Occupational Therapy

Driving means independence for many people, especially those who are recovering from a stroke or major surgery. The West View Rehabilitation Center in Williamsport is teaching its patients to get back into the car and, hopefully, back on the road. And the center is doing that in the shape of a sporty, eye-catching car called "The Spot," which stands for Speech Physical Occupational Therapy. Tim Berry, administrator and regional director for the Williamsport Retirement Village, said The Spot is seen as a rehab device in helping patients to learn how to get in and out of a car safely after a stroke or major surgery.

Team presents at state conference Employees of Washington County Hospital's Total Rehab Care recently attended and presented at the Brain Injury Association of Maryland Inc. annual conference in Linthicum Heights, Md. The conference provided information about brain injury treatment, services, research and advocacy with the goal of improving collaboration and networking between individuals with brain injury, families and professionals....

Washington County Hospital-Total Rehab Care (TRC) will host its first TRC 5K Run/Fun Walk on Saturday, May 12, at 8:30 a.m. at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Memorial Park in Halfway. Money raised in the race will be used to raise continuing education funds for TRC's rehabilitation department, and go toward Washington County Hospital's Special Care Nursery, which specializes in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology services. For more than a decade, TRC's therapy staff has provided specialized evaluation and treatment to all ages.

Center to be a 'model' for care CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Nursing home residents in Charles Town will begin moving in to the Shenandoah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on March 1. The new nursing and rehabilitation center, a $4.5 million joint venture between Jefferson Memorial Hospital and Glenmark-Genesis, takes the place of two other Charles Town nursing homes - Knott Nursing Home and Shenandoah Nursing Home. At the facility's ribbon-cutting ceremony Sunday, U.S. Rep. Bob Wise, D- W.Va.

Q: What is Post-polio Syndrome? A: Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects polio survivors anywhere from 10 to 40 years after their first paralyzing attack of polio. People with PPS experience further weakening of muscles that were initially affected by the polio infection. Symptoms often include the following: -- Fatigue and pain in muscles and joints -- Slowly progressive muscle weakness and degeneration -- Joint pain and/or skeletal deformities such as scoliosis -- Less common are breathing and swallowing difficulties, sleep disorders and cold intolerance Some polio survivors experience minor symptoms while others may develop spinal muscular degeneration and in rare cases, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)

MONT ALTO, Pa.-- Penn State Mont Alto gave area children a healthy dose of education and exercise Saturday during its second annual Pediatric Health Fair. Hosted by the nursing, physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and forestry departments of the university, the fair used games, mazes and more to show children and parents unique ways to live healthy and active lives. Dr. Linda Carl, nursing instructor and faculty sponsor for the event, said everyone learns at the fair.

MONT ALTO, Pa. -- Penn State Mont Alto is starting a new academic year with its largest incoming class of 576 new students, as well as its largest body of 1,351 registered students. The students hail from 18 states and territories, and Mont Alto is welcoming international students from Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Saudi Arabia. "We've realized an increase in students due in part to a 15 percent increase in direct applicants to our campus, students who elect Mont Alto as their first choice when applying to Penn State," Chancellor David Gnage said in a news release.

MONT ALTO, Pa. - Twenty-eight teenagers will be turning off "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI" next week in favor of the show's real-life counterparts through Med Camp. In its second year, the day camp will offer trips to Waynesboro (Pa.) and Chambersburg (Pa.) hospitals, Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center and Quincy Village Retirement Community. Lessons will be taught in labs, emergency rooms and Penn State Mont Alto classrooms. The goal for the eighth- and ninth-graders is to "whet their taste buds and think about all the job opportunities in health care," said Kathy Donzella, a school liaison for Summit Health.

Motivational speaker to visit county schools Sponsored by the North Hagerstown High School Parent-Teacher-Student Association, motivational speaker Reggie Dabbs will visit several schools in the Washington County area. The schedule is as follows: Tuesday - Western Heights Middle School in the morning and South Hagerstown High in the afternoon. Wednesday - Hancock Middle/Senior High in the morning and North Hagerstown High in the afternoon. Thursday - Northern Middle in the morning and North Hagerstown High in the afternoon.

Mont Alto campus to host annual MedCamp in June MONT ALTO, Pa. -- Penn State Mont Alto will host its fourth annual MedCamp on June 15 to 19 for area high school students interested in learning more about health-care careers. The program gives students entering ninth and 10th grades the opportunity to visit local hospitals and health-care facilities, according to a news release. Participants learn about health-care careers including physicians, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiology and pathology.