Services
Assessments/Evaluations:
• Assessment of Attendant Care Needs (Form 1)
The Assessment of Attendant Care Needs (Form 1) application is completed and submitted to the Auto Insurance Company to compensate the person injured in a motor vehicle accident (the claimant) with some of the expenses for personal attendant in case the person needs help with the personal care.
• Activities of Daily Living Assessment
The purpose of the In-Home Activities of Daily Living Assessment is to guide the treating clinician or professional in the facilitation of the person's reintegration into his/her family and society after a motor vehicle collision to measure the functional status of a person that includes basic and instrumental ADL's with use of such evaluation tools as Katz and IADL scales. These basic ADL's include: personal hygiene, dressing/undressing, eating, transferring, bowel/urinary control and discharge, mobility. Instrumental ADL's include: doing light housework, preparation of meals and clean up, shopping for groceries or clothes, use of communication devices, health management and maintenance, financial management, use of technology, care of others, care of pets, safety procedures and emergency response, child rearing.
• In-Home Assessment (House Keeping/Care giving/Dependent care)
The In-Home Assessment is done to evaluate if the person injured in a motor vehicle accident (the claimant) has difficulty with the daily housekeeping activities, and to determine if any special devices are needed to assist the person in returning to pre-accident status. Time is spent reviewing proper body mechanics, discussing pacing an energy conservation strategy and reviewing back and neck sparing techniques being used currently by the injured person. This assessment will also explore the possible need for attendant care and care giving / dependent care assistance.
• Worksite Assessment (Physical Demands/Job Analysis)
The Worksite Assessment is done to evaluate the physical demands and tasks of the claimant's employment activities. It also clarifies the frequencies, the intensities and the durations involved in the completion of the job tasks. Time is spent assessing the factors affecting the claimant and determining any inherent factors for re-injury in the claimant's work environment. Also time is spent determining if any devices are needed to assist the claimant in the work environment, determining if the workstation is appropriate, and if it needs to be modified to better accommodate the claimant. This information is useful not only making sure the work environment is safe and appropriate, but also to inform the rehabilitation facility of the physical demands that must be met in order for the claimant to return to work.
• Psychological Assessment
The Psychological Assessment is an interview that gathers information to diagnose any psychological complaints and disorders caused or increased by the motor vehicle accident. For example: headaches, stress, sleeping problems, anxiety, nervousness, nightmares, fear of driving and cars, etc. In case the injured person needs help, psychological treatments are prescribed by the psychologist to help the claimant to return to the pre-accident status.
• Psycho-Vocational Assessment
The Psycho-Vocational Assessment is conducted to determine the psychological and emotional barriers preventing the claimant from finding a job or returning to pre-accident job duties after the motor vehicle accident. It measures the claimant's strengths and psychological restraints and identifies areas of need. It accurately assesses claimant's psychological and emotional state.
• Vocational Assessment
The Vocational Evaluation Assessment is conducted to determine the physical barriers preventing the claimant from finding a job or returning to pre-accident job duties after the motor vehicle accident. It measures the claimant's physical strengths and restraints and identifies areas of need. It accurately assesses claimant's physical abilities.
• Neurological Assessment
The Neurological Assessment can help to detect the presence of neurological disease or injury and monitor its progression, determine the type of care to provide, and gauge the patient's response to interventions. The initial assessment is a comprehensive exam covering several critical areas: level of consciousness and mentation, cranial nerves, movement, sensation, cerebellar function, and reflexes.
• Cognitive (Intellectual) Memory, Executive Function and Personality Assessment
The Cognitive (Intellectual), Memory, Executive Function and Personality Assessment is an interview with the client that gathers information to diagnose any possible brain related complaints or disorders that might have been caused or increased by the motor vehicle accident. It determines the rehabilitation needs based on the measured strengths and weaknesses in the functional domains controlled by the brain system. Objective cognitive, memory, and executive function tests are conducted, which include measures of personality and emotional status. These instruments include: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), Wechsler Memory Scale Third Edition (WMS-II), Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, Rey Complex Figure Test and Recall Trial, Trail Making Test (Forms A & B), Wide Range Achievement Test 4th Edition (WRAT-4), Personality Assessment Screener (PAS), Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Brief Pain Inventory (Short-Form), and TOMM Test of Memory Malingering.
• Psycho-Educational Assessment
The Psycho-Educational Assessment is usually conducted to diagnose (with the help of various medical equipment and tools) any learning disabilities or disorders caused by the motor vehicle accident, for example: loss of memory, decreased performance in school, or any other problems related to studying or inability to achieve educational goals.
• Ophthalmology (Visual/Vision) Assessment
The purpose of the Ophthalmological (Visual/Vision) Assessment is to evaluate the ocular and systemic history, the neuro-muscular control eye and vision control, the visual acuity and refraction, and the ocular health to check and detect the presence of any ocular disease in early stage. If treated early it can be reversed, but if delayed it will become permanent and destructive to the claimant's well being as any incurable disease. Most ocular disorders may be treated by an optometrist, but if a surgical procedure is necessary the claimant will be referred or co-managed with an ophthalmologist.
• Orthopedic Assessment
The Orthopedic Assessment is an interview that gathers information to diagnose any injuries or disorders of the skeletal system and associated muscles, as well as, joints and ligaments caused or increased by the motor vehicle accident.
• Rheumatological Assessment
The purpose of the Rheumatological Assessment is to evaluate any clinical problems in the musculoskeletal system involving joints, soft tissues and allied conditions of connective tissues to detect the presence of rheumatic diseases and functional limitation in order to determine the patient's level of disability and give further rehabilitation recommendations. If treated early it can be reversed, but if delayed it will become permanent and as pernicious and destructive to the patient s well being as any incurable disease.
• TMJ (Oral & Maxillofacial) Assessment
Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) Assessment includes careful assessment of the teeth occlusion and function of the jaw joints and muscles. After Assessment, further consultation and/or treatments with specialist may be suggested to facilitate effective management of TMJ dysfunction. Relaxation techniques, stress reduction, patient education, muscle relaxants or other treatments may be recommended.
• Functional Abilities Evaluation (FAE)
The Functional Abilities Evaluation is conducted with the use of the Arcon System to measure and to analyze the claimant's overall functional physical ability in order to evaluate the claimant s maximum abilities and limitations to perform different activities and tasks and to compare them with the pre-accident abilities. The evaluation also includes, consultation with referral source to determine present symptoms, initial screen to clarify necessity of the evaluation, consultation with primary healthcare provider to determine any pre-existing relevant medical conditions, file review for the purpose of information gathering, consistency and reliability of effort of the claimant and to determine rehabilitation recommendations by a registered Chiropractor and to assist the claimant in return to ADL, preparation of the report and education of the claimant by a registered Chiropractor (if necessary).
• Chronic Pain Assessment
The purpose of Chronic Pain Assessment is to evaluate claimant's levels of psychological and psychosocial signs of a chronic pain condition, functional limitation and disability in order to determine the claimant's consistency of rehabilitation and give further rehabilitation recommendations. If treated early it can be reversed, but if delayed it will become permanent and as pernicious and destructive to the claimant's well being as any incurable disease.
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
The MRI is a magnetic resonance imaging procedure using a magnetic field and radio waves to take pictures of the body's interior. It is used to investigate or diagnose conditions affecting the soft tissue of the body caused or increased by the motor vehicle accident.
• Bone Scan Evaluation
A Bone scan or bone scintigraphy is a nuclear scanning test, which is used to find certain abnormalities in bone which are triggering the bone's attempts to heal. It is primarily used to help diagnose a number of conditions relating to bones, including: cancer of the bone or cancers that have spread (metastasized) to the bone, locating some sources of bone inflammation (e.g. bone pain such as lower back pain due to a fracture), the diagnosis of fractures that may not be visible in traditional X-ray images, and the detection of damage to bones due to certain infections and other problems. Nuclear medicine bone scans are one of a number of methods of bone imaging, all of which are used to visually detect bone abnormalities. Such imaging studies include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray computed tomography (CT) and in the case of 'bone scans' nuclear medicine. However, a nuclear bone scan is a functional test, which means it measures an aspect of bone metabolism, which most other imaging techniques cannot.
• EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies
An intramuscular Electromyogram (EMG) is performed with a needle containing two fine-wire electrodes, which is inserted through the skin into the muscle tissue. The electrical activity is being observed while inserting the electrode. The insertional activity provides valuable information about the state of the muscle and its innervating nerve. Normal muscles at rest make certain, normal electrical sounds when the needle is inserted into them. Then the electrical activity when the muscle is at rest is studied. Abnormal spontaneous activity might indicate some nerve and/or muscle damage. Then the patient is asked to contract the muscle smoothly. The shape, size, and frequency of the resulting motor unit potentials are judged. Then the electrode is retracted a few millimetres, and again the activity is analyzed until at least 10-20 units have been collected. Each electrode track gives only a very local picture of the activity of the whole muscle. Because skeletal muscles differ in the inner structure, the electrodes are placed at various locations to obtain an accurate study. In addition, Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS) is also done to diagnose any neurological diseases.
• Physiatry Assessment
The Physiatry Assessment is done to evaluate any musculoskeletal or neurological disorders that have been caused or increased by the motor vehicle accident. The factors that are taken into account include the medical, physical, social, psychological, emotional, and vocational aspects of the claimant's health.
• Driving Assessment
The Driving Assessment is required for the driver/the passenger who experiences psychological discomfort in a vehicle after the Motor Vehicle Accident. The assessment will evaluate the individual's physical and mental capacity to drive/ride. Further recommendations will be given to enhance coping skills and self-management of the negative psychological symptoms while driving/riding, as well as, if necessary to have training sessions, which will be designated to reduce the driver's/ the passenger s vulnerability and to avoid any future Motor Vehicle Accidents.
• Social Assessment
The Social Assessment is a process in which objective and subjective information is used to identify high-priority problems that affect claimant's life. A wide range of methods are used to gather the information for the Social Assessment, which includes, but is not limited to, standardized measure s for anxiety and depression, interviewing the claimant and his/her relatives, friends and/or colleagues to identify any problems or concerns in the claimant's family, social life, mental, emotional and financial aspect of his/her life, as well as, difficulties in his/her self-care. After the problems are identified, recommendations are provided to improve claimant s life.
• Sleep Health (Sleep Study) Assessment
The Sleep Health Assessment evaluates any sleeping complaints and disorders (insomnia, nightmares, inconsistent or disturbed sleep, etc.) caused or significantly severed by the motor vehicle accident. The assessment includes a structured interview, daily sleep diaries, questionnaires, and an ambulatory sleep monitoring in an over-night Sleep Lap facility.
Treatments/Assistive Devices:
- Psychotherapy Counselling
The Psychotherapy counselling helps the person who has suffered psychological trauma after the MVA to cope with stress, restore mental wellness, and regain a sense of control in his/her life. The specific therapeutic approach will depend on his/her present concerns, as well as many other factors. If, because of the MVA, the person have developed symptoms of depression, his/her rehabilitation will include the strategies typically used in therapy for depression. If he/she has been struggling with symptoms of anxiety since the accident, these symptoms will be addressed with the appropriate strategies used in therapy for anxiety.
- Driving Anxiety Rehabilitation Therapy
The driving anxiety rehabilitation therapy consists of 6-12 in-vehicle relaxation and desensitization psychotherapy sessions with a psychotherapist which will focus on the appropriate strategies to address the anxiety and the fear of driving or travelling as a passenger in a vehicle, as well as, 6-12 driving sessions with a licensed driving instructor who will focus on the driving skills of the person who has suffered a motor vehicle accident to boost his/her confidence and to educate him/her on the safety practices to help him/her avoid any future motor vehicle accidents.
- Assistive Devices
The assistive devices are external devices that are designed, made, or adapted to assist the people injured in motor vehicle accidents to perform their activities of daily living and personal tasks that they used to perform prior to the motor vehicle accidents. They consist of, but they are not limited to reachers, socks helpers, long handled toenail clippers, canes, crutches, forearm crutches, walkers, knee scooters, wheelchairs scooters, stairlifts, artificial limbs, prosthetics, etc.