Project Walk vs. Beyond Therapy

                      I have attended both Project Walk and Beyond Therapy. Both were created for those who have experienced injuries and trying to offset the trauma.The two are extremely different. It’s like going to two separate restaurants and expecting to experience the same taste.

    Both are there to improve the quality of life through exercise. However, Project Walk http://www.projectwalkatlanta.org/  is for Spinal Cord Injury survivors and Beyond Therapyhttp://www.shepherd.org is for Brain Injury survivors. They are also both equipped with the latest machines like the Lokomat( treadmill with a harness), Smith machine( bar to balance on) leg press and intense workouts. First I’m going to talk about Project Walk. Now Project Walks equipment was cutting edge and they offered great workouts! They were able to help treat, motivate and encourage me. However, being a brain injury survivor they did not have much experience in dealing with people like me. I was kind-of a brand new species that they were trying to experiment on.

       Beyond Therapy is a rigorous program that both tries to lesson secondary complications and to also get the most from links to the muscles! Beyond Therapy has had a ton of experience with people who had similar complications to me. I was very successful with Beyond Therapy. I progressed from a wheelchair, to a walker then to a cane. They try and use every ligament that you are able to access. Not one organization can do what these two do.  I tried others, but they were for stroke patients and/or sports related injuries and very few had experience with TBI patients.

If you are looking for therapists a good place to start is the Parent to Parent Special Needs Database. We have over 5,000 providers and you can search online for the one nearest you!

Go to:

http://p2pga.force.com/Provider

My Sister

So my sister is moving out of our house at the end of August. That is upsetting to me for a very important reason.

    The reason is I’m five years older than my sister and I should be moving out first. Unfortunately, I just cannot live alone right now. It’s just too risky. In case I fall or can’t reach something that I need. It’s so painful to think of her picking up her life and moving on. I want to do that! I believe that I will eventually move out just not in the near future. It’s also painful that she can go do her own things whenever she wants. She will just say, “I am running a few errands.” Unfortunately, I have to think about all the things that could go wrong with this and I to plan way ahead.

    So if you’re like me and just need a little extra help or your feeling younger than you are. Try to be as independent as you can be. I promise it will ease your pain.

 Try Uber if you need to go somewhere. Uber is the transportation company that picks you up and takes you where you need to go. They are there in like 5-10 minutes.

    If you have Medicare/ Medicaid you might be able to hire someone. This person can help you with chores around the house or other needed supports.

I recommend you find somewhere to work. It keeps your mind off things, gets you out of the house and give you needed money. Now it might take some time though. It took me 7 years.  Hopefully it will work well for you.

Uber: www.uber.com

Medicare: https://www.medicare.gov/eligibilitypremiumcalc/#eligibility

Medicaid:  http://www.hhs.gov/answers/medicare-and-medicaid/who-is-eligible-for-medicaid/index.html

To get a job: https://gvra.georgia.gov/

Last Tuesday

Last Tuesday, I began an old/new therapy. The therapy program is called Shepherd Pathways and it’s the outpatient Shepherd Center. You go to Shepherd Pathways if you do not feel like you have made enough progress. I have not done in 6-7 years and it helped me out tremendously and hopefully it can help me again!  I’m doing it again to try and help me make some gains.

I’m doing Occupational therapy, where they work on my hand and any at home tasks that I need to accomplish. She is going to work with me and provide strategies for folding clothes with one hand.

The next therapy I have is speech therapy. She works on breath support mostly like holding “ah” sounds. She also would like to improve my rate and volume.

The final therapy I have is physical. She is mainly working on my balance. She gave me a balance test, where I had to stand by myself for two minutes, stand with my feet real close together and with one foot in front of the other.

Not many people know this, but I’m very sick of therapy. I have been doing it off and on for 8 and a half years. It is just getting old! I want to just move on with my life and stop being hurt! Also, being so far out from the injury makes me uncertain if I can really gain anything.

Shepherd Pathways:

http://www.shepherdpathways.org/

Videos/ Articles  about benefits of therapy

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/physical-therapy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C64GrGninD0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0aCJtkDdSE