Posted on October 26, 2015

Educational opportunities abound at 2015 SCI Symposium

2015 SCI SymposiumMary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital was pleased to welcome 160 guests to the 2015 SCI Symposium held Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College in Grand Rapids.

The event, “Living | Loving,” covered a wide range of topics and drew a diverse audience.

“As leaders in rehabilitation, it’s important for us to stay on top of the latest advances in spinal cord injury care and make sure we’re providing meaningful educational opportunities – not just for our clinical staff, but for our patients, families and medical colleagues throughout the state of Michigan,” said Jackie Wondolowski, LMSW, Network Program Director for the Spinal Cord Injury program at Mary Free Bed.

“Our Spinal Cord Injury Symposium brought together multiple experts who presented on key topics including neurogenic bladder and bowel, respiratory considerations, the latest research (including demonstrations) of exoskeleton systems, updates on auto no-fault insurance law, skin care and wound prevention, specialty seating for wound management, and sexuality and fertility after spinal cord injury.”

Individuals with spinal cord injury also had the opportunity to offer their unique insights and perspectives on SCI.

“The symposium concluded with a panel consisting of former Mary Free Bed patients, who shared their stories and provided advice for medical professionals, honed from their personal experiences of living with a spinal cord injury,” Jackie said.

Click to see additional photos from the event. And click the image below to watch a brief video of the exoskeleton technology in action.