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
2021 Year in Review
Here we are! 2021 is coming to a close and as we reflect on the past year, we are grateful, and in awe, of all that has happened. It’s been a wild ride and we are thankful that you’ve been by our side. Take a look back at some highlights from 2021. February Webinar Series The Miller-Dwan Foundation started a
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
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
Virtual Physical Therapy: Meet Zeek.
Zeek is a six-year-old with endless energy and a smile that makes the world better. He has Cerebral Palsy and has been a patient at Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center since before he was one-year-old. He is motivated and when he says “Yes, I can do this,”, and “I want to do this,” he makes it happen. Due to the COVID-19
Meet Uncle John.
We recently received the following letter and wanted to share it with you. I think it’s an inspiration and a testament to the kind of care we have right here in our own backyards. “On Christmas Eve, while vacationing in Lutsen for the holidays, our Uncle John suffered a massive stroke, rendering him unable to speak or clearly understand verbal
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
Dressing for ARTcetera
I go through the same routine every year. Order a dress, send it back. Order another one and send it back. It’s my annual ARTcetera calamity, and it’s because ARTcetera, our region’s largest fundraiser, is for me, such a big deal. I didn’t grow up wearing dresses and attending parties. I grew up fishing and swimming and playing kick-the-can
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
ZeroG: Life-Changing Physical Therapy Equipment
Something amazing has happened at the Miller-Dwan Medical Center. Thanks to a new piece of physical therapy equipment funded by an anonymous donor and the Miller-Dwan Foundation, Lisa has walked for the first time in two months. The equipment, call the ZeroG Gait and Balance System is a robotic body-weight support system on an overhead track that allows patients to
