Brain Injury Rehabilitation Challenges and Treatment Approaches

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Brain injuries are becoming increasingly more common with changes in modern warfare. In fact, traumatic brain injury has been labeled the “signature wound” of modern warfare. Because the disability is a “silent” one, meaning you can´t see the injury to the brain, returning combat veterans and their families may not even know they have sustained such an injury. Traumatic brain injury is an increasingly important health issue in both military and civilian life.

This seminar is for helping professionals who are seeking ways to assist those with traumatic brain injuries by increasing their understanding of this type of injury and effective treatment approaches.

OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this seminar, participants will be able to:

AGENDA

LOCATION

The seminar will be held at the Coatesville VA Medical Center Building #5 in the Great Hall on the first floor.

The Coatesville VA Medical Center Building is located at 1400 Black Horse Hill Road, Coatesville, PA 19320. (610) 384-7711.

PRESENTERS

Vicki Eicher,MSWis director of quality management and trainingfor ReMed. She is responsible for developing training, qualityassessment and outcome systems along with ensuring ReMed´songoing compliance with accreditation and licensure requirements.Ms. Eicher has worked in the field of brain injury rehabilitation forthe past 25 years as a social worker, staff trainer and quality managementspecialist

Sally Kneipp, Ph.D., LPC, LRC, CRC is a licensed psychologist inPennsylvania and a licensed professional counselor and rehabilitationcounselor in New Jersey. In 1981 she founded the CommunitySkills Program, a private, nonresidential community re-entryprogram for persons with brain injuries. She is a former memberof the Keystone State Head Injury Foundation and the Board ofTrustees of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, Inc. In 2007she received the Pioneer Award from the Brain Injury Associationof Pennsylvania, Inc. She is also a past chair of the AmericanCongress of Rehabilitation Medicine´s Brain Injury InterdisciplinarySpecial Interest Group.

AnnMarieMcLaughlin, Ph.D. is licensed in PA as a psychologistand also has a school psychologist certification. Since 2001, shehas been the clinical director of community outpatient services forReMed. She stillmaintains a private practice and a lengthy affiliationwith Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital where she served as themanager of the brain injury program. She has made numerouspresentations on brain injury topics and has authored articles thathave been published in professional journals. She presently servesas the co-chair of the Task Force on Community-based Treatmentof the American Congress of RehabilitationMedicine´s Brain InjuryInterdisciplinary Special Interest Group.

Scott Peters, MSA, OTR/L is clinical director of the Short TermResidential System of ReMed, a continuum of neurorehabilitationprograms in Pennsylvania. Mr. Peters has been involved in thefield of brain injury rehabilitation for more than 25 years. He is amember of the Brain Injury Association, PennsylvaniaOccupationalTherapy Association and American Occupational TherapyAssociation. He has written numerous articles and is a frequentlecturer on many topics dealing with community-based neurorehabilitation,including substance abuse

Susan Martin White, MA, PT is licensed as a physical therapistin Pennsylvania and California. She has had an NDT Certificationin Adult Hemiplegia since 1985 and a Certification in VestibularTherapy since 1999. She has been employed by ReMed since1986 and among her many staff training responsibilities, developeda multidisciplinary approach to treatment of vestibular dysfunctionin patientswithmild traumatic brain injury. She authoredan article on Assessing Vestibular Dysfunction that was publishedin Care Management in June 2001.