Fall Connections

Fall Connections

"The most Important things In life aren't things" -Unknown

November 2020 What's New

How to Stay Socially Connected In a Social Distanced Era MSKTC Factsheet Resource on Respiratory Health

A member spotlight on how she persevered at life after her traumatic spinal cord injury.

Research Updates

24th Annual MetroHealth Announcements SCI Forum Recap How to Stay Socially Connected In a Social Distanced Era Megan Hammond & Ariel Jordan

According to Brigham Young University psychology professor and researcher Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, being socially connected is considered a fundamental human need. Social support has been known to positively influence life satisfaction and health, and even mortality, among those living with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and disorders. Our connection to others enables us to better battle diseases and take part in a meaningful, productive life. And research shows that those that take part in social activities generally live longer, have a sense of purpose in life, and maintain a better mood.

Individuals with SCI have had a long history of social isolation. 2020 has been no exception. For the first time, everyone has been struggling to stay connected with friends and loved ones while maintaining social distancing protocols. It’s estimated that 1 in 20 Americans will experience depression in their lifetime, yet for the spinal cord injury population, it’s 1 in 5. COVID-19 has increased these rates (3 times), which is why staying connected is especially important during this time. Ways to stay connected: Join Facebook groups. There are many groups on Facebook that are specific to SCI/D. Here you can bounce ideas off of others, get advice about a struggle you are experiencing, or just chat and make new friends. Some of the groups we recommend are United Spinal Association Northeast Ohio Chapter, Spinal Cord Injury USA Group, Spinal Cord Peer Support USA, The Wheel Woman Hole (for females only), and United Spinal Spinal Cord Injury (SCI/D) Support Group, but this list is not exhaustive. Find a couple that you connect with and start there! Invite friends for a one-on-one Facetime/Zoom Meeting. Even though you wouldn’t be in person, it’s a safe alternative that still provides face time with those you care about. Other platforms could include Skype, Google Meets, Snapchat video calls, FB Messenger video calls, etc. Set up a Happy Hour/Social Hour Chat with a group of friends/family members. Gone are the days of group outings (for the time being anyway), so why not take those hangouts online? With some planning, you could create some interesting “themed” discussions. Have a trivia night, or have everyone in the group buy the same ingredients and cook together, have a paint night together, or anything you can think of. Stay connected with yourself. Self- discovery is equally important when trying to connect with others. With more time by ourselves, it’s important to take the time to care for yourself in order to be the best version for loved ones. Things to try journaling, meditation practices, exercise, and any other self-care strategy. Try out a new recipe/hobby/creative outlet and share it on social media.

Ever wanted to knit a scarf, bake bread, try out that random recipe you saw in that cookbook that one time!? Make the most of these times and try something new. There are even online groups that you can join to learn new skills or connect with others that have the same interests. Get outdoors - Ohio weather permitting of course! Every now and then we get a glimpse of that bright yellow thing in the sky! Consider exploring nature at the various Cleveland Metroparks throughout Greater Cleveland, maybe even get to know your own neighborhood a little better. Call/text/check-in with your friends/family/loved ones. Being on video can be exhausting these days but it still may be comforting to hear from the ones we care about. Get involved in a new club, or create your own - book club, streaming movies online, or online discussions on specific topics. Opportunity to bring together familiar faces and new ones, too. Volunteer for a cause you are passionate about - lots of things to do virtually to help out your favorite non-profit. Research shows that volunteering is the gift that gives back. Volunteers not only make a difference in the lives they are helping, but also their own life as health benefits include lowered stress, reduced risk of depression, and new relationships. Send cards/letters - nothing beats receiving physical mail that is not a bill. Spread some love by sending a card or letter to someone special in your life. Bonus tip: Find your favorite local artists, content creators on social media and join their live streams! Comment and reply to other comments during the stream to connect with others watching. And who knows, maybe your favorite creator will shout out your comment.

Social connections are what bind us together. Prioritizing social interactions and finding meaningful ways to connect during this time will help support each other and our own health and wellbeing. In need of any supplies?!

We have disposable supplies available curated into a little care package for those in need.

We have: gloves sanitizer wipes hand sanitizer disposable masks

If you live in the area, these supplies can be picked up immediately from the Old Brooklyn Campus of the MetroHealth Medical System, or can be delivered once we have a group for deliveries

For more Information or to "place your order" contact Ariel Jordan at ajordan1@metrohealth.org or call 216-957-3540 The United Spinal Association Northeast Ohio Chapter is going on its 10th month of operating virtual.

Although none of us saw this coming, the chapter has had the opportunity to take advantage of these unprecedented times and work on growing to better serve the spinal cord population in Northeast Ohio.

To date, we have sent out 100 grocery store gift cards. Each card was $50 to one of four stores that our members could choose from. We were lucky enough to receive a grant to provide this service as an aide during these unprecedented times.

Some exciting “behind the scenes” happenings include growing the board (which we are always open and happy to recruit members that have the desire and are passionate about doing more with our community), revamping how we exist as a United Spinal chapter, and even more importantly, finding new and creative ways to interact and engage members of our community!

Even though many things are unknown, uncomfortable and less than ideal, our community has continued to show up and our commitment to community has only grown stronger! As we are in the planning stages for the 2021 year we would love to get any input from what the community would like that to look like!

Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions, concerns, comments, suggestions, wish to inquire further, or just about anything within the chapter! 24th Annual MetroHealth

SCI Forum Recap Ariel Jordan

Despite this year pushing the Annual MetroHealth SCI Forum to go virtual, we are overjoyed to announce the 24th Annual MetroHealth SCI Forum was a huge success! We had a presentation on the ADA as a homage to the 30th Anniversary of the ADA presented by Alexandra Bennewith, MPA the Vice President of Government Relations at the United Spinal Association. We were honored to have our Keynote Speaker Hanane Hmada describe her experience after sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2012. Buckeye Wellness founder/owner, Christopher Wynn, and MetroHealth Dietitian, Angela Majerle, RD, LD, CDE talked all things fitness and nutrition. We were even joined by Dr. James Wilson, DO, Director of SCI Medicine & Fellowship, MetroHealth, Dr. Elizabeth Dreben, PhD, Rehab Psychology, MetroHealth, Bridget Blayney, BSN, RN, CRRN, Director of Nursing – SCI Rehab, MetroHealth, Laney Dalsky, BSN, RN, SCI Rehab Nurse, MetroHealth and Gillian Gullan, MOT, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist MetroHealth for our “Ask The Medical Panel.” We then ended the day with a Dating/ Sexuality/ Relationships Panel hosted by Megan Hammond, MEd, Certified Life Coach and featuring panelists Rob Ross and Kevin Sullivan. If you were able to join us live, we thank you! For those that were not able to attend, we are thrilled to announce that the Planning Committee of the 24th Annual MetroHealth SCI Forum partnered with the United Spinal Association of Northeast Ohio Chapter to host the videos from the day! These videos will be up indefinitely (as far as we know) for anyone to check out and watch at their leisure. Replays of sessions and sponsor presentations can be found at www.usaneo.org/sciforum2020 We are already gearing up for next year. Save the date for the 25th Annual MetroHealth SCI Forum – Friday, September 24, 2021! Early Testing of Arm and Hand Paralysis May Help Guide Treatment Dr. Kim Anderson

Arm and hand function is important to people living with cervical spinal injuries. There are many research efforts underway to develop new treatments to restore arm and hand function. There are some surgical options already available to improve arm and hand function, but some have a limited time window during which they need to be done in order to be effective. Nerve transfers are an example of a surgical option and they usually need to be done no less than 12- 18 months after the initial injury.

The injury inside the spinal cord is messy and can be different in each person. Some damage causes spasticity to develop, which can help keep muscles bulky. Some damage prevents spasticity from developing and causes muscles to waste away. Early after injury, the body is in shock and the spinal cord is even in shock. During that time period it is hard to know what different kinds of damage has occurred in the spinal cord for specific muscles in the arms and hands. Knowing that information is critical in order to know if someone would benefit from a nerve transfer. Therefore, one of the NORSCIS research projects has to do with early testing of arm and hand muscles in people with cervical spinal cord injury in our inpatient rehabilitation unit. We are testing muscle strength and activity in the arms and hands of people with brand new cervical spinal injury. In any of those muscles that are paralyzed, we test to see if the muscle responds to electrical stimulation. We also test those paralyzed muscles to see if there is any spontaneous activity present. So far, we have learned that: some of the muscles that are paralyzed within the first few days after injury do recover some voluntary movement within the first 1 or 2 months after injury; many of the muscles that are paralyzed do respond to electrical stimulation; and many of those muscles do have spontaneous activity within the muscle even though the individuals cannot move the muscles.

There are, however, some muscles that do not respond to electrical stimulation and do not have spontaneous activity. Our ability to tell the difference between all of these muscles is important and is helping identify early on who might benefit from a nerve transfer to improve their arm and hand function. We continue to collect the rest of our data and we will report back our final results next year! Connect-In SCI Program supported by our SCI Model System Grant.

All persons with a new traumatic SCI in the MetroHealth acute care hospital or rehabilitation program will have the opportunity to connect with a Peer Navigator.

Peer Navigators are persons living in the community with a SCI. The Navigators are an important link to SCI information, community resources, information about SCI health care and health insurance.

It is our hope that this program will provide the links, information and skills patients with a new injuries need to successfully adapt and connect with their communities so that they can lead a fulfilling life.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all visits will be completed via telephone. If you are living in the community and would like to be set up with a peer mentor, please contact us. Or, if you or someone you know would like to be a Peer Navigator, please contact:

Megan Hammond 216-957-3562 [email protected]

Ariel Jordan 216-957-3540 [email protected] Respiratory Function after an SCI

The Model System Knowledge and Translation Center (MSKTC) is a national center that helps facilitate the knowledge translation process to make research meaningful to those with Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Burn Injury. Last newsletter, we featured the Factsheet of Living with an SCI. This month, we wanted to feature a source on our respiratory systems after a spinal cord injury.

Your respiratory system (or pulmonary system) is responsible for breathing. This system enables you to inhale oxygen into your blood and exhale carbon dioxide. Your body needs oxygen to survive, and carbon dioxide must be removed to avoid the build-up of acid in your body. After an SCI, signals sent from your brain can no longer pass beyond the damage to the spinal cord, so your brain can no longer control the muscles that you would normally use for inhaling and exhaling. The extent of your muscle control loss depends on your level of injury and if there is complete or incomplete spinal cord damage.There are some things that we can do to help prevent respiratory-related illness.

The MSKTC factsheet outlines some of the following as tips for prevention: Do not smoke and stay away from secondhand smoke! Avoid the buildup of secretions in the lungs. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, especially if you have an infection unless your doctor tells you something different. Keep a healthy weight! People who are overweight or obese typically have more problems with their lungs. Watch – Even with your best efforts to prevent respiratory health problems, they can still develop. The sooner you can identify any problems, the better your chance of treating them and getting better.

For more detailed information, please visit MSKTC at https://msktc.org/sci/factsheets/respiratory Life After SCI: Lisa Nussbaum A Member Spotlight

Life as a carefree college student drastically changed in July, 1999 when I became a quadriplegic after a diving accident. After rehab I moved home with my parents. I ended up having tendon transfers in my arms and gained much more independence because of it. Having a positive attitude and stubbornness has allowed me to take my injury in stride and overcome many challenges I didn't originally think I'd be able to accomplish.

After taking a semester off, I was able to finish my college degree through online courses and a few classes at a local college.The injury has shown me what true relationships look like. Many close friends before the injury gradually faded out of my life. The friendships I have now are so much better. But none are better than the one I have with Jason. We were high school sweethearts and reunited about a year after my injury! He's my biggest cheerleader and supporter.

My pre-injury goal was to be a lawyer. While that didn't happen, I've become quite the entrepreneur. For approximately the last 15 years, I've been involved in the Think First program speaking to high schoolers about injury prevention. However, we've been unable to continue the program since March due to COVID-19. I've kept very busy crafting having made over 60 pine cone wreaths and flower arrangements since February! I'd love for you to check them out at Lisa's Pine ConePatch on Facebook or @lisas_pine_cone_patch on Instagram.

When I'm not crafting you can find me working in the flower beds or coming up with a recipe that will be included in the cookbook I'd like to write.One of my favorite quotes is "I am living proof that unfairness of life does not equal unhappiness." I feel it is a daily choice to have a positive attitude and choose to overcome obstacles to make the best possible life. Check out some of these events hosted by local groups

Visit ohiowheelchair.com for upcoming activities and events

Adaptive Sports Connection For more information, visit their 6000 Harriott Drive website: Powell, Ohio 43065 https://adaptivesportsconnectio [email protected] n.org/sports-programs/

614.389.3921 Mercy Health & Recreation Adaptive Sports & Recreation Program Jennifer L. Pospisil Mercy Adaptive Sports & Recreation Program Leader 3700 Kolbe Rd. Lorain, OH 44053 440.960.3423 or [email protected]

Various adaptive events each day of the month - contact Jennifer Pospisil to find out more!

LoCo 'Yaks In Lorain has adaptive equipment and, when the season arrives, are ready to take you out on the water!

Check them out on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com /locoyaks Did you enjoy reading the Fall Newsletter? If so, please share with anyone you feel would be interested!