Orthotic interventions in the ABI setting

Last Wednesday, I spoke to final year Prosthetics and Orthotics students from La Trobe University. They were undertaking a Clinical Schools session on Acquired and Traumatic Brain Injury at Caulfield Hospital.

The day focusses on understanding Orthotic interventions in the ABI setting, goals, interventions and outcomes. They spend the day at Caulfield in the ABI Unit and Rehab areas to experience the context and complexity that can occur following traumatic brain injury.

A big part and a very valuable part of the day is meeting and hearing from people who have a lived experience of injury and rehab, so I spoke about my stroke, my goals, using a wheelchair, walking with a stick, an AFO and eventually to run with an ankle brace.

Tim Burke coordinated the session. He is an Orthotist/Prosthetist at the Alfred and Caulfield Hospitals and also he made my custom-made AFO roughly 5 years ago. He said ‘The students all found it really beneficial to see someone and talk about what the practical application of all the theory looks like’, so I was delighted to be able to share my experiences with the them.

Paul