Eye on Rehab-Spring 2015
In this Issue:
“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”― Edgar Allan Poe
Blessing in disguise. What comes to your mind when you hear this expression? Cambridge Dictionary defines this idiom as “Something that seems bad or unlucky at first, but results in something good happening later.” However, it feels that there is much more to it than this simple definition suggests. Sometimes, it appears as if some karmic force or divine interference that guides people through unimaginable adversities to the incredible heights, to the top of the world they wouldn’t have reached otherwise, making them the shining examples of perseverance and courage. The following story tells about an experience of a young man who endured a tremendous loss, but managed to embrace his circumstances and make his life a great inspiration to others.
On January 27, 2006, Brandon was sure than at that stage of his life he was on the right track. He was close to completing a demanding four-year carpentry apprenticeship program while planning other things that a typical 23-year-old would do. An ice-cold January night changed Brandon’s life forever: when driving home with his girlfriend, he lost control of his car. Given the severity of the accident, Brandon was rushed to to the hospital (Intensive Care Unit) with a life-threatening injuries; tragically, his girlfriend didn’t survive the crash.
In ICU, Brandon remained in 
coma for 4 days followed by the 5-day induced coma to heal the profound body and brain trauma. When, finally, he was brought back to consciousness, he was given no hope of recovery, and even when the doctors began to see progress, they still insisted that his life would be very restricted – no hope of working or going to school again. Brandon had months and years of strenuous physical and cognitive rehabilitation ahead of him. With hard work of the medical staff and support from his family and friends, after a month of treatment, Brandon was moved to GF Strong Rehabilitation hospital to spend another month of occupational, physio, and psychological therapy. Throughout this painful recovery, physical limitations and partial memory loss, Brandon had never lost his optimism and motivation to pursue a full recovery. Upon leaving the hospital in April 2006, Brandon was referred to JR Rehab where his further rehabilitation was planned and implemented by Ricardo Nuno (OT) and Kevin Loades (Kin). For almost two years, Brandon continued with JR his adaptive and restoratives occupational therapy and kinesiology treatments rebuilding his normal physical and cognitive functions and making progress beyond expected. Not only has been Brandon able to overcome the debilitating physical and mental effects of that fatal 2006 crash, but his perseverance and hard work led him to accomplishments that nine years ago seemed to be totally unattainable – this May he is graduating from UBC with the Degree in Kinesiology; he is happily married and ready to embark on a new career he is so passionate about. Brandon strongly believes that even in the face of hardship and adversities life offers us endless possibilities.
Interview with Brandon C., 2015 (First picture shows Brandon in ICU with his mother by his side. Second picture shows Brandon with his wife)
“Step Further”
Fall enough times you learn to get up.
Get up enough times you learn how to stand.
Stand enough times you learn how to stumble.
Stumble enough times you learn how to walk
Walk enough times each step gets you further.
Further step each time you can discover,
The World.
D.E.C (Former JR Rehab Client)
How Smart Phones Keep You Awake
Your smartphone addiction isn’t helping you sleep. In fact, an obscure chemical reaction may be keeping you awake. This video from the American Chemical Society looks at the process that connects your late-night texts to your lack of sleep.
http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-thinking-behaving/sleep/articles/2015/how-smartphones-keep-you-awake/
Take Charge of Your Anxiety
And while we all know that the state of anxiety itself is uncomfortable, what we don’t often think about is the flip side of that anxiety: the delightful respite we enjoy when our worries momentarily subside.
Of course, the vast majority of us are completely unaware of this thought process because it’s so automatic and ingrained. But if this pattern of chronic anxiety sounds familiar and you think you might be attached to your anxiety, here are three tips for letting go.
1. Accept that you can’t control everything.
The danger in believing that we need to worry for things to turn out okay is that it creates a misguided sense that we can control the outcome. Becoming aware of this flaw in our thinking is the first step in changing our relationship to the anxiety and breaking the ingrained pattern.
Life is full of uncertainty, and those of us who are chronic worriers tend to have a really hard time with that. Part of the process of letting go of anxiety is acknowledging and accepting that there are certain things that we just cannot control.
Rather than wasting energy worrying about what you can’t control, focus on what you can do instead.
2. Stop resisting the anxiety.
When you’re chronically anxious, the last thing you want is to feel anxious. But resisting anxiety only makes it come on stronger. If you’re about to give a presentation at work and you notice that your palms are sweaty and your heart is racing, telling yourself that you must stop feeling anxious will only make the anxiety worse.
Instead, allow yourself to feel anxious. Remind yourself that it’s normal to feel anxious in a stressful situation, and be kind to yourself instead of judgemental. You’ll find that once you allow yourself to feel anxious, you will actually start to relax.
3. Retrain your mind and body.
If you’re feeling anxious, take that as a signal that it’s time to check in with your body. Chronic anxiety often results in our bodies learning bad habits, such as shallow breathing and muscle tension.
If you notice your breath is shallow, take the opportunity to breathe deeply into your belly. If you feel tension anywhere in your body, let it go.
Yoga and meditation are two great ways to retrain your mind and body to be more mindfully aware of your anxiety so you can break the cycle. Vinyasa yoga, with its emphasis on linking breath and movement, is particularly helpful to restore a mind-body connection that is out of sync due to chronic anxiety.
Likewise, a regular meditation practice can help quiet the mind chatter that is the cornerstone of an anxious mind. With time and practice, your relationship with anxiety will change, and you’ll find that you can control your anxiety instead of letting anxiety control you.
Source: http://www.doyouyoga.com
New Faces at JR Rehab
Samantha completed her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto after completing her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Active Rehabilitation at Simon Fraser University. Prior to her OT training, Samantha worked as an exercise therapist for a mental health community groups. As an OT, she has experience working with a variety of clients including individuals with ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and multiple sclerosis. Samantha enjoys working with clients and helping them face their challenges by maximizing quality of life and enabling a return to meaningful occupations. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys travelling and running. View full bio»
Tina grew up in Northern Alberta and completed her Occupational Therapy degree in 2002 at the University of Alberta. During her career as an OT, Tina has worked with a broad range of client populations (orthopaedic, neurological, geriatric, mental health) and has developed a diverse clinical skill set. Tina and her family relocated to Vancouver Island in 2009 and have been living in the Comox Valley ever since. When she’s not at work, Tina enjoys spending time with her family exploring the beautiful mountains and coast line as well as engaging in her love of gardening, knitting, and pottery. View full bio»
After receiving his Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology from SFU, Edward contributed two years of his career to volunteering in the community. Edward’s special interest in ergonomics and injury prevention are a great asset in JR’s rehabilitation programs. Edward is passionate about improving the autonomy of clients that allows them to live a well-balanced and independent life. During his spare time, Edward enjoys seasonal outdoor activities with cycling in the summer and skiing/snowboarding during the winter. Busy work schedule and afterwork activities don’t stop Edward from taking more responsibilities and enjoying new experiences. View full bio»
After completing her Human Kinetics degree from UBC Okanagan in 2012, Daniella decided to continue her career development in the field. In 2014, she received her Rehabilitation Assistant diploma from Capilano University. Even though she is fairly new to the field, Daniella has contributed a few years of working alongside a variety of special populations (from preteen girls to elderly and neurological clients). Daniella loves having the opportunity to work one-on-one with clients for longer stretches of time. She enjoys getting to know her client’s personalities and values in order to build the most effective program for their individual goals. In her free time, Daniella likes exploring local trails, yoga, spending time with family & friends and trying new fitness classes. Daniella also has a special interest in nutrition and holistic wellness. View full bio»
Before joining JR team, Lisa has been practicing for nine years in several large physiotherapy clinics. Her experience includes In her spare time, Lisa enjoys travelling, hiking, running and yoga/Pilates/gyrotonics. View full bio»
Kevin Yeung, M.Sc.PT, B.Sc.Kin
Kelvin completed his Masters of Physical Therapy at the University of 
British Columbia after obtaining his Bachelor of Kinesiology from Simon Fraser University.
He has years of experience in both private practice and work rehabilitation treating a variety of soft tissue, orthopaedic and neurological injuries. Kelvin strongly believes in integrative and holistic approach of treating injuries; these values empower and help individuals all the way to their recovery as well as support prevention of clients’ future injuries.
Kelvin enjoys taking a very hands-on approach and has completed further education courses in Soft Tissue Release Therapy. He strives to continue learning and is in the process of completing his Orthopaedic and Manual therapy certifications and Acupuncture. In his spare time, Kelvin stays fit by playing volleyball, basketball, squash, badminton and working out in the gym. He believes in maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, and he wants to help you achieve that goal as well! View full bio»
JR Rehab News
JR Rehab has been extremely busy this past four month taking care of growing clientèle and staff, getting new businesses on board to make the office operations more efficient, setting up an impressive marketing campaign to familiarize prospective customers and clients with our programs, getting ready to implement a new system that will streamline our business functions and much more. In addition, given the recent hiring “storm”, JR is proud to announce that our physio department is expanding with talented and eager for action physiotherapists.
JR are happy to welcome Luisa Johnson, a graduate student from UBC who is coming close to receiving her Master of Occupational Therapy (Luisa also holds the Bachelor of Kinesiology from UBC) . Luisa is on her final clinical seven-week placement, and she will be gaining practical experience and knowledge from the best in this field-Jill, Amanda and Maureen. We are all wishing Luisa a great experience and much more learning!
