June 27,2011
Hello everyone,
Chris has had a good weekend and starting out all charged up this Monday morning. Heading to Abbotsford for our twice a week visit to Physio, we have an eye appointment this week and will be walking the Lokomat again on Wednesday. All the extra stretching Chris is getting on the off Physio days has been great for increasing breathing and awareness. We will start our speech sessions with a new therapist as ours is off teaching for the months of July. The therapies and there impact on Chris has increased greatly since Fraser Health bailed out on us at the end of April. people can work on what they were trained to do rather than what they are told to do, a great benefit of being independent.
Will update shortly as things transpire this week.
Thank you again, for all your support and help when asked.
Kevin and Chris
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday June 20, 2011
Hello All,
The Lokomat consists of a robotic gait orthosis and a body weight support system that suspends the user over a treadmill. It has computer-controlled motors, precisely synchronized with the treadmill, that move the user’s legs through trajectories that mimic physiological gait patterns. The training parameters are individually set and adjusted to meet each individual’s needs. A wide range of training possibilities exist with the Lokomat as the therapist is able to adjust the amount of body weight that is supported, the joint angles, gait speed, and guidance force. By adjusting these parameters to the individual user’s needs, the therapist is able to optimize the functional training. Assessment tools built into the system, standardized measures, and functional goals are used to measure the patient’s progress.
Chris' session will be posted on Utube for all of you to see, as soon as I can figure the connection out.
Speech, Physio, and OT are all secured to continue, even though the manager at Fraser Health's ABI program tried to shut it all down. We have overcome most of the obstacles created by the system, Fraser Health and those who would interfere or stand in the way of progress.
The CSIL program we have fought for, for almost three years has again been stopped. This is now the second time we have had it taken away, without just cause, as the rules for us seem to differ and the definitions used for being a part of the program do not apply to us, we seem to get special attention the wrong kind, with us having to pass through a microscope of constantly changing rules. It is amazing how the personal feelings and preconcieved notions of a few can ruin the lives of so many. This belief that people belong in an extended care facility if they are not able to care for themselves has got to change and reflect the peoples needs on a person by person basis and not lumped together as an average. These problems have hounded us for our whole journey to-date and continue as we try to move forward!
We will endeavour to move forward walking around the obstacles we encounter, I feel that in the not so distant future we will be required to start turning over those rocks and walking over the obstacles. It always astounds me how those with nothing to lose and who have no accountability create all the problems?
Kevin
Chris has started going to NeuroMotion to use the Lokomat walking system, here is some background,
NeuroMotion Physiotherapy is the only clinic in British Columbia to have a Lokomat®system in their clinic. The Lokomat is a gait orthosis that assists walking movements on a treadmill to improve mobility in individuals with various neurological and orthopedic diseases and injuries. Body weight supported treadmill training has been extensively researched and has been shown to be an effective method of improving recovery in individuals with neurological injuries and diseases.
The Lokomat consists of a robotic gait orthosis and a body weight support system that suspends the user over a treadmill. It has computer-controlled motors, precisely synchronized with the treadmill, that move the user’s legs through trajectories that mimic physiological gait patterns. The training parameters are individually set and adjusted to meet each individual’s needs. A wide range of training possibilities exist with the Lokomat as the therapist is able to adjust the amount of body weight that is supported, the joint angles, gait speed, and guidance force. By adjusting these parameters to the individual user’s needs, the therapist is able to optimize the functional training. Assessment tools built into the system, standardized measures, and functional goals are used to measure the patient’s progress.
In principle, all gait-impaired patients, whether the cause of the impairment is cerebral, spinal, neurogenic, muscular, or osseous, can be trained with the Lokomat system. Most of the data gathered to date on the Lokomat system is based on experiences with patients with spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral palsy.
Chris' session will be posted on Utube for all of you to see, as soon as I can figure the connection out.
Speech, Physio, and OT are all secured to continue, even though the manager at Fraser Health's ABI program tried to shut it all down. We have overcome most of the obstacles created by the system, Fraser Health and those who would interfere or stand in the way of progress.
The CSIL program we have fought for, for almost three years has again been stopped. This is now the second time we have had it taken away, without just cause, as the rules for us seem to differ and the definitions used for being a part of the program do not apply to us, we seem to get special attention the wrong kind, with us having to pass through a microscope of constantly changing rules. It is amazing how the personal feelings and preconcieved notions of a few can ruin the lives of so many. This belief that people belong in an extended care facility if they are not able to care for themselves has got to change and reflect the peoples needs on a person by person basis and not lumped together as an average. These problems have hounded us for our whole journey to-date and continue as we try to move forward!
We will endeavour to move forward walking around the obstacles we encounter, I feel that in the not so distant future we will be required to start turning over those rocks and walking over the obstacles. It always astounds me how those with nothing to lose and who have no accountability create all the problems?
Till the the next update, which will be after Chris' next session.
Thank you,
Kevin
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Post Fraser Health Meeting
Hello,
Back on track with all most everything, it still is a daily struggle, but we move forward each day. Chris will be trying out a new. Walking machine on Wednesday hooray! If it goes well we will be doing it every week in conjunction with other therapy. Speech and communication is very time consuming and tedious but on the days Chris is up to it, it is the most amazing thing you have ever seen. W ho would have thought such a simple thing would bring tears to you eyes every time. It is moments like this that let me know he is so frustrated and wants to speak so badly........unbelievable amount of work but very minute is worth it.
We will have Fraser Health on board until the end of July but for care costs only so we will remain being responsible for the therapy costs on a daily basis.
Therapy has been going great since Fraser Health pulled out at the end ofApril leaving us with nothing, I am sure the therapist or more at ease and can do what they were trained to do, with out someone watching over their shoulders every second and constantly trying to get them to reduce therapy time. Independent therapy and therapists are the only way to go, a world of difference.
We did Have CSIL support to help pay some of the care costs but Fraser Health decided we were not spending it the way they wanted us to. (seems the purpose was for CSIL was for us to do what made best sense for us, without their control) Guess as long as they are involved they will make it as hard as possible to live life the way we see fit.
If we could only put more accountability into their decisions, better yet get someone who can think and pay attention longer than five minutes.
Till next time with more to add,
Kevin
Back on track with all most everything, it still is a daily struggle, but we move forward each day. Chris will be trying out a new. Walking machine on Wednesday hooray! If it goes well we will be doing it every week in conjunction with other therapy. Speech and communication is very time consuming and tedious but on the days Chris is up to it, it is the most amazing thing you have ever seen. W ho would have thought such a simple thing would bring tears to you eyes every time. It is moments like this that let me know he is so frustrated and wants to speak so badly........unbelievable amount of work but very minute is worth it.
We will have Fraser Health on board until the end of July but for care costs only so we will remain being responsible for the therapy costs on a daily basis.
Therapy has been going great since Fraser Health pulled out at the end ofApril leaving us with nothing, I am sure the therapist or more at ease and can do what they were trained to do, with out someone watching over their shoulders every second and constantly trying to get them to reduce therapy time. Independent therapy and therapists are the only way to go, a world of difference.
We did Have CSIL support to help pay some of the care costs but Fraser Health decided we were not spending it the way they wanted us to. (seems the purpose was for CSIL was for us to do what made best sense for us, without their control) Guess as long as they are involved they will make it as hard as possible to live life the way we see fit.
If we could only put more accountability into their decisions, better yet get someone who can think and pay attention longer than five minutes.
Till next time with more to add,
Kevin
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Hi everyone update and explanation!
Hey everyone,
Please read over the story from CBC that started all of this crap with the Health Authoity (kind of an oxy-moron...Health Authority) more like dictatorship. There is no authority on health or brain injury that is hired by the government to help with the recovery or rehabilitation. they are hired for their ability to pinch pennies and refuse service.
Please forward to all the people you know and get them up to speed on Chris' story. The gloves are coming off and the fuse is about to be lit. I will start up dating tomorrow and it will be every other day. It will include Chris' progress and all the crap we have had to endure just to keep the help we were promised after being yanked back here from Ponoka right in the middle of treatment!
Thank you,
Kevin
The story from CBC is below.
Dr. Christopher Bigelow is receiving extensive rehabilitation in Alberta and is beginning to move his limbs and interact with others. (Shelley Bigelow-Bradshaw)
The family of a B.C. physician who suffered a major brain injury in a car accident is speaking out about how he was denied rehabilitation in his home province and given only limited support for treatment elsewhere.
"The hurdles have been non-stop," said the man's father, Kevin Bigelow. "It's awful. It's just like pulling your heart out."
Dr. Christopher Bigelow, 33, is undergoing intensive rehabilitation at a facility in Alberta. According to his father, most doctors in B.C. said his condition was hopeless. Despite that, reports now indicate he is showing some improvement.
Christopher had recently graduated from medical school when the car he was riding in was in an accident in November of 2007. Before his family found treatment for him, his father said, he spent a year lying immobile in Surrey Memorial Hospital, without any rehabilitation and with minimal assistance.
Bigelow had suffered a severe head injury, leaving him in what doctors described as a "minimally conscious state."
"It got so we hated to leave him, because we weren't sure what would happen," the father said. "The care there was — from what I've seen elsewhere — substandard.
'He's a victim now of the very system
he wanted to help.'
— Dr. Christopher Bigelow's father, Kevin
"He worked long and hard at what he wanted just for the dream of being able to be a doctor — and practise in this place. And this place has sorely let him down.
"He's a victim now of the very system he wanted to help."
Bigelow said Christopher was deemed not responsive enough to qualify for treatment at Vancouver's G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, and doctors suggested the family place him in a long-term care facility. His father is adamant this will never happen because the stimulation for him in that setting would be minimal and lacks the intensive rehabilitation he is receiving now.
A car accident in the fall of 2007 left Christopher Bigelow barely conscious and suffering from severe head trauma. (Kevin Bigelow)
"We spend millions of dollars saving lives, but we don't care what happens after we save the life," Bigelow said. "We give them three months to show us signs that they are going to come back and, if not, we get rid of them."
The family found space for him at the Halvar Jonson Centre for Brain Injury in Ponoka, Alta. Bigelow has been there since March. He is now correctly answering questions and responding to commands non-verbally. He has also started to move his limbs.
B.C. funding set to end
"When we come into the room, he will look our way and his arm will start to move," Bigelow said. "When you are standing beside him, he will be reaching out to touch you or to grab your hand. And when he has your hand, he will squeeze almost enough to break your finger."
The B.C. Health Services Ministry agreed to pay for his treatment in Alberta, on a temporary, time-limited basis, but that funding is set to run out Jan. 15.
"Nobody listens," Bigelow said. "Nobody cares. To government, it is just dollars and cents."
"We shouldn't have to go to the media with this," said Chris's sister Shelley Bigelow-Bradshaw. "I always just thought this was something that you would get help with."
Kevin Bigelow offered to pay for his son's rehab but said he was told this would not be allowed under the public health-care system. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia has paid out some money for special equipment and therapy outside the Halvar Jonson Centre, but the claim from the accident has still not been fully settled.
The family is pushing the B.C. government to pay for an extension in Alberta, because there is still no comparable treatment for him at home.
Dr. Chistopher Bigelow's father, Kevin, and his sister Shelley are urging the B.C. government to pay for more rehabilitation in Alberta. (CBC)
"There have been times lately — with the fight with the B.C. government — that I am thinking, 'Why did we save him?'" the father said. "Because I can't imagine being locked in a body not able to move and show emotion and fight every day."
Doctors support family's request
B.C. neurologist Dr. John Diggle treated Christopher prior to his move to Alberta and continues to confer with his doctors there. Diggle wrote letters of support to the Health Ministry in November, saying, "He has made moderate gains in his functional status …based on those gains … I would fully recommend an extended stay at the Halvar Jonson Centre."
Alberta physician Dr. George Rosenkranz has also written in support of continuing Christopher's care in Alberta. "The intervention has stopped his frequent epileptic seizures and since then he has very slowly, but definitely, started to follow simple and repeated verbal commands," Rosenkranz wrote in another recent letter to the B.C. Health Ministry.
Despite those medical opinions, the latest correspondence from the ministry indicates funding is still only in place until mid-January.
Submit your story: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/features/gopublic/
Kevin Bigelow said he needs time to find a new home to accommodate his son's needs, before he can bring him home. He also wants to arrange private therapy at home, which he said can be expensive and difficult to organize.
"I'm not asking for the moon," Bigelow said. "I just want the rehab and the things that he is moving forward in. I want a chance for me to work with him for as long as it takes."
"He deserves the chance to keep progressing and to get back to wherever he can get," his sister Shelley said. "He's a human being."
No response from B.C. minister
CBC News asked for an interview with B.C. Health Minister Kevin Falcon but did not hear back about the request. The ministry sent a statement, which reads:
Surrey, B.C., resident Christopher Bigelow graduated from medical school at age 31, just before his injury occurred. (Kevin Bigelow)
"The Ministry of Health Services recognizes the desires of Dr. Bigelow's friends and family that he continues to receive the best care possible … the ministry will continue to support the best plan of care for Dr. Bigelow based on the expert advice and recommendations of his health professionals in Alberta and in B.C."
Professionals who work in the field of brain injury confirmed services for the most severely injured patients are lacking, in B.C. and elsewhere.
G.F. Strong "doesn't have long-term services of that type," said Dr. Jennifer Yao, medical manager of the acquired brain injury program there. "Some people are left in the cracks. This is an area that could be improved upon."
"There's definitely a need for additional rehabilitation services for this population," said Jerry Stanger, director of brain injury services for the Fraser health region, which also did not accept Dr. Bigelow for treatment in its program.
"Our rehabilitation services are currently under review."
Growing national problem, association says
The Brain Injury Association of B.C. says that brain injury is the number one cause of death and injury for people under 45. It estimates 160,000 people in B.C. suffer from brain injuries, with 14,000 new injuries occurring every year.
"There aren't enough services at any price," said B.C. Opposition Health Critic Adrian Dix. "And people say, 'Isn't it expensive? Can we afford it?' Well, in many cases not providing the services is incredibly expensive — because these patients end up back in acute care with serious complications."
B.C. Opposition health critic Adrian Dix says lack of rehabilitation for severely brain injured patients is a serious, national problem. (CBC)
"This is a national issue. What we need right now is to take the issue seriously. We need to respond to the very significant recommendations from brain injury groups and make improvements in the system. Because it's not going to get better."
Shirley Johnson, president of the Brain Injury Association of Canada, said more people are surviving brain trauma than ever before, with new medical technology to keep them alive.
"It takes a tremendous toll on family caregivers," Johnson said. "The majority of people in Canada do not have the money it takes to pay for the care that's needed. What it comes down to is, it's up to the families."
Kevin Bigelow flies back and forth to Alberta constantly to help his son with his rehabilitation. He said caring for him and fighting for resources has become a full-time job and depleted almost all of his savings.
"If your loved one has a serious brain injury, unless you are very, very wealthy you are not going to be able get the help. It will not be there for you," he said.
Please read over the story from CBC that started all of this crap with the Health Authoity (kind of an oxy-moron...Health Authority) more like dictatorship. There is no authority on health or brain injury that is hired by the government to help with the recovery or rehabilitation. they are hired for their ability to pinch pennies and refuse service.
Please forward to all the people you know and get them up to speed on Chris' story. The gloves are coming off and the fuse is about to be lit. I will start up dating tomorrow and it will be every other day. It will include Chris' progress and all the crap we have had to endure just to keep the help we were promised after being yanked back here from Ponoka right in the middle of treatment!
Thank you,
Kevin
The story from CBC is below.
Dr. Christopher Bigelow is receiving extensive rehabilitation in Alberta and is beginning to move his limbs and interact with others. (Shelley Bigelow-Bradshaw)
The family of a B.C. physician who suffered a major brain injury in a car accident is speaking out about how he was denied rehabilitation in his home province and given only limited support for treatment elsewhere.
"The hurdles have been non-stop," said the man's father, Kevin Bigelow. "It's awful. It's just like pulling your heart out."
Dr. Christopher Bigelow, 33, is undergoing intensive rehabilitation at a facility in Alberta. According to his father, most doctors in B.C. said his condition was hopeless. Despite that, reports now indicate he is showing some improvement.
Christopher had recently graduated from medical school when the car he was riding in was in an accident in November of 2007. Before his family found treatment for him, his father said, he spent a year lying immobile in Surrey Memorial Hospital, without any rehabilitation and with minimal assistance.
Bigelow had suffered a severe head injury, leaving him in what doctors described as a "minimally conscious state."
"It got so we hated to leave him, because we weren't sure what would happen," the father said. "The care there was — from what I've seen elsewhere — substandard.
'He's a victim now of the very system
he wanted to help.'
— Dr. Christopher Bigelow's father, Kevin
"He worked long and hard at what he wanted just for the dream of being able to be a doctor — and practise in this place. And this place has sorely let him down.
"He's a victim now of the very system he wanted to help."
Bigelow said Christopher was deemed not responsive enough to qualify for treatment at Vancouver's G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, and doctors suggested the family place him in a long-term care facility. His father is adamant this will never happen because the stimulation for him in that setting would be minimal and lacks the intensive rehabilitation he is receiving now.
A car accident in the fall of 2007 left Christopher Bigelow barely conscious and suffering from severe head trauma. (Kevin Bigelow)
"We spend millions of dollars saving lives, but we don't care what happens after we save the life," Bigelow said. "We give them three months to show us signs that they are going to come back and, if not, we get rid of them."
The family found space for him at the Halvar Jonson Centre for Brain Injury in Ponoka, Alta. Bigelow has been there since March. He is now correctly answering questions and responding to commands non-verbally. He has also started to move his limbs.
B.C. funding set to end
"When we come into the room, he will look our way and his arm will start to move," Bigelow said. "When you are standing beside him, he will be reaching out to touch you or to grab your hand. And when he has your hand, he will squeeze almost enough to break your finger."
The B.C. Health Services Ministry agreed to pay for his treatment in Alberta, on a temporary, time-limited basis, but that funding is set to run out Jan. 15.
"Nobody listens," Bigelow said. "Nobody cares. To government, it is just dollars and cents."
"We shouldn't have to go to the media with this," said Chris's sister Shelley Bigelow-Bradshaw. "I always just thought this was something that you would get help with."
Kevin Bigelow offered to pay for his son's rehab but said he was told this would not be allowed under the public health-care system. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia has paid out some money for special equipment and therapy outside the Halvar Jonson Centre, but the claim from the accident has still not been fully settled.
The family is pushing the B.C. government to pay for an extension in Alberta, because there is still no comparable treatment for him at home.
Dr. Chistopher Bigelow's father, Kevin, and his sister Shelley are urging the B.C. government to pay for more rehabilitation in Alberta. (CBC)
"There have been times lately — with the fight with the B.C. government — that I am thinking, 'Why did we save him?'" the father said. "Because I can't imagine being locked in a body not able to move and show emotion and fight every day."
Doctors support family's request
B.C. neurologist Dr. John Diggle treated Christopher prior to his move to Alberta and continues to confer with his doctors there. Diggle wrote letters of support to the Health Ministry in November, saying, "He has made moderate gains in his functional status …based on those gains … I would fully recommend an extended stay at the Halvar Jonson Centre."
Alberta physician Dr. George Rosenkranz has also written in support of continuing Christopher's care in Alberta. "The intervention has stopped his frequent epileptic seizures and since then he has very slowly, but definitely, started to follow simple and repeated verbal commands," Rosenkranz wrote in another recent letter to the B.C. Health Ministry.
Despite those medical opinions, the latest correspondence from the ministry indicates funding is still only in place until mid-January.
Submit your story: http://www.cbc.ca/bc/features/gopublic/
Kevin Bigelow said he needs time to find a new home to accommodate his son's needs, before he can bring him home. He also wants to arrange private therapy at home, which he said can be expensive and difficult to organize.
"I'm not asking for the moon," Bigelow said. "I just want the rehab and the things that he is moving forward in. I want a chance for me to work with him for as long as it takes."
"He deserves the chance to keep progressing and to get back to wherever he can get," his sister Shelley said. "He's a human being."
No response from B.C. minister
CBC News asked for an interview with B.C. Health Minister Kevin Falcon but did not hear back about the request. The ministry sent a statement, which reads:
Surrey, B.C., resident Christopher Bigelow graduated from medical school at age 31, just before his injury occurred. (Kevin Bigelow)
"The Ministry of Health Services recognizes the desires of Dr. Bigelow's friends and family that he continues to receive the best care possible … the ministry will continue to support the best plan of care for Dr. Bigelow based on the expert advice and recommendations of his health professionals in Alberta and in B.C."
Professionals who work in the field of brain injury confirmed services for the most severely injured patients are lacking, in B.C. and elsewhere.
G.F. Strong "doesn't have long-term services of that type," said Dr. Jennifer Yao, medical manager of the acquired brain injury program there. "Some people are left in the cracks. This is an area that could be improved upon."
"There's definitely a need for additional rehabilitation services for this population," said Jerry Stanger, director of brain injury services for the Fraser health region, which also did not accept Dr. Bigelow for treatment in its program.
"Our rehabilitation services are currently under review."
Growing national problem, association says
The Brain Injury Association of B.C. says that brain injury is the number one cause of death and injury for people under 45. It estimates 160,000 people in B.C. suffer from brain injuries, with 14,000 new injuries occurring every year.
"There aren't enough services at any price," said B.C. Opposition Health Critic Adrian Dix. "And people say, 'Isn't it expensive? Can we afford it?' Well, in many cases not providing the services is incredibly expensive — because these patients end up back in acute care with serious complications."
B.C. Opposition health critic Adrian Dix says lack of rehabilitation for severely brain injured patients is a serious, national problem. (CBC)
"This is a national issue. What we need right now is to take the issue seriously. We need to respond to the very significant recommendations from brain injury groups and make improvements in the system. Because it's not going to get better."
Shirley Johnson, president of the Brain Injury Association of Canada, said more people are surviving brain trauma than ever before, with new medical technology to keep them alive.
"It takes a tremendous toll on family caregivers," Johnson said. "The majority of people in Canada do not have the money it takes to pay for the care that's needed. What it comes down to is, it's up to the families."
Kevin Bigelow flies back and forth to Alberta constantly to help his son with his rehabilitation. He said caring for him and fighting for resources has become a full-time job and depleted almost all of his savings.
"If your loved one has a serious brain injury, unless you are very, very wealthy you are not going to be able get the help. It will not be there for you," he said.
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