Typically,
if people suffer devastating injuries or a strokes, their insurance coverage
will cover physical therapy for a specific period of time. Once that time
expires, the patient may still need therapy, but cannot affort to pay for
it out of pocket.
In Piscataquis County, however, chronically disabled adults and children can continue to build their strength, thanks to a partnership between Mayo Regional Hospital and the Piscataquis Regional YMCA in Dover-Foxcroft.
The Physically Challenged Club is an all-volunteer program designed to provide an opportunity for the chronically disabled to continue rehabilitation after their insurance benefits have ended. The program was started in 1988 and has been sustained since then through the volunteer efforts of Fran Moore, a registered physical therapist and manager of Mayo's Rehabilitation Serices Department. Moore is also MHA's 2007 Caregiver of the Year.
Through his work at Mayo, Moore identifies patients who can benefit from
the club and encourages them to become active in the program. After receiving
a physician referral, pa
tients
are sent to the YMCA and processed for club membership. A fee of $13 a month
is charged for club membership, which includes not only club participation,
but use of all YMCA facilities throughout the month. Scholarship aid is available
and no one has ever been denied membership because of financial constraints.
The club has 115 to 120 members, of which 65 to 75 are involved regularly on a weekly basis. About a dozen community volunteers help assist club members with personal care and exercise.
Each Monday, club members meet at the YMCA pool for exercises that include personal stretching and range of motion, deep-water walking, swimming and group aquacise. Emphasis is placed on flexibility and muscular endurance. Participants are encouraged to work on specific skills such as extremity control and ambulation.
Each Wednesday, members meet in the YMCA's fitness room for strengthening activities. A circuit training protocol modified to meet specific needs is followed. Stationary bicycles, treadmill and overhead pulleys are available for active range of motion and mild endurance activities. Passive range of motion and stetching exercises are performed on two portable treatment tables by trained volunteers.
The Physically Challenged Club was recognized as national runner-up in the American Hospital Association's annual Hospital Awards for Volunteer Excellence in the Community Outreach and Collaboration category.