The Sydney Stroke Rehabilitation Centre at MetroRehab Hospital was a proud sponsor of this year’s SMART STROKES conference held 25th/26th August 2016 at the Convention Centre in Canberra. Anna Barlow (Stroke Coordinator) and Jane Blair (Senior Occupational Therapist) enjoyed networking with colleagues and gained knowledge on the latest research in stroke care. The Sydney Stroke Rehabilitation Centre display table was a popular spot and health professionals were left better informed on the specialist services MetroRehab provides to the stroke community.
The highlight of the conference was an inspiring presentation by Dr Lindy Hardcastle, a GP who experienced a severe stroke in 2009. Through determination, tenacity and humour she has continued to make significant improvements long after her stroke. It was a lesson to all health professionals working in stroke to keep fighting for our patients, even long after their stroke and encourage them to reach for the stars.
Anna Barlow was invited to present a recent piece of research “Let’s improvise!” completed in 2016 by herself and the music therapist Tanya Silveira. This case study outlines a new treatment for upper limb retraining post stroke. It combines a well known evidence based intervention Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) with the iPad music application ThumbJam. This technique applied early in the patient’s rehabilitation stay enabled her to regain hand function and ultimately return to playing Bach on the piano. The poster (pictured) is currently on display at MetroRehab, please contact Anna Barlow with any questions about this new treatment approach or view the poster below.
