SCI Care: What Really Matters

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Dr Abayomi Salawu is a neuro-rehabilitation consultant at Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust who is pioneering the use of virtual reality (VR) in rehabilitation. Dr Ram Hariharan is a consultant in spinal injuries at the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries and Rehabilitation Centre in Sheffield and the chair of the UK SCI Research Network.

Dr Hariharan and Dr Salawu got together at the recent BSPRM BASCIS Joint Annual Scientific Conference in Sheffield to discuss the remarkable ways in which VR is transforming patient care, particularly for those recovering from traumatic brain injuries and stroke. Dr Salawu's innovative approach creates a virtual environment where patients can safely practice rehabilitation exercises, aiding their recovery and fostering self-reliance. And VR is impacting the rehabilitation landscape beyond physical recovery. We hear how this technology can train patients in other important aspects of self-care, such as bladder and bowel management. Dr Salawu also explains the emerging use of VR in delivering specialised psychological therapies, such as eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) for managing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

The insights from this conversation illuminate the transformative power of VR in rehabilitation and its potential to revolutionise patient care.

The opinions of our host and guests are their own; ISCoS does not endorse any individual viewpoints, given products or companies.

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The SCI Care: What Really Matters podcast aims to provide valuable insights and the most up-to-date information for those providing care to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. The vision of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) is to "facilitate healthy and inclusive lives for people with spinal cord injury or dysfunction globally".

Contact us directly with any questions or comments at [email protected]

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'It’s about making sure that the family can see how that's going to fit in with their child for the here and now, but also I'm very much thinking I've got to hand this child on to adult services with two good kidneys. It's about not just the continence, but keeping the kidneys healthy into adulthood.' – Dr Allison Graham

Welcome to our next podcast instalment as we continue to cover the topics that matter within the care of SCI, engaging experts from all over the world.

In this episode host Catharina Cziczkat of Wellspect, Germany is joined by Jens Larsson from Skånes University Hospital SUS, Sweden and Dr Allison Graham of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, UK, to discuss the challenges of bowel and bladder care in patients navigating from childhood to becoming independent teenagers and adults. What’s the best way to go about this when dealing with sensitive areas such as catheterisation?

To help us, our panel share their knowledge and experience, explaining how we make the transition to adult services workable for families with children in need of bladder and bowel management. What can we do to help teenagers to become independent, removing the responsibility from parents and placing this onto themselves? How do we motivate them? Building relationships and trust with families is key to achieving better quality of life in the short term, as well as working towards improving function and kidney health in the long-term. The ultimate goal is to ensure the transition from child to teenager is as smooth as possible, giving patients the tools and knowledge to empower them whilst avoiding complications.

'It's an embarrassing subject and, It's an area that you don't as a child, or even as a parent want to talk about. But you need to build that confidence with the family and, make them comfortable in talking to you about it as well. That's something I think is important, to give the families and the child as much information as possible.' ~ Jens Larsson

Our panellists wholeheartedly agree that by working closely with the child's family whilst directly involving the child, treating our patients as individuals, and sharing all the available information, the process can be effectively managed, ensuring the transition from child to young adult to an independent adult is successful.

Contact us directly with any questions or comments at [email protected]. You can also join the conversation on social media @ISCoSMeetings and @WellspectHC. And we hope to see many of you in person at the ISCoS 61st Annual Scientific Meeting this September in Vancouver.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate, review and subscribe with the podcast provider of your choice. This show is brought to you by ISCoS - you can follow us on Twitter

The opinions of our host and guests are their own; ISCoS does not endorse any individual viewpoints, given products or companies.

You can follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn
The SCI Care: What Really Matters podcast aims to provide valuable insights and the most up-to-date information for those providing care to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. The vision of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) is to "facilitate healthy and inclusive lives for people with spinal cord injury or dysfunction globally".

Contact us directly with any questions or comments at [email protected]

Send us a text

Welcome to the first Bitesize track of SCI Care: What really matters.

SCI Care: What really matters is now a weekly fixture for our ISCoS members, audience, and beyond. The aim of this podcast series is to engage with our members and entice non-members to join in on our conversation whilst sharing the insights and experiences of experts from the field of SCI Care from all over the world.

There is so much to cover we have decided to invite a guest from a Special interest Group to discuss further, areas from our main episodes.

For our first bitesize episode we are joined by Shivjeet Raghav of the Consumer Committee of ISCoS to answer the following question, 'Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, there have been various restrictions during the lockdown in different parts of the globe. What precautions should persons/consumers with spinal cord injury take as their regions exit the lockdown?

This Bitesize episode is to complement our existing episodes 3 and 4 on 'Exiting the Lockdown.'

Thank you for listening, please do subscribe to SCI Care: What really matters, podcast series on the podcast platform of your choice.

Click here to register for the 59th ISCoS conference and this year it is fully virtual. You can access the preliminary programme here

Email [email protected] for any questions or topic suggestions you may have for future episodes.

Links to Covid-19 documents and visit here for Covid-19 Resources on the ISCoS website

This show is brought to you by ISCoS, you can follow us on Twitter @iscosmeetings, hosted by Dr Harvinder Chhabra produced and directed by Heather Pownall of Heather's Media Hub @heathershub

The opinions of our host and guests are their own; ISCoS does not endorse any individual viewpoints, given products or companies.

You can follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn
The SCI Care: What Really Matters podcast aims to provide valuable insights and the most up-to-date information for those providing care to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. The vision of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) is to "facilitate healthy and inclusive lives for people with spinal cord injury or dysfunction globally".

Contact us directly with any questions or comments at [email protected]

Send us a text

Managing bladder and bowel health is a critical, yet often overlooked aspect of patient care, especially for those with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
In a recent podcast episode host, Tracey Tattam, a Nurse Educator at the Spinal Injuries Unit Queensland, Australia is joined by Josefin Oja, a nurse and urotherapist at the spinal cord injury department Umeå, Sweden and Maria Moschovou, a specialist rehabilitation nurse at the Linköping University Hospital Rehabilitation department. They discuss and explore factors important for being compliant with the therapy and long-term compliance, the possible barriers that arise, how to overcome these, and the importance of a healthy bladder and bowel.

The initial phase of rehabilitation for newly injured SCI patients can be overwhelming. The sudden influx of information, coupled with the intimate nature of bladder and bowel care, often leaves patients feeling vulnerable. Josefin emphasises the need for educational materials that are not only concise but personalised to the individual's needs. A key factor in successful management is establishing a routine that is as close to the patient's pre-injury habits as possible, adapting techniques to their unique situations.
Long-term challenges also persist. As Maria notes, methods that were effective during initial rehabilitation may not suffice as time moves on. Patients often return, desperate for solutions to new or evolving issues. This highlights the need for continuous support and follow-up, ensuring that care plans adapt over time. A notable aspect of long-term management is addressing the cultural sensitivities of caring for patients from diverse backgrounds. This requires not only a deep understanding of different cultures but also strategies to introduce and discuss intimate care products in a respectful and effective manner.
Both experts stress the importance of education – for patients and healthcare professionals alike. Using smart, simple solutions over complicated or invasive procedures can prove to be more effective.
Our panel agreed that the management of bladder and bowel health for SCI patients is complex. Healthcare professionals can empower patients to lead healthier, more independent lives through education, patience, and continuous improvement of care plans.
We hope you enjoy listening.

The opinions of our host and guests are their own; ISCoS does not endorse any individual viewpoints, given products or companies.

You can follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn
The SCI Care: What Really Matters podcast aims to provide valuable insights and the most up-to-date information for those providing care to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. The vision of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) is to "facilitate healthy and inclusive lives for people with spinal cord injury or dysfunction globally".

Contact us directly with any questions or comments at [email protected]

Send us a text

In this episode, Dr Ali Jamous talks to Claire Lomas MBE taking us through Claire's remarkable journey from a devastating accident to finding a new purpose in life.
Claire shares her experiences from before her accident and the difficult early years of recovering from her injury and when hope seemed lost. She will discuss the little steps that made the biggest impact on her rehabilitation, and it was all of the little steps that she has reach the triumphant goals of today from flying a microlight, riding a motorbike, and completing a number of marathons fundraising in excess of £850,000.
Offering invaluable advice Claire emphasises the importance of accepting help and taking small steps toward achieving big goals. Claire's story will inspire you and offer hope to all our listeners.
We hope you enjoy this episode.

The opinions of our host and guests are their own; ISCoS does not endorse any individual viewpoints, given products or companies.

You can follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn
The SCI Care: What Really Matters podcast aims to provide valuable insights and the most up-to-date information for those providing care to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. The vision of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) is to "facilitate healthy and inclusive lives for people with spinal cord injury or dysfunction globally".

Contact us directly with any questions or comments at [email protected]