teaming up with foreign researchers, which he thinks enriches U of A students’ educational experience by showing them perspectives of which they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed.

Cook also co-authored a textbook popular in occupational therapy programs, Assistive Technologies: Principles and Practice.

This book has been translated into several different languages including Chinese and Korean—the book’s far reach still surprises him.

“When you sit in a little office like this and you write, you never think anybody’s really going to read it and then when you find out that people from faraway places actually make use of it—it’s nice,” he says.

FACULTY AWARDS IN BRIEF

“I started off in electrical engineering and I probably would still be in electrical engineering rather than rehab if it hadn’t been for Brian,” says the professor in speech pathology and audiology at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Now, more than three decades later, Cook has received the 2010 SIGACESS Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computing and Accessibility, an international award in recognition of his lifelong dedication to the research and development of assistive devices and computing technology for persons with disabilities.

Even though his own son is now an adult, Cook still takes a special interest in children. His recent research with interdisciplinary teams is focused on the effects robot use has on cognitive and language development in children who have disabilities.

“The interesting thing about working with children is that you get to discover their potential and get to help them develop their abilities,” he says.

He explains that for children with severe disabilities, the use of robotics provides an opportunity for them to explore and demonstrate what they understand in a way that wouldn’t be possible without the use of technology. While using a robotic arm during play, for example, differences in a child’s responsiveness, amount of vocalization, and appearance of interest were noted.

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EDUCATION Feature

Kenya connection

By Holly Gray

10 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

EDUCATION FEATURE | PHYSICAL THERAPY

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Imagine meeting a man who is unable to walk. To get short distances he must crawl or be carried by his partner or neighbours. When going to church, he is transported in a wheelbarrow.

Situations like this aren’t common in Canada, but physical therapy student Jen Allen would see them almost daily. While studying abroad in Kenya, Allen provided treatment for this man suffering from a degenerative central nervous system condition, and many others with disabilities just as severe.

“Patients with sprained ankles are unheard of, whereas cases of contractures which have resulted from polio, babies with severe developmental delays, burns, and congenital deformities are common,” says the recent graduate from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Through Canada-based organization The Kenya Working Group, Allen was teamed up with The Disability Service Programme to complete her six-week internship. Allen says many of her patients’ untreated medical conditions were a “bit hard to see,” but it isn’t the culture shock of her placement overseas that stands out in Allen’s mind. The appreciation her patients and their families had for her team’s rehabilitation services was the most memorable and gratifying part of her trip.

“Regardless of these clients’ conditions, they each greeted us with large smiles and were genuinely grateful for the help they received,” she says. “The strength, joy and appreciation each of these individuals exhibited truly left me reminded of the strength of the human spirit.”

Mark Hall, clinical coordinator of the University of Alberta’s physical therapy department, encourages students to “broaden their horizons” by completing their clinical placements in a developing nation.

“Although Canada is not a developing nation, I think that there are a lot of things students can learn by working in an environment where resources are thin and they really have to think about how they can achieve their treatment goals when the equipment or resources are not available to them,” he says.

“And I think there are some places in Canada where resources perhaps aren’t very well spread out and there will be populations in Canada where students will be able to apply the same sorts of things that they learned internationally.”

For Allen, a unique learning experience occurred when 20 patients ate, slept, and received intensive rehabilitation at the clinic in Opapo for one full week. The patients were mostly children, and the intensive program gave Allen an opportunity to see drastic improvements over a short period of time, both in the children’s health conditions and their parents’ knowledge of medical practices.

“The week flew by since there was so much to do,” she says. “It was certainly an effective way to educate mothers and patients on various topics such as hand washing, prevention of disease, traditional medicine and when to seek medical care.

The mothers were also able to see that they were not the only ones with children with a disability.

“Perhaps most importantly, the mothers and patients learned that ‘disability is not inability.’”

Although Allen enjoyed her work, work wasn’t the only thing she did. She took time to make the difficult climb to Uhuru peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, explored nearby towns and cities, stopped by the bar to watch the Ghana versus Uruguay FIFA World Cup game, rented a motorbike, took a boat through a lake full of hippos, and stayed an extra week after her placement for some free time in Tanzania, just to name a few activities.

Allen advises students interested in completing clinical placements abroad to start planning early and to budget accordingly. Students must be in good standing and should contact their clinical coordinator for more details.

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Allen assesses a client’s hip alignment after a shoe lift was provided.

2) Curious children from the town of Opapo.

3) Patients and their family members at the Disability Service Programme clinic are ready to start treatment during training week.

4) Patients and their family wait outside the clinic for a day of rehab to begin.

5) This young patient made huge gains in standing balance and her ability to transition from position to position throughout training week.

6) This young boy, Eliud, had a brain injury at birth leaving him with hemiplegia.

He made huge improvements throughout his week of rehabilitation.

7) All the DSP staff gather together for a group photo at the end of training week.

8) These wheelchairs were made by a local vendor for DSP clients with funding support from MSc PT class of 2010.

Physical Therapy

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EDUCATION FEATURE | PHYSICAL THERAPY

www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

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ALUMNI Profile

Multi-disciplinary

teamwork

Lindsay Russell

By Ian Weetman

12 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

ALUMUNI PROFILE | LINDSAY RUSSELL

REHAB IMPACT 25

SLP Lindsay Russell knows the benefits of teaming up The old adage, “Time flies when you are having fun,” is certainly true for Lindsay Russell, a speech-language pathologist with the Children’s Rehabilitation Clinic in Camrose, Alberta.

“No two days are ever alike,” confides Russell whose clients range in age from a few months to 18 years old. “I also find working with children very rewarding. I love their sense of humour and their sense of wonder. They are incredibly entertaining and inspirational and every child has so much potential. It also helps that I’m naturally a little goofy and kids are too!”

While rewarding, she admits the hectic pace of delivering workshops and presentations to assistants and childcare staff as well as running therapy sessions can be quite taxing.

However she says graduating from the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s speech-language pathology program with her MSc SLP in 2008 has left her more than prepared to meet the day-today demands of her job.

“It was a fast two years, but the program has very passionate instructors with incredible research backgrounds. The fact that they teach the International Classification Model (ICF) Model, which focuses treatment and goals on what is really important to our client’s life and activities, has really helped me to deliver functional, family-centred services. Plus the amount of clinical experience the program provides is fantastic!”

Russell also credits much of her success to an emphasis on a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment that provides benefits not only for staff but clients as well.

“My job would not be so successful without my team.

Having all the rehabilitation disciplines on the same floor allows us to plan and deliver services together, as well as collaborate

with each other to problem solve, attend continuing education sessions together, assess clients and write multi-disciplinary reports,” she explains. “Our assistants are also trained in all three rehab disciplines and are able to incorporate goals from all disciplines in their treatment. As professionals, we can always expand our own knowledge and gain new perspectives on our own treatment methods when we work together.”

The patients also see the benefits of a multi-disciplinary team. “Our clients report that multi-disciplinary treatment makes their treatment feel more cohesive, more manageable and more meaningful and functional when we treat the person as a whole. The benefits are endless!”

As for advice for future SLP graduates, Russell says the key lies in trying your best to integrate the knowledge you acquire from others with your own.

“Your professional, hands-on experience will bring it together for you, but actively seek a good mentor and ask questions regularly. Reference and consult your colleagues (within and across disciplines) whenever you can and recognize that your assistants are as vital to your team as any other therapist and they have invaluable experience to share with you.”

“Our clients report that multi-disciplinary treatment makes their treatment feel more cohesive, more manageable and more meaningful and functional when we treat the person as a whole.”

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ALUMUNI PROFILE | LINDSAY RUSSELL

www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

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ALUMNI PROFILE

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WENDY DAVIS

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ALUMNI Profile

Wendy Davis

You never stop

By Andrea Dobbe

Wendy Davis still lives and breathes occupational therapy Full of life and initiative, 82-yearold Wendy Davis hasn’t slowed down much since retiring as an occupational therapist in 1993. “Now that I am retired, I am fortunately able to continue enjoying life and its wonders.”

REHAB IMPACT 25 | WENDY DAVIS www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

In collaboration with the U of A Fine Arts Department, Davis enlisted two fine art students to St. Joseph’s Hospital to sketch, for their portfolios, portraits of the patients. This endeavour was greatly enjoyed, both by students and patients.

Davis’s collection of ideas for increasing a disabled person’s independence was part of her thesis: “I supplemented my thesis, bringing it to book form, entitled Aids to Make You Able.” She obtained grants to have it printed; the MS Society of Canada, Edmonton branch, was the umbrella organization. The book sold for $5.00, and the MS Society made $9000 from the sales. Later, the book was accepted by a publisher, and Prince Philip wrote the introduction, as he was Chairman of Rehabilitation in Great Britain in the 1980s.

“I will share an excerpt from his introduction: ‘Ability is a comparative term. Everyone is disabled in one way or another, and most of us are disabled in comparison with Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci or a world record holding athlete.’ ”

ALUMNI PROFILE

Born in London, England, Davis was first encouraged to come to Canada after she worked with two Canadian physiotherapists in Scotland who had studied at the University of Alberta. At the time, Davis was working with them as an OT at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh. “I had always wanted to come to Canada, but I had never heard of Edmonton, Alberta,” Davis explains. Through the support of her Canadian friends, as well as Professor Leonard Allbon at the U of A Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine who hired her as a teaching assistant, Davis immigrated to Canada in 1973. Upon coming to Canada, she joined the Edmonton branch of the Alpine Club of Canada.

This enabled her to carpool and enjoy the Rockies.

Davis graduated from the U of A with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in 1974, where she also earned a teaching diploma. She remembers that classmates and professors were always willing to help throughout the course of her studies. She was also a TA, and her students were lovely. Dr. David Reid, one of her professors, told her, “Because you care, that’s what’s important.”

Davis worked as an OT in different facilities until she found a base at St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital in geriatrics, where she worked for 15 years. “It was a tough assignment. I initiated the Occupational Therapy Department, and OTs weren’t available because there was a shortage.”

While at St. Joseph’s, Davis implemented several community outreach initiatives. She started a Family Night program, because she knew that families want to be involved in their loved one’s care.

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ALUMNI PROFILE |

WENDY DAVIS

REHAB IMPACT 25

ALUMNI Profile

“I love occupational therapy, because you’re working with people, and I’m a people person. It’s helping people, and it’s a privilege to work with those who have disabilities,” Davis says.

She credits her enthusiasm for OT to her first job: “I learned so much in my first OT job at King’s College Hospital, London.”

She believes the future of occupational therapy will see new and old methods and technologies being used. “Regrettably, people will continue to suffer strokes and will need to cook, and microwave technology has been an enormous help. I believe a combination of technology and practical applications will be needed. You will always need people to run machines, but I believe kindness is extremely therapeutic and cannot be given by machines.”

Wendy Davis

After retiring at age 65, Davis joined a writing class through Edmonton’s Life Long Learners Association (ELLA), and became interested in writing. Colleagues loved her anecdotes about life in India, and encouraged her to have them published. This was the genesis of Dal & Rice. Royalties from the book are going to Shreyas, a school in India, as well as SEVA, an organization that provides medical aid to Tibet, Nepal and India.

Retiring wasn’t easy for Davis, but her time volunteering with the Devonian Botanical Gardens Crafters’ Group helped. She also joined the Caged Birds Society and began rearing canaries.

Davis is thankful to see many young people becoming OTs: “You have to have energy and a balanced outlook,” she says.

Does one ever stop being an OT? Not according to Davis: “Currently, I am visiting a friend in hospital, who, sadly, fell off her bicycle and is in a coma. I’ve taken a little silky toy dog for her to hold, because it provides sensory stimulus. You never stop being an OT.”

“You will always need people to run machines, but I believe kindness is extremely therapeutic and cannot be given by machines.”

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EDUCATION Feature

Strum Rock It

By Carmen Leibel

18 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

EDUCATION FEATURE

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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

REHAB IMPACT 25

Occupational therapy students help man with MS play guitar for a first time in eight years.

OT students demonstrate how the Strum Rock It works.

Forty-three year-old Randy remembers the good old days, when playing the guitar was his favourite pastime. He even played at a semi-professional level . But shortly after his 2002 diagnosis with multiple sclerosis the muscles in his right hand became weak, forcing him to stop playing his guitar.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

“Those few weeks with the Strum Rock It that allowed me to make music again were irreplaceable; I only wish they would have lasted longer,” says Randy. “The students were excellent to work with, were entirely helpful and should be commended for all the work they have done.”

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The students used the skills they learned in the classroom, brainstormed a range of options and came up with a unique design made from inexpensive splinting material. Brose calls it a simple device that works like magic.

EDUCATION FEATURE

Lessons like that are exactly what this project is about.

“They were able to put in place a real solution to a real problem and see for themselves that engagement in this meaningful occupation has a direct link with health and well-being,” says assistant professor Anita Hamilton.

Hamilton says this experience will help the students as they prepare to work as occupational therapists.

“The learning outcomes from this project are immediately evident as students head out to do fieldwork, because students have told us that they used knowledge from their own projects, or other students’ projects, in situations they have come across in fieldwork.”

Since being introduced to the students’ project, the Strum Rock It, Randy’s condition has spread to include his left hand and arm. Just recently he realized he is no longer able to use the device, but says he’s grateful for the time he had with his guitar.

REHAB IMPACT 25

But eight years after his diagnosis a group of bright and eager occupational therapy students from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine came to the rescue and helped Randy make music once again.

It all began a few months ago when a group of first-year students were assigned a project aimed at helping someone who has a functional limitation that is inadequately met. The students heard about Randy and his desire to play guitar despite his physical limitations.

“Once we met Randy for the first time, he was so personable and willing to work with us that we all knew within minutes of meeting him that we had made a good decision for this project,” says student Jeff Brose.

“Whenever he spoke about music or his guitars he lit up and was so passionate that as a group we had to try,” adds student Danielle Costello.

But it wasn’t an easy task. Costello says the tremors in Randy’s right arm made it difficult for him to strum.

“Our main focus was to try and find a way to steady his arm and allow close enough access to the strings that he would still be able to strum them,” says Costello.

The students used the skills they learned in the classroom, brainstormed a range of options and came up with a unique design made from inexpensive splinting material. Brose calls it a simple device that works like magic.

“We used splinting material to create a cover for the guitar strings so that his wrist would not rest on them.” Brose adds, “We then shaped this cover so that it would place Randy’s hand in an ergonomic position for strumming.”

Randy will never forget the moment he was able to strum his guitar again, saying it was “some of the best times I had since I was diagnosed.”

It was also a magical moment for the students.

“Seeing Randy play again was an amazing experience; for some of our group it reaffirmed wanting to be occupational therapists,” says Costello.

“That day when we finished our meeting with Randy, we high-fived right outside his door and then could not wipe the smiles off of our faces for the rest of the evening.” Brose adds, “I think that this project gave us the confidence and the reassurance that we could indeed make an impact in a client’s life.”

Occupational Therapy

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REHAB IN THE COMMUNITY

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AiiMiT

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REHAB In the Community

Healthy solutions

AiiMiT

By Laurie Wang

Rehabilitation challenges for the bariatric patient With obesity rates on the rise in North America, bariatric rehabilitation has become an increasing need. Yelena Bergman works with obese to morbidly obese patients as part of the Living Well with a Chronic Condition program at the East Calgary Health Centre.

REHAB IMPACT 25 REHAB IN THE COMMUNITY | AiiMiT www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

“It has three parts: supervised exercise, disease and lifestyle education and a self-management program for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other chronic conditions. We’re definitely getting more and more referrals from physicians and dealing with more obese clients,” says Bergman, who graduated with a BSc PT from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1997.

Bergman explains that obese patients need different equipment. Besides the limitations they already have, other challenges are fiscal in nature—mainly the budgetary restraints of the clinics.

“For example, the cardiovascular equipment costs more money. Some of the equipment we use has weight restrictions and can’t accommodate more than 400 pounds.”

She helps bariatric patients develop exercise programs that help them gain more function, adapting exercises so there is no increase in joint pain. “We use bands and weights, add seated and standing cardio stations and do interval training, keeping in mind that the ability to stand for long periods of time is limited, because we don’t want them to get more knee, back or hip pain,” she says.

When it comes to helping obese patients, one of the key things to remember is safety. “We always need to find creative ways to keep the exercises safe. We need effective cardiovascular equipment that can accommodate more than 400 pounds. We need safe, efficient and cost-effective solutions—I know I’m asking for the moon!”

That’s where the Alberta Initiative for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology (AiiMiT) comes in. AiiMiT is a Campus

Alberta initiative championed by the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, and the University of Calgary’s Biovantage. It aims to communicate unmet clinical needs and connect clinical challenges with resolutions using innovative health technologies, systems and processes.

“It’s a forum for the synthesis of ‘clinical challenges’ into ‘solutions,’” says Dr. Cy Frank, Co-Leader of the AiiMiT executive team.

In fact, a forum was held this fall bringing together rehab professionals, engineers, physicians, nurses and researchers.

One of the topics was “Rehabilitation Challenges of the Bariatric Patient,” presented by David Dyer, director of nursing at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.

“This type of forum is exactly what we need. We need to be creative from the engineering point of view. I can see there being more solutions in the future in bariatric rehab,” says Bergman.

AiiMiT will continue to tap into rich seams of unmet clinical needs and express them as potential technology solutions through its forums. By bringing together diverse groups of individuals including scientists, government, and industry into the initial phases of potential medical device solution, AiiMiT creates an atmosphere conducive to collaboration and aids in creating the necessary technology pull to meet clinical needs in the area such as bariatrics. To date another area of exploration has been the issue of narcotic induced respiratory arrest and future topics will be aligned with the Alberta Health Services Clinical Networks such as bone and joint, cancer, cardiac care, pulmonary care and stroke.

As for Yelena Bergman, seeing change in her patients continues to encourage her and she hopes to help her patients even better in the future.

“I see someone gain more confidence and energy and believe they can slowly get stronger and it’s a wonderful feeling.

When they realize they can actually do a lot more than they thought they could, it’s a huge success,” Bergman smiles.

For more information on the Alberta Initiative for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology, visit www.aiimit.org.

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RESEARCH News

Free to fly

By Carmen Leibel

22 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

RESEARCH NEWS | PHYSICAL THERAPY

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Breast cancer survivors don’t need to be afraid of air travel.

Margie McNeely checks Ellen Atkinson, a study participant and breast cancer survivor, for lymphedema.

University of Alberta researcher Margie McNeely says results from an international study she was part of indicate that certain precautions about the risk of lymphedema for breast cancer survivors are outdated.

“These restrictions may have been appropriate 20 years ago but maybe they’re not so appropriate anymore,” says McNeely, from the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

McNeely says women who’ve had breast cancer surgery are often warned that pressure changes in an airplane cabin could trigger lymphedema, chronic swelling in the arm. She adds that, until now, information about air travel and lymphedema risk has not been based on solid evidence. A study she did with an Australian research team, however, shows that the risk of developing lymphedema during flight is very low.

“We found that only five per cent of these women are likely at risk of developing any arm swelling when flying,” says McNeely. “This tells us that maybe we are scaring women a little bit too much about this.”

The caution about the lymphedema risk is aimed at women who have had lymph nodes removed from the armpit, a common procedure during cancer treatment. McNeely says because the lymphatic system helps drain fluid, when the nodes are removed there is the potential for chronic swelling.

Physical Therapy

“We found that only five per cent of these women are likely at risk of developing any arm swelling when flying,” said McNeely. “This tells us that REHAB IMPACT 25

maybe we are scaring women a little bit too much about this.”

Elaine Husselby, a member of the Breast Friends Dragon Boat Team, suffers from lymphedema in her left arm.

PHYSICAL THERAPY www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

“For myself and other women in my situation this is good information to have. So, when we’re contemplating taking long flights again, one’s concern will be much less,” says Atkinson.

McNeely says this study was done with a group of women who participate in regular physical activity. She hopes to do future research with breast cancer survivors from the general population.

“What we don’t know is whether the findings will hold true for all of the women who had breast cancer. It may be that just these women who are really active were fine with air travel.

That’s one question that we have.”

McNeely’s research was published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

RESEARCH NEWS |

McNeely teamed up with Australian researcher Sharon Kilbreath to study the effect of air travel on 60 Canadian breast cancer survivors who were flying to Australia for an International Dragon Boat Festival. Seventeen of these women were from Edmonton. The study also involved a group of 12 women who were travelling to the festival from different areas of Australia.

“I think what was exciting about this study was that we were able to collaborate internationally to pull it together,” says McNeely.

McNeely, along with her colleague Carolyn Peddle from the U of A Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, compared both of the participants’ arms—the arm where lymph nodes were removed as well as the unaffected arm—with a device that can detect subtle changes in fluid between the arms. The measurements were done in Canada before the women left, and again when they arrived in Australia.

Findings indicate that 95 per cent of the women had no arm swelling. Four women had a slight increase but at a followup test done six weeks after the women returned to Canada, three were back to normal and only one woman was found at possible risk for chronic swelling.

Ellen Atkinson participated in the study and says she has had concerns about flying ever since she was told about the lymphedema risk 13 years ago. Atkinson says the results from this study have put her at ease.

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YOUR Impact

Lorian Kennedy

Rehab, where the heart is

By Andrea Dobbe

Lorian Kennedy’s passion is helping find the truth in situations where disabled persons are facing medical legal issues, and the University of Alberta Faculty of

24 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

YOUR IMPACT

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LORIAN KENNDEY

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Rehabilitation Medicine has been a catalyst in helping her pursue that interest.

“My occupational therapy education has been immensely important to me; it really has been the foundation for my whole career, and something I have loved doing.

Without those educational institutions (U of A and McGill University), I wouldn’t be where I am today. And I know they need ongoing support,” she says.

Completing her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy in 1969 and her MSc OT (Work Evaluation) in 1988 at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine has enabled her to make a difference.

In the late 1980s, lawyers dealing with disabled persons would rarely encounter occupational therapists, but Kennedy was able to educate them on just how much an OT can do.

“Occasionally, we will have a judge say (to a lawyer), that he needs to go out and get an occupational therapy report, which is quite gratifying,” Kennedy says.

Even with her success, she hasn’t forgotten where it all began, which is why the Montreal, Quebec, native chooses to give back to Rehabilitation Medicine.

“Rehab is where my heart is. I like to see our own faculty being supported, because I understand what kinds of things they do and what kind of an impact they could have—in research, clinical service and educating the next generation of rehab professionals,” says the former column editor of OT Now. From being an occupational therapist at the University of Alberta Hospital to clinical coordinator at the Occupational Performance Assessment Unit with the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, to starting a medical-legal private practice (Lorian Kennedy Consulting Inc., 1987-present), 62-year-old Kennedy has a valuable perspective on the future of occupational therapy.

“I think we’ve got a lot of undeveloped potential,” she says, “I see occupational therapy moving more into health promotions and prevention. I think we’ve always tended in the past to be seen as the people who come in after some sort of health incident, but I think we have a huge role in helping plan societies that can help support healthier lifestyles.”

Today, Kennedy is mentoring OTs who are new to the medical-legal field.

“It’s quite different from regular rehabilitation, there are important things to be aware of,” she says.

As Kennedy continues to support the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine in its research, education and service to the community, she says, “I know there are a lot of things they need, and giving back has always been worthwhile for me.”

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YOUR IMPACT

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LORIAN KENNEDY

www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

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RESEARCH NEWS

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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

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RESEARCH News

Occupational Therapy

Family matters

By Ian Weetman

OT Prof’s report advocates for parents with intellectual disabilities

Unfortunately, she isn’t alone.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

“This includes, for instance, the prejudicial and empirically invalid assumption that parents with intellectual disabilities cannot learn and overcome parenting deficiencies. And it includes the failure of the human service system to accommodate difference and provide the particular support tailored to the learning needs of parents with intellectual disabilities.”

As for what can be done, McConnell says Canada should look to his native Australia for a model of what a successful support framework looks like.

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According to a new study examining the link between caregivers with cognitive impairments and how their children fare under the child welfare system shows that families like Norman’s are far more likely to be investigated for child neglect and for lengthier periods of times.

It also underscores the need for a “planned and coordinated” national strategy to support parents says one of its authors.

In the study, “Child welfare process and outcomes: Caregiver cognitive impairment,” by Professor David McConnell, PhD, and Director of the Family and Disability Studies Initiative, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, an estimated 22,000 child maltreatment investigations involve parents with intellectual disabilities. That is 10 per cent of the roughly 220,000 investigations that take place across Canada each year. Child neglect, or rather, the perceived risk of child neglect, is by far the most common cause of concern.

“Our research over the last two decades and research by colleagues in a number of other countries has shown that parental intellectual disability per se is a poor indicator of parenting capacity.”

RESEARCH NEWS

finally closed her file.

“Further, we found that, whether child maltreatment is substantiated or not, child maltreatment cases involving parents with intellectual disabilities are far more likely to be kept open for ongoing child welfare supervision or services, and are far more likely to result in court action and probable out-of-home placement.”

McConnell also suggests the result is that parents are being needlessly separated from their children for reasons other than the immediate safety of their offspring.

“Our research over the last two decades and research by colleagues in a number of other countries has shown that parental intellectual disability per se is a poor indicator of parenting capacity.”

Put simply, while some parents with intellectual disabilities struggle, others succeed.

“So how then can we explain the high rate of child welfare intervention and differential outcomes observed in our study?” asks McConnell. Poverty, poor health and social isolation provide a partial explanation. That is, parents with intellectual disabilities typically have to raise their children under conditions that would make parenting tough for anyone. Prejudicial and discriminatory treatment are also explanatory factors.

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Melanie thought the birth of her first child, Gus, would the happiest time in her life. But shortly after taking her newborn home from the hospital five years ago, she began to receive a string of visits from social workers inquiring about her fitness as a parent. She asked them point-blank if this was because she is cognitively impaired. They agreed. It was only years later, and after the birth of her daughter, Rosemary, that Child Welfare

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Occupational Therapy

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RESEARCH NEWS

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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

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RESEARCH News

“My first study in the field of parents and parenting with intellectual disabilities was conducted in 1993 and 1994 and it took me into the homes and lives of parents with intellectual disabilities across the state of New South Wales, Australia. I was awed by the extraordinary grit and craft that many of these parents displayed under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, including poverty, poor health and social isolation,” says McConnell. “And I was troubled by the observation that many parents received little or no support from human service agencies before their children were taken from them. By law, child removal should be the intervention of last resort. But for parents with intellectual disabilities this seemed to be more of a reflex action. I was left wondering whether these parents were being given ‘a fair go’.”

This research eventually culminated in a government funded national strategy, known as ‘HealthyStart,’ which involved establishing cross-disciplinary and cross-sector practitioner networks or ‘learning hubs’ in communities across the country, and equipping them with knowledge and evidence-based programs and resources.

While Canada has yet to adopt a similar strategy, McConnell remains optimistic that such a program can be founded.

“The good news is that we have learned a great deal about ‘what works’ for parents with intellectual disabilities and their children. There is now a critical mass of science. These families can be supported to stay together and child removal can be prevented. What is needed now is some political will and support for a planned and systematic strategy to build ‘systems capacity’ here just like HealthyStart.”

Welcome news for mothers like Melanie who is now expecting bundle of joy number three.

To read the full study, visit www.fdsa.ualberta.ca or for more information on HealthyStart visit www.healthystart.net.au

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EDUCATION FEATURE

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SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY

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EDUCATION Feature

Speech Pathology and Audiology

Speak out

By Holly Gray

ISTAR helps clients and speech students

SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

SLP student Leslie Hickey on graduation day.

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<< Walid Omairi with ISTAR Executive Director Deborah Kully and

EDUCATION FEATURE

But now Omairi has his confidence (and his name) back thanks to an intensive three-week program at the world-class Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR), a division of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Omairi says he can’t believe what a long way he’s come since beginning treatment at ISTAR. “I can remember five weeks ago standing in the airport, begging my brother to order a bottle of water for me because I was so terrified to speak to other people,” he says. “Although this sounds hard on my brother, he wouldn’t order it for me. He was just trying to get me to attempt speaking, rather than avoid the situation. Ultimately, I waited to get on the plane and pointed at the water when the steward was serving drinks.”

ISTAR prides itself on its goal of helping those with speech impediments become the best communicators possible—for them to be able to say exactly what they want to say, when and wherever they want to say it. Now Omairi has the tools to help himself overcome the simplest challenges that fluent speakers take for granted, such as ordering food and beverages. And he’s not the only one; countless courageous individuals from around the world have travelled to ISTAR to take control of their speech impediments since it was first established in 1986.

Emily Wheeler, a graduate from the speech-language pathology program at the U of A’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, completed a one month intensive clinic practicum at the institute and says it was “inspiring working with clients at ISTAR.” “Overall, my experience at ISTAR was extremely rewarding,” she smiles.” The best part was seeing the transformation each client underwent in terms of their confidence as a speaker. Shy clients were suddenly telling stories and cracking jokes. It was just amazing to see personalities shine through as clients began to believe in their ability to use their fluency skills.”

Wheeler, now a working speech-language pathologist with Alberta Health Services, says she would highly recommend ISTAR as a clinical placement for future students.

“I am very grateful I had the opportunity to meet the wonderful and supportive staff at ISTAR, from whom I learned so much,” she says. “Upon completing this practicum I was much more confident in my understanding of stuttering, as well as my clinical abilities to assess and work with clients who stutter.”

ISTAR is a non-profit, Edmonton-based centre of excellence that offers specialized treatment to children, teens, and adults with speech impediments. Treatment is delivered in a variety of intensive and non-intensive formats. The institute also conducts ground-breaking stuttering research, offers advanced professional training for speech-language pathology students and clinicians, and promotes public awareness of stuttering and its treatment. ISTAR has received generous support from the Alberta Elks Association and the Alberta Royal Purple Lodges Association since its inception, and is the only treatment facility of its kind in North America.

Omairi celebrated his graduation from ISTAR’s intensive treatment program by doing a TV interview for Global News.

“Just a month ago, I would never have thought I’d be standing in front of you doing a speech,” he said in his speech at the ISTAR graduation ceremony, “Now I’m about to do an interview for TV!” he grinned.

REHAB IMPACT 25

Walid Omairi used to introduce himself as ‘Vinchenzo.’ But he wasn’t playing a trick or trying to be funny. The 17-yearold had a stuttering impediment so severe, he was forced to avoid using certain words, including his own name.

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RESEARCH News

Speech Pathology & Audiology

Seniors on the road

By Holly Gray

Imagine plunking yourself down in the cockpit of an F-18 fighter plane with the instructions to take off. Most of us (those who aren’t pilots, at least) would be overwhelmed by the plethora of blinking

32 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

RESEARCH NEWS

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SPEECH PATHOLOGY & AUDIOLOGY

REHAB IMPACT 25

buttons and sophisticated instruments in front of us.

“To a lesser extent, it can be a bit like that for senior drivers when they first get behind the wheel of a luxury vehicle equipped with a backup camera, backup alarm, proximity sensors, automatic parking, GPS, fuel consumption, time-to destination data, live weather, and the like,” says Paul Hagler, PhD. The professor of speech pathology and audiology at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine is teaming up with occupational therapy professors Jan Polgar and Lynn Shaw at the University of Western Ontario to work on a tool specifically for older drivers.

“With more senior drivers and more sophisticated technologies available, it becomes important to find a match between what is available and what a particular driver wants and can handle,” he explains. “Not all of the new safety oriented technologies for drivers actually makes driving safer for the older population.”

Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the Canadian driving population and driving is essential for their independence. Hagler’s team is putting together a questionnaire that they plan to test on 300 senior volunteers in Alberta and Ontario this summer.

The questionnaire focuses primarily on GPS and automated cruise control use, and will provide answers as to whether the technology is distracting and what can be done to make it more user-friendly. The information collected will then be indirectly passed on to the automobile industry, primarily at conferences, to inform car companies about which technologies or modifications they should make to help senior drivers.

The tool will also help older drivers make better choices in automobiles and safety features.

CF-18 cockpit, Cold Lake (DND Submitted Photo)

“Often, by the time a driver realizes there are issues that make driving the car difficult or complex, they have already completed their purchase,” says Shaw. “Our goal is to provide them with a tool that will help them plan and make the right choices.”

Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the Canadian driving population and driving is essential for their independence.

Shawn Drefs, research coordinator of the project, says that other than technology-use issues, seniors are very safe drivers.

“They self regulate,” he explains. “They often won’t drive at night. They often won’t drive in poor conditions. They often won’t drive routes they’re not familiar with and often avoid rush hour. So they’re actually the best segment of the population at self regulating.”

The research team launched their project through AUTO21, a vehicle-related research initiative established by the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence program.

REHAB IMPACT 25

RESEARCH NEWS

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SPEECH PATHOLOGY & AUDIOLOGY

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ALUMNI Profile

Jack of all trades

By Laurie Wang

When Chris Zarski isn’t teaching a physical therapy course in Camrose, he is driving the bus and bringing the 10 MSc PT students from the Augustana

34 www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

ALUMNI PROFILE

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CHRIS ZARSKI

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Campus in Camrose to Edmonton for their anatomy lab.

When he’s not doing that, he’s making sure the new synchronized distance learning technology is working for the classes to run, preparing to facilitate an upcoming seminar, cleaning the lab, or assembling the equipment in the new physical therapy lab.

Needless to say, the Augustana MSc PT coordinator and sessional instructor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine wears many hats.

“I’m a Jack of all trades, but not an expert in anything,” Zarski grins.

But it’s obvious he loves what he gets to do. “I knew I wanted to be a physical therapist since I was in grade five.

I love clinical work and I enjoy teaching the next generation of physical therapists,” says Zarski, who graduated with a BSc PT from the U of A in 2003.

The 29-year-old calls himself a Camrose native. Born in Bawlf, Alberta, just 15 minutes east of Camrose, Zarski is happy his position allowed him to move back to Camrose with his wife and two daughters.

“In 2008, I was a professional practice lead with the former East Central Health Region and a Community Health Physical Therapist at the Tofield Health Centre.

I was asked by Berni Martin (Associate Chair, Physical Therapy) to teach a course on health promotion in 2009,” Zarski explains. “During this time, the department and faculty were looking at expanding to the Augustana Campus in Camrose and I was considered for the newly created position.”

This September the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine brought its Master of Science in Physical Therapy program to Camrose, Alberta. By using high definition video and audio, 10 students at the Augustana Campus and 70 students in Edmonton can study in synch.

The students in Camrose are able to view, interact and experience the same labs and lectures as their Edmonton classmates by using real-time and high definition video conferencing. Clinical placements will be held in both urban and rural locations across Alberta with an emphasis on rural locations, allowing students to get hands-on experience in a rural setting. Renovations were completed this summer to produce a state-of-the- art lab and classroom for students in Augustana.

The goal of this program is to help address the shortage of rehabilitation professionals in Alberta’s rural communities.

Currently 45 per cent of the province’s population lives outside of Edmonton and Calgary and only 10 per cent of physical therapists work in rural settings.

“I’ve seen the shortage where you can’t find PTs,” says Zarski.

“I believe in this program; students who study and practice their skills rurally will want to work rurally later.”

“I knew I wanted to be a physical therapist since I was in grade five.”

Chris Zarski

The vision to start the PT program in Camrose, a pilot program that’s the first of its kind in Canada, began with Martin Ferguson-Pell, Dean of Rehabilitation Medicine, Roger Epp, Dean of Augustana Campus, Al Cook, Professor and Former Dean of Rehabilitation Medicine and Bob Haennel, Chair of Physical Therapy. The new synchronized distance learning technology was made possible by the IT teams in Rehab Med, Augustana and the Academic Information and Communications Technology (AICT) group at the U of A. “It is a tremendous opportunity for me to be part of this initiative. There are no other PTs I know of who get to do what I do,” Zarski smiles. “Sometimes I wonder, ‘how did I get here?’

Seven years ago when I graduated, I never would have thought I’d be teaching alongside some of my professors.”

REHAB IMPACT 25 ALUMNI PROFILE | CHRIS ZARSKI www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca

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