
Neurogenerative diseases result in loss of structure and function of nerve cells that are responsible for the functioning of the nervous system. Our services include:
- Parkinson's disease rehabilitation by providing physiotherapy for parkinson’s
- Parkinson-plus syndromes rehabilitation
- Alzheimer’s dementia treatment
- Physiotherapy for Multiple system atrophy
- Hereditary and non-hereditary ataxias rehabilitation
This is not an all-inclusive list and anyone with a degenerative brain disease that can affect their physical and cognitive function can benefit from our services.
Symptoms
Usually, individuals affected by these conditions can have several symptoms such as
- Impaired walking and balance, leading to frequent falls and fractures.
- Memory impairment.
- Swallow impairment, especially as silent aspiration of food and liquids.
- Abnormal coordination of movements of the arms and legs.
- Difficulty initiating a particular movement – slow in performing a task.
- Weakness of the muscles of the arms and legs.
HOW JH REHABILITATION CAN HELP
Our comprehensive, interdisciplinary team approach (i.e. care being provided by various disciplines in a coordinated fashion) with Physician (Physiatrist), Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist, Neuropsychologist, Nutritionist and a Nurse can help reduce your symptoms directly related to the injury as well as prevent and treat common medical complications post brain injury. Not all patients will require all services and usually, a combination of these services is required for an individual patient. You will be evaluated at the initial visit to determine what services you require and a tailored treatment plan will be initiated.
PHYSICIAN (PHYSIATRIST)
Patients will be evaluated by the Physician first to determine the nature and severity of the medical condition then come up with a treatment plan that best suits them. Depending on the patient’s symptoms and medical complications (listed above), the treatment plan will include recommending therapy services, prescribing medications and performing injections. Medications are commonly prescribed for medical complications as well as to reduce symptoms directly related to brain injury such as arm and leg weakness, muscle tightness, speech impairment, mood and behavior issues, cognitive impairment and impaired arousal. The physician performs injections such as tendon injections, joint injections for joint or muscle pain as well as Botulinum toxin (commonly referred as Botox injections) and nerve block injections to help relieve muscle and tendon tightness.
PHYSIOTHERAPIST
A Physiotherapist will focus on various physical exercises to improve weakness in the arms and legs, improve their walking and balance and to reduce muscle tightness. They might use physical modalities to reduce pain and inflammation, muscle and tendon tightness and prevent muscle atrophy. They can also fit you with an orthosis to reduce muscle tightness as well as improve your walking and arm function.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
An Occupational Therapist will focus on various physical activities required for daily living for patients with severe physical and/or cognitive impairment and also teach cognitive exercises thereby compensating the cognitive deficits. Visual Training exercises are provided to individuals with visual impairment due to the neurological problem. The final phase of treatment involves patient training for successful community integration (education, employment etc).
NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST
A Neuropsychologist evaluates patients with depression and anxiety, that is commonly seen after any major life-changing illness or injury and guides them through the process of rehabilitation thereby improving their quality of life through motivation and counseling. Performing an in-depth cognitive assessment and planning cognitive re-training exercises and compensatory strategies is also a major treatment aspect of a Neuropsychologist.
NUTRITIONIST
Malnutrition or undernourishment is a common problem in this population. For optimal recovery, a Nutritionist recommends an appropriate intake of nutrition.
REHABILITATION NURSE
A Rehabilitation Nurse trains patients with central nervous system injury to manage their bowel and bladder independently. Performing and training wound care management for patients with pressure ulcers are also handled by a Rehabilitation Nurse.
Expectations of Recovery
Neurodegenerative brain diseases by nature are progressive. Our treatment can improve muscle strength, aerobic endurance, improve your walking speed, improve balance, prevent falls, improve swallow and reduce the risk of aspiration, improve speech and communication, and address their mood. These benefits can help them be as independent as possible with daily living and can significantly improve your quality of life.