Respiratory Thearpy Week

At Special Tree, our respiratory team truly exhibits the Science of Caring. Not only do they treat the clinical needs of clients, but they participate in their overall rehabilitation goals, too, helping them participate in individual and group community outings. Respiratory Therapists have accompanied clients swimming, to sporting events, movies, fireworks, local cultural attractions, the annual Spring Fling dance, and more. Whether it is getting outside to enjoy the warm summer sunshine, heading downtown to a Tigers game, or just going out to dinner, Special Tree clients are often able to participate in important family and community events.

In managing the respiratory component of a client’s care, a Respiratory Therapist may perform tasks such as operating and maintaining equipment to administer oxygen or assist with breathing (often through a "vent" or "ventilator"), managing therapy that will help a client recover lung function, administering medications to help alleviate breathing problems and prevent respiratory infections, monitoring a client’s levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases, or maintaining a client’s artificial airway, commonly called a “trach” or “tracheotomy.”

With the opening of Special Tree's new NeuroCare Center in the fall of 2011, our Respiratory Therapists talents soared to new heights as they embraced advanced equipment and technology.  In honor of Respiratory Therapy week we proudly recognize our fantastic team of respiratory therapists and all of the good work that they do. 
 

NCC client, Jasper enjoys the beautiful weather outside thanks to the work of our great Respiratory Therapy team.

 

Our Native American Outing

by Kari Webster, NCC Activity Aide

For our community outing, myself and a client ventured out to Nankin Mills Park in Westland to enjoy the 9th Annual Native American Heritage Day Fest brought to the community by The North American Indian Association of Detroit. This event brought much of the surrounding communities together for a day of fun, which included performances of many dances, such as, The Grass Dance, The Round Dance, The Blanket Dance and also the Butterfly Dance, which happened to be my favorite; a social dance meant to mimic the crow as he bounces around the field. One legend states that the crow brought the fire to our land to keep our ancestors alive through the cold winter. Dancers imitate bird-like movements, hopping side to side, first on one foot and then on the other, also known as the crow hop. The dancers wore their beautiful and brilliant colors of traditional regalia and ceremonial attire of the Oneida and Ojibwa people.

I would have to say the client especially seemed to enjoy the steady, calming and inviting beat of the drum which is one of the main foundations of Native American music. The drums act as the base of the beat to maintain the pace or speed of their performance, they bring to life a positive energy to any area, there is almost something magical as you sit and listen to the steady rhythmic sound.

If you would like to learn more about the Native American Dance, follow this website:  http://www/ani-kutani.com/NativeAmericanFacts

A Great Musical Experience

By: Kari Webster
NeuroCare Center Activity Aide

The Village Theater at Cherry Hill in Canton provided comfort and hospitality for the showing of “The Grease Musical” put on by Forever Productions, which consisted of a 35 member chorus composed of very talented youths from Plymouth, Canton and surrounding communities. They gave an outstanding performance and took us back to Rydell High, Danny Zuko and Sandy, along with the groovy T-Birds and the Pink Ladies! The cast gave a wonderful performance and the stage props and the clothing they were over the top and were above and beyond mine and Coleen's expectations. Such a talented group of young adults shined on the stage and outdid themselves!

This was certainly an unforgettable outing. A short ride down the rode, stepping into a quaint but elegant theater to slip away from the day to day activities at NCC to a memorable step back into the late 50's and just a few days prior to Coleen's birthday, I saw this as a special way for her to celebrate. Sure the play was great as I mentioned but even better was Coleen's reaction to it all. It was simply awesome to see her enjoy herself, to see her smile throughout the play, see her point out some of the cast and their skits, and to have her be so appreciative and thankful as we left the theater. Sure, the play was good, but her enjoyment of the time spent there was what was awesome. I am so glad she enjoyed her outing and pre-birthday celebration. 

The Holiday Season at NCC

By Jessica Bahny

NCC Activities Assistant

Well, it’s been looking a lot like the holidays here at the NeuroCare Center.  I thought I’d update everyone about what’s been shakin’ here in the activity department.  As you can imagine, we’ve been busy, busy, busy- but always having fun!  As we do every year, we’ve been trying to go to the Wayne County Lightfest every Thursday night.  I personally went recently, with Brian O. and Bradly R.  We had so much fun!  The holiday music was cranked up, and we sang and laughed the whole way.  The lights were quite a spectacle this year- they had the usual displays, but DTE energy sponsored the new addition- blinking musical notes in a rainbow of colors.  Very cool. 

 

On December 11, my co-worker Kari and I were fortunate enough to be able to take two of our clients to the Lion’s game.  Willie B., James H., Kari and I had a rockin’ good time watching the Lions face the Minnesota Vikings.  It was a packed house at Ford Field, and oh yeah, the Lions won!!!  The staff was very gracious to our gentlemen- what a great experience!  

This past Friday was our annual Winterfest here at NCC.  We had a full day of games, crafts, food and excitement.  My leader, Amy Blevins, did a great job as always coordinating the whole thing, and all of the awesome therapists, RST’s, and everyone else working that day were so supportive in working the different stations and helping the clients get from one place to another.  It always feels so good to see all of us working together to give our clients a good day.  One more shout-out has to go to our Dietary Staff for the AWESOME food!  We had soup in bread bowls, and fantastic wrap style sandwiches.  They worked very hard, and it certainly paid off with compliments from clients, staff and guests alike.  We’re all decorated up for the season, with the Christmas tree that our clients helped decorate sitting in the dining room and our menorah lit.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.  Stay tuned for more updates!  There’s always something going on!

You're Never Prepared For This Kind of Left Turn...

CEO Joe Richert's "unabridged" letter from the Spring 2011 Special Edition

Dear Friends,

It’s an exciting time at Special Tree! We’re really looking forward to moving into our new “digs” at the NeuroCare Center. There are other exciting things happening, however, I would like to pen my modest missive to everyone surrounding an incredible journey that our father, Doctor Richert, and family took this spring.

In early March, my wife, Joletta and I were visiting Dad at his timeshare in the Bahamas. On one of our traditional two-mile morning walks, Dad began struggling with his balance and fell on the beach. He was scooped up by some very kind beach attendants at the “One and Only” resort (by the way, where the James Bond movie, Casino Royale, was filmed).

Joletta and I took Dad to the Doctors Hospital in Nassau where we learned that he had an acute subdural hematoma and needed emergency brain surgery. IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS. I WAS IN NO WAY PREPARED FOR THIS. He was very lucid so he and I made the decision to go ahead with surgery. It was successful; however it required a second intervention on to relieve cerebral spinal fluid. By the end of the week, Dad was stable enough and was cleared to go by air ambulance to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. After hearing the news, our son Joe, flew down to assist us. Joe went with Dad on the air ambulance flight to Miami and now has a goal of owning his own Lear 35. Apparently, it’s quite a ride.

While in Miami, Joe and his wife Rachel stayed with Dad for some time. Brother Jack and sister Jackie were next, followed by sisters Jill and Jackie who accompanied Dad back from Miami to Detroit and ultimately to room 11 at our inpatient NeuroCare Center for rehabilitation.

Doc is home now and doing great. This wasn’t the spring that I had planned, but I learned some valuable insights that I wanted to share:

1. You’re never prepared for this kind of left turn. I have a deeper understanding of what families experience when hit with a catastrophic event involving a loved one.

2. You’d love the ability to make quick decisions, but you can’t. Events unfold and eventually a plan or next step will emerge.
3. It’s important to have a Smartphone with a good data plan so you can email, text, and access the internet when outside of the U.S. As it turned out, the neurosurgeon that did our father’s surgery is the same guy who pioneered the use of folly catheter as a shunt for children in Africa (the device drains fluid from the brain so pressure doesn’t build up). Dr. Ekededes was a brilliant guy and I’m hopeful he will be a long-term friend of our family and of Special Tree.

4. I’m incredibly grateful that we had the credit card resources to cover Dad’s hospital bill because U.S. medical insurance isn’t accepted in the Bahamas.

5. It’s amazing how patient Dad is with the pace of his recovery. It’s slow, but he’s progressing.

6. We’re lucky to be part of a nation-wide brain injury community which included incredible neurosurgeons to consult as we were making decisions.

7. Who would have thought that owning and operating an inpatient facility would be such an advantage for taking care of a family member? Dad received incredible care and treatment from the NCC staff and the food’s not bad either!

8. Now for a few of the more humorous things I learned. Our visitor’s chairs at Special Tree are uncomfortable and they don’t match! I learned this while sitting on one in Dad’s room with my brother Jim. It was while I was complaining about the chairs to Jim that I noticed a blanket on Dad’s bed with a logo from the Henry Ford Health System. I later learned that we regularly trade blankets with ambulance companies so there’s probably a few Special Tree blankets in the Henry Ford Health System somewhere.

To all the staff who worked with Dad: Thank You Very Much! You all need to know how absolutely cool you are and how important you are to people in stressful and uncertain times Our father’s day-to-day caregivers were outstanding. They were able to so politely, yet effectively, get the “Medical Director Emeritus” up and walking in the most pleasant and dignified way. Our Nurses were also kind, yet effective, in making sure that Doc paid attention to the medications that he was supposed to take. Our Therapists were good natured and fun, yet made him work so hard every day that even when he started to complain it was always with a smile. I’m so proud of who we are and what we do. I have a renewed commitment to make sure we’re the best for each of our clients and their families. Oh, and by the way, I just confirmed that we’re getting all new visitors chairs in the new facility!

Thank you and Best Regards,

Joe Richert

Clients' Gift Will Make a Difference

A plaque with the names of Special Tree clients from the Community Living Skills (CLS) group at NCC now hangs on a very special cage at the Huron Valley Humane Society.   Over the next six months, the animals that make this cage their temporary home will have good food, a soft blanket, and special treats, thanks to a generous donation from the CLS group.   Since January, clients Bret, Clara, Tim, Jim, Marv, and John, worked with facilitators Nicole, Kristin, and students Lauren and Courtney to raise the $300 needed to sponsor a cage at the shelter through bake sales and bottle drives.  The group was so excited to reach their fundraising goal, and celebrated by going to the shelter on October 12th to personally presented a $300 check.  In addition to the money, the clients also donated three large boxes of food, bedding, and toys which they collected from staff, friends, and family.   A special thanks to everyone who participated in the fundraisers and donated items!