KCRC Spinal Cord Injury |
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The Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center (KCRC), has been serving children with spinal cord injury for many years. We offer comprehensive, individualized, and expert care based on the particular needs of the patients and families that we serve. KCRC provides a family-centered rehabilitation approach that emphasizes support of the family not only during treatment, but also during each patient's transition back to home, school, community, or play and leisure activities. KCRC is a part of the University of Virginia Children's Hospital and is located approximately 2 miles from University Hospital which offers a vast array of medical and surgical specialties. KCRC's 12 rolling acres help to promote an especially peaceful atmosphere for healing. When not in scheduled activities, children and families are welcome to roam the grounds, play on the playground, and help KCRC staff tend to the greenhouse. Click below for more information about KCRC's Spinal Cord Injury Program:
What will my child do all day? Children with spinal cord injury will generally have a full day of activities. Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and/or Speech Therapy sessions will be provided as needed for a total of at least three hours a day. School-aged children attend classes in our fully accredited public school on site. Everyone enjoys additional services through our Therapeutic Recreation department. They provide leisure activities and even aquatic therapy in our warm indoor pool. Time for meals, naps and nursing care is built into the schedule as necessary. Are therapies provided on the weekends and evenings? Children undergoing rehabilitation receive occupational, physical and/or speech therapy on Saturday mornings. Free time during the evenings and on weekends can be spent outdoors enjoying our grounds and play spaces, watching movies or playing video games. Billards, basketball and foosball are available in our patient gym. The children also enjoy visits with the therapy dogs. Will my child have consistent caregivers over time or will he or she have to get used to new faces frequently? Your child will be assigned to a specific team of doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers and social workers. The team may be quite large, but we do our best to provide familiar faces. Your child will have a primary nurse. He or she will follow your child throughout your stay here. Yes. We strongly encourage families to stay so that they can provide support to their child during this difficult time. We also encourage you to be involved in your child's care throughout his or her stay so that you will feel comfortable taking care of him or her at home. One adult may stay at the bedside overnight. Additional friends and family are allowed to visit every day during established visiting hours. Please note that patients are typically involved in therapies from about 9:00 - 3:00 on weekdays and may not be available to visit much during that time. It is often most practical for visitors other than immediate family to come in the late afternoon and evening. Will there be other children at KCRC who are similar to my child in terms of age and injury? Children ages birth to 21 are admitted to KCRC for a wide variety of reasons. The rehabilitation unit sees children with spinal cord injury, brain injury, developmental problems, difficulty with feeding and broken limbs, among others. The occurrence of spinal cord injury among children and adolescents is relatively low. Throughout the year, we generally admit 10-16 children and adolescents with spinal cord injuries out of a total of about 160 children admitted for all reasons. Although the population on the unit is constantly changing, we make every effort to create opportunities for children to socialize with age appropriate peers informally and in planned activities. How long will my child need to be at KCRC? That depends on many factors. The level of your child's spinal cord injury, his or her general health at the time of admission and your family's needs and goals all play a part. Children with higher level injuries, at C1-7 tend to stay about 10-12 weeks, while children with lower level injuries may be with us for 4-6 weeks. These are only estimates, of course. Your child's length of stay will depend on his or her progress. If you are planning to stay, we can help you find convenient housing at KCRC's Commonwealth Court Hotel located on our grounds, Ronald McDonald House near the main medical center or other local hotels. Tell me about how the rehabilitation plan is developed for my child. Your child will be assigned to a specific team of therapists, doctors, nurses, social workers and teachers. Of course, the family and the child are a vital part of this team! The entire team will meet early in your stay to talk about your child's specific situation and to set goals for his or her stay. The goals will focus on helping you and your child learn to maximize function, manage daily care and solve problems as they arise. The team will meet formally every two weeks to review progress and set new goals. Plan to come to these meetings prepared with your observations, concerns and ideas. Of course, you are welcome to discuss these with any team member at any time, as well. When setting goals, we usually talk about two levels: Long term goals focus on returning your child to home, school, play/leisure, community, or work with as much independence as possible. Short term goals are the small steps needed to reach the long term goals. These are usually set in the team meeting every two weeks. I'm worried about making the transition back home. There is so much to think about! How do you help with that? We want the transition back to home to go smoothly for you and your child. We provide many opportunities for you to practice new skills and prepare your home. Throughout your stay we encourage you to actively participate in your child's care so that you can feel comfortable. Additionally, we require that one or two parents, family members or other identified caregivers spend at least 24 hours taking full care of your child before you go home. During that time, the nurses and therapists act as resources to answer all the inevitable questions that arise once you have to really do it all on your own. Many children will also go on a community outing with the Therapeutic Recreation staff prior to going home. These outings allow the family and child to experience life and solve problems in normal community settings such as restaurants, shopping malls or movie theaters. Your therapists will work with you to help you get any special equipment you might need, such as a wheelchair or a bath chair. If you think your home might need some modifications we can make recommendations and provide resources for buying or building what you need. We can also arrange for someone to come out to your home to help you decide what might be appropriate. When you are ready to go home, your social worker and case manager will help you set up any outpatient therapy appointments your child will need. Most children also return to one of our many specialty outpatient clinics for further care and follow-up. What sort of special training or experience with spinal cord injury do the doctors and staff have at KCRC? We are a teaching hospital and research center, so we benefit from the expertise of many. The attending physicians are the leaders of the team. Our attending physicians are all developmental pediatricians, which means that they have special training and are certified in the developmental needs of children and adolescents. They all have many years of experience with children with spinal cord injuries. The resident physicians are doctors who are training to be pediatricians or physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists. KCRC therapists, nurses, teachers, nutritionists, social workers and case managers are all specialists in both pediatrics and rehabilitation. In addition to the required licensure, many have extensive training or special certification in specific aspects of patient care. Are the doctors and nurses available 24 hours a day? Yes. KCRC also has Respiratory Therapists on staff 24 hours a day when needed. Tell me more about your school program. KCRC offers a fully accredited public school within the building. Masters level educators provide year round instruction and serve as liaisons with your child's home school. Most children receive school credit during their admissions. There is no charge for these services. As part of the school program, we offer a Technology Resource Center. It provides opportunities for children and adolescents with spinal cord injury to accomplish goals related to education, communication and independence through the use of computers and other technical aids. The Technology Coordinator can help you and your home school determine which specific computer equipment will benefit your child in his or her home and educational environments. My adolescent has already completed high school. Does KCRC provide education or vocational training on site? Our on-site school program runs through high school only. However, our teachers, social workers and case managers will work with you and your adolescent to locate the appropriate resources for pursuing higher level education and vocational training after discharge. For example, The Department of Rehabilitation Services, a state program, provides free assessment and job counseling services to Virginia residents. The DRS website can provide more information. My child was driving before his injury. Will he be able to learn to drive again while he is at KCRC? KCRC does not have a driver training program. We refer patients to the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in nearby Fishersville, Virginia for assessment and training as needed. I have lots of questions about my child's bowel and bladder function. How will I learn how to manage that? Bowel and bladder function varies by the level of injury and whether it was a complete or incomplete spinal cord injury. The nursing staff will help you set up a program for managing your child's individual needs. This may include inserting a tube into the bladder several times a day to drain the urine. The nurses will teach you all the skills you need. The occupational therapist may also help your child learn how to manage his or her own bladder program if he or she is old enough and has enough hand function. We will also help you and your child plan for coping - practically and emotionally - with the occasional accident that may occur. I also have questions about my child's sexuality and how his or her spinal cord injury will affect that. The team will provide you and your child, if appropriate, with information on how his or her specific injury will affect his or her sexuality. Even if your child is not currently sexually active, it is important for parents and children to know the long-term issues and options. Of course we will work with you to make sure that any information that we share with your child is age-appropriate, medically accurate and considerate of your family's values and concerns. I need help with my insurance and other benefits. Who can help me? The KCRC Social Worker and Case Manager are happy to help you deal with your insurance company and explore your eligibility for alternative benefits. Coping with this injury and the hospitalization is taxing our family physically, emotionally and spiritually. What resources are available to help us out? We encourage families to take care of all of their needs and we recognize that the emotional and spiritual ones are as important as the physical ones. Our chaplains will be happy to visit with you at any time. We also provide a quiet, soothing non denominational Meditation Place space just off the in-patient unit. You are welcome to spend time there in prayer, meditation or reflection as needed. Our grounds offer many spots for brisk walks or quiet moments communing with nature, depending on your mood. For those looking for more exercise opportunities, a monthly pass can be purchased to take advantage of the University of Virginia's several gyms and aquatic fitness center. We also offer a parent support group that meets at KCRC. Your social worker is available to listen and provide counseling for all matter of emotional and practical issues. Sometimes it is helpful to talk to someone who has "been there, done that." Many of our former patients with spinal cord injuries remain in close contact with our center. They are happy to meet with new families and children to offer support, share information and give you a glimpse of the future. My child had his spinal cord injury a few years ago and is past the rehabilitation stage, but still needs some specialized care. Can you help? Yes. We see many children in our Spinal Cord Injury clinic for years after their injuries for ongoing care and issues. Please call 434-924-KCRC (5272) or 1-800-627-8596, extension 4-5272 to schedule an appointment. How do I know that the Spinal Cord Injury Program at the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center provides quality care and services? KCRC is accredited by both the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). These national organizations set high standards for quality care and review our status regularly.
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