New Pool will Benefit Neurorehab Patients
There was a big splash at the grand dedication of the new Ashlyn Dyer Aquatic Center last night.
The brand new, state-of-the-art pool was made possible by the support of Barrow’s friends and benefactors who gave generously to build the outpatient rehabilitation pool. The Dyer family led the fundraising effort and provided the lead gift to name the center after their daughter, Ashlyn Dyer, who passed away from a traumatic brain injury in 2006.
The addition of the aquatic therapy program rounds-out Barrow’s comprehensive rehabilitation program and provides patients with a unique adjunct to traditional land-based therapies. The center is a licensed hospital-based outpatient clinic that has the ability to serve a variety of patients from neurological rehabilitation to OB patients, says the center’s director, L.A. Campbell, PT, DPT, MBA.
“Aquatic therapy is great for all kinds of patients – orthopedic patients with restricted weight bearing activity can get into the water up to their chest and their body weight is just 25 percent of its original weight,” she says. “In the water, patients can return to normalized activity to build strength and work on resistance training.”
For neuro rehab patients, aquatic therapy offers even more benefits, Campbell says. “The water offers a different sensory environment, it feels different, and the setting can contribute to motor planning and improve the vestibular system. The pool also can make patients feel safe and remove the monotony of standard therapy.”
Special thanks to the Dyer family, the Emerald Foundation, the Marley Foundation, Barrow Neurological Foundation board members and all the other benefactors who made this important outpatient rehabilitation center possible.
