A recent survey by the American Occupational Therapy Association revealed that nearly 40% of those polled stay on top of the latest evidence and research via conferences and courses. While this is good news, an unfortunate trend in many facilities is the cutting of the continuing education budget. Previous researches related to examining the barriers to accessing continuing education have cited cost, time, and courses not being offered at reasonable location/times. (See Dysart & Tomlin). Dysart and Tomlin further state …

The Task Force of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group has previously conducted 2 systematic reviews of cognitive rehabilitation after TBI or stroke, which served as the basis for specific practice recommendations. This year, the systematic review was updated from 2003 to 2008: Abstract Objective To update our clinical recommendations for cognitive rehabilitation of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke, based on a systematic review of the literature from 2003 through 2008. Data Sources PubMed …

This entry takes a look at the “high-tech” aspect of stroke rehabilitation with a particular emphasis on robotic therapy. The use of robotic devices is appealing as a means of delivering well-defined repetitive exercises in a consistent fashion. Robotic devices also are suitable for use by individuals with more severe weakness who may not be able to complete conventional exercises without assistance. Robots also have the potential to provide a more labor-efficient exercise program that does not require as direct …

This is an exciting time for those working in the area of stroke rehabilitation. Our ability to base our interventions on evidence continues to evolve. The area of motor control training is receiving particular attention and a variety of techniques (both low tech and high tech) have been found to be effective. Over the next few weeks, I will review a variety of evidence based  interventions that have been found to be effective with this population from both a practical …