Wheelchair News and Research

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Free reference and lifestyle tool now available for people affected by paralysis

For the first time, individuals living with paralysis and their caregivers can access the comprehensive Paralysis Resource Guide digitally on their smartphone, Nook, iPad or Kindle. The third edition of this vital resource, compiled and distributed by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center, is a free reference and lifestyle tool for people affected by paralysis.

4 Sep 2013

Each daily minute of higher-intensity activity lowers odds of obesity

To win the war against weight gain, it turns out that every skirmish matters - as long as the physical activity puts your heart and lungs to work.

2 Sep 2013

CP Family releases video showing children with cerebral palsy playing video games using new technology

Cerebral Palsy Family Network has released a video showing children and teens with cerebral palsy delighting in playing video games using a new technology. The players, some with visual impairment, used gestures instead of keyboards.

31 Aug 2013

Ability to draw spontaneously may be preserved in brains of artists even after vascular dementia

The ability to draw spontaneously as well as from memory may be preserved in the brains of artists long after the deleterious effects of vascular dementia have diminished their capacity to complete simple, everyday tasks, according to a new study by physicians at St. Michael's Hospital.

26 Aug 2013

Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine's July issue focuses on assistive technology for spinal cord injury

The July issue of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine focuses on, "Advances in Technology for People with Spinal Cord Injury." Guest Editor Rory Cooper, PhD, is a member of the journal's Editorial Board. Dr. Cooper is the FISA/PVA Endowed Chair and a Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh.

22 Aug 2013

mUsiKcare aims to enhance student training, community engagement through piano classes

Through tickling the ivories a group of adults over the age of 50 at the University of Kentucky are learning ways to enhance their personal relationships and relieve anxiety all while advancing their skills on the piano.

20 Aug 2013

PinnacleHealth installs RADREX-i Wireless DR X-ray system from Toshiba

Offering its clinicians more flexibility while improving patient safety and workflow, PinnacleHealth installed a RADREXTM-i Wireless digital radiographic X-ray system from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. PinnacleHealth utilizes the system for a variety of general exams, including orthopedic, pediatric and bariatric imaging.

6 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Baucus applauds 'listening to customers' on employer mandate delay; Unions 'wake up' to problems with health law; Medicare's 'two midnights' rule

Any successful business leader will tell you the importance of listening to customers, gathering their input and suggestions and always putting them first. That lesson was not lost on the Obama administration earlier this month when it correctly decided to push back the implementation of the Affordable Care Act's employer responsibility provision - the employer mandate - until 2015. I'm sure this was a tough call, but it was the right one. It shows the administration is listening to the business community and working to address its concerns, as well as the concerns of Congress (Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., 7/17).

19 Jul 2013

S.M. Rezaian says that the spine degrades following inadequate treatment

S.M. Rezaian, MD, FRCS, FICS, PhD has treated well over 13,000 patients throughout his illustrious career in orthopedic medicine. He's truly been an innovator in the field, creating the Rezaian Spinal Fixator and applying minimally-invasive laser back surgery both of which allow for more comprehensive and less risky surgical treatments.

6 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: A 'clever' fix for contraception coverage; Sanjay Gupta warns doctors to pay attention to health overhaul

Many nonprofit religious organizations have balked at having to insure their employees' birth control -- because they don't believe in artificial contraception -- under the Affordable Care Act. On Friday, the Obama administration announced a solution to this problem. The new health care law guarantees access to preventive services, and contraception falls, appropriately, into that category (Carla Hill, 6/28).

2 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

Americans are used to hearing that health care will bust the budget. The Congressional Budget Office projected last year that Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs would eat up 9.6 percent to 10.4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product by 2037, crowding out many other vital programs. But a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that the United States is not the only country that will struggle to contain public spending on medical care (Eduardo Porter, 6/27).

29 Jun 2013

State highlights: Calif. eyes health care for immigrants; New scrutiny for N.Y. home health firms; Examining Ore. insurers' choice on smokers

When Congress passed President Obama's health care overhaul, a critical compromise provision was that immigrants living in the United States illegally would not be allowed access to publicly subsidized health insurance.

25 Jun 2013

Duke researchers find novel way to repair gene responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Using a novel genetic 'editing' technique, Duke University biomedical engineers have been able to repair a defect responsible for one of the most common inherited disorders, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in cell samples from Duchenne patients.

5 Jun 2013

New prototype allows patients with severe functional disability to be more active and independent

The European R&D project BrainAble, led by Barcelona Digital, has just successfully ended by developing a prototype that allows patients with severe functional disability to be more active and independent.

18 May 2013

Researchers identify how a defective protein plays central role in Giant Axonal Neuropathy

A team of international researchers led by Northwestern Medicine scientists has identified how a defective protein plays a central role in a rare, lethal childhood disease known as Giant Axonal Neuropathy, or GAN.

29 Apr 2013

Sirolimus effective in treating children with Pretzel syndrome, new study reports

With a better understanding of underlying mechanisms that cause a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in the Old Order Mennonite population, referred to as Pretzel syndrome, a new study reports that five children were successfully treated with a drug that modifies the disease process, minimizing seizures and improving receptive language.

25 Apr 2013

Adult day care centers tally big Medicaid costs

Not a wheelchair or walker was in sight at these so-called social adult day care centers. Yet the cost of attendance was indirectly being paid by Medicaid, under Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's sweeping redesign of $2 billion in spending on long-term care meant for the impaired elderly and those with disabilities.

24 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 23, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about immigrant patients' health care as well as the coverage limits that some victims of the Boston Marathon bombings might face.

23 Apr 2013

State roundup: Calif. lawmakers push for health plan for immigrants in U.S. illegally

A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts, California, Michigan, Texas, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.