Military can open facility near school -- with strings
Kumari Kelly Sentinel Staff Writer
June 29, 2008
ST. CLOUD - A residential substance-abuse treatment facility for veterans and active-duty military members will be allowed to open near a playground for schoolchildren with strict limits on how the center is used, the City Council voted last week. Despite protests from parents and the principal at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, who expressed concern about the potential for crime and the safety of their children, the council voted 3-1 to allow Transition House to open an 80-bed center. It will be at 3800 Fifth St., about 500 feet west of Brown Chapel Road. The school is at 800 Brown Chapel Road, but its playground backs up near the property. The center is also about a half-mile from Lakeview Elementary School and within the two-mile boundary for 114 students who could be walking to school, a county school district official said. Officials with Transition House agreed that only veterans -- and no former inmates or those with criminal histories -- will be allowed at the house.
Showing posts with label VA rehab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VA rehab. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Healing Power Of Wii
Wii games used for rehab after strokes, surgery, combat injuries
by Lindsey Tanner
Some call it "Wiihabilitation." Nintendo's Wii video game system, already a hit among teen gamers, is fast becoming a craze in rehab therapy for patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, surgery and even combat injuries. The usual stretching and lifting exercises that help the sick or injured regain strength can be painful, repetitive and downright boring.
In fact, many patients say PT - physical therapy's nickname - really stands for "pain and torture," said James Osborn, who oversees rehabilitation services at Herrin Hospital in southern Illinois. While Wii games require body movements similar to traditional therapy exercises, patients become so engrossed mentally they're almost oblivious to the rigor, he said.
"In the Wii system, because it's kind of a game format, it does create this kind of inner competitiveness. Even though you may be boxing or playing tennis against some figure on the screen, it's amazing how many of our patients want to beat their opponent," said Osborn of Southern Illinois Healthcare, which includes the hospital in Herrin.
The hospital, about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, bought a Wii system for rehab patients late last year. "When people can refocus their attention from the tediousness of the physical task, oftentimes they do much better," Osborn said. The most popular Wii games in rehab involve sports - baseball, bowling, boxing, golf and tennis.
go here for the rest
http://www.chicagodefender.com/view.php?I=417
by Lindsey Tanner
Some call it "Wiihabilitation." Nintendo's Wii video game system, already a hit among teen gamers, is fast becoming a craze in rehab therapy for patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, surgery and even combat injuries. The usual stretching and lifting exercises that help the sick or injured regain strength can be painful, repetitive and downright boring.
In fact, many patients say PT - physical therapy's nickname - really stands for "pain and torture," said James Osborn, who oversees rehabilitation services at Herrin Hospital in southern Illinois. While Wii games require body movements similar to traditional therapy exercises, patients become so engrossed mentally they're almost oblivious to the rigor, he said.
"In the Wii system, because it's kind of a game format, it does create this kind of inner competitiveness. Even though you may be boxing or playing tennis against some figure on the screen, it's amazing how many of our patients want to beat their opponent," said Osborn of Southern Illinois Healthcare, which includes the hospital in Herrin.
The hospital, about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, bought a Wii system for rehab patients late last year. "When people can refocus their attention from the tediousness of the physical task, oftentimes they do much better," Osborn said. The most popular Wii games in rehab involve sports - baseball, bowling, boxing, golf and tennis.
go here for the rest
http://www.chicagodefender.com/view.php?I=417
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