Virtual Reality: The Future of Physical Rehabilitation
Here at the Miller-Dwan Foundation, we’re always holding our breath. Holding our breath for the day when those people with spinal cord injuries can walk again, when those who’ve lost a limb can regain feeling and mobility. Then today, I saw this headline: “For the first time in the world, researchers from Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology at Tel Aviv
Just Breathe and Trust
Just breathe and trust. This great piece of advice comes from Nena Johnson, Speech Language Pathologist at Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center, and can be helpful in just about every aspect of life. Nena has recently experienced the unimaginable loss of her son Reese, and her team at Polinsky wanted to do something to honor Reese and Nena. They reached out
Wayne: A COVID-19 Survivors Story
Watch a video about Wayne’s recovery. When COVID-19 hit Wayne Plekkenpol, the fever knocked him down. Then a ventilator and sedation knocked him out. Three weeks later, he woke up needing oxygen and assistance to sit up, stand and walk ahead ten paces. “I don’t remember it,” the 68-year-old says about his initial hospital stay in an intensive care unit.
Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center: Then and Now
The Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center. It’s been around for 100 years, and it exists today only because of a small number of passionate people who were committed to offering rehabilitation care in Duluth. Let’s take a look. The 1910’s… The story of rehabilitation in Duluth begins with Kate Barnes being severely burned during the fires of 1918. For Kate to
Don’t Make Me Go to Rehab
Just down the hall from us, here in the Miller-Dwan Building, some of our region’s most acutely ill patients are recovering. They’re re-learning daily living or speech skills after a stroke, they’re regaining physical strength after a car accident or accident at work, and they’re learning new ways of moving or performing tasks. They may have lost a limb, lost
Polinsky Rehabilitation Center: Annual Report 2017
Polinsky Rehabilitation Center The more work you put in, the more you get out. It’s the theory behind what takes place every day in the Polinsky Rehabilitation Center and at Miller-Dwan Rehabilitation, where people routinely put herculean efforts into recovering from a stroke, brain illness or spinal cord injury—often over the course of months or years. It’s also the basis
Animal-Assisted Therapy
So, what does it entail to become a therapy dog? We are animal lovers here at the Miller-Dwan Foundation and we understand the importance of having our furry friends as our partners in healthcare. In March, we adopted an Australian Cattle Dog names Lou Ann, in hopes of her being our therapy-dog-in-training and ambassador for the Animal-Assisted Therapy program. She
Have You Taken a Shower?
Have you taken a shower? Eaten breakfast? Pooped yet? For most of us these are routine everyday tasks. For many served by the Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center, every move, every step, requires gargantuan effort. Dolly was right-handed. When she had a stroke, she lost the use of her hand and used a walker to stabilize herself. She couldn’t type. She
