Concussions Seminar

The Punxsutawney Area Hospital is continuing the Wellness Connections 2024 series with a Concussion Seminar that will be held on Tuesday, April 16th at 6 p.m. at the Punxsutawney Area Hospital. According to the Center for Disease Control, a concussion is “a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.” The CDC estimates, between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur each year in the U.S. The Punxsutawney Area Hospital Rehabilitation Department specializes in concussion with a three-prong approach- physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
"In physical therapy we assess the entire person with respect to dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system.  We then develop a custom-tailored treatment plan to assist the people we work with achieve the highest level of function possible.  We help people find the courage they never knew they had”, states Glenn Martel, PT, DPT at the Punxsutawney Area Hospital.
Speech-language pathologists support their patients by providing assessment and intervention for cognitive-communication deficits such as attention, memory, speech, language, and executive functioning skills.  Karleigh Aaron, M.S. CF-SLP , Speech Therapist at PAH states, “We provide education about concussions, explain the stages of a typical recovery, and create individualized treatment plans with specific goals for each of our patients. Our goal is to help our patients return to their maximal potential and function to fully and safely participate in all daily functions, including school/play/work environment.”
Occupational therapists support their patients in returning to daily activities (occupations) both gradually and safely.  “We provide education regarding concussions, explain what a typical recovery looks like, and create a patient specific treatment plan. Our goal is to re-establish functional performance for safe participation in school, work, and meaningful occupations” states Jendi Zimmerman, OTD, OTR/L, from the Rehabilitation Department at PAH.
This free seminar is open to the public and will be a great resource for many people including coaches, families with children in sports, those that are physically active, and many others.