SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., - To celebrate National Occupational Therapy Month, the RehabCenter at Regional West Medical Center is offering a free seminar and screening for stroke and head injury survivors with little or no hand function on Thursday, April 19 from 1 to 5 p.m.

The presentation and screening will be held in the King Rooms at the RehabCenter. Occupational Therapists Theresa Olson, OTR/L, and Rocky Williams, OTR/L will present SaeboFlexä, revolutionary new therapy, which gives stroke patients the power to regain movement in the arm and hand up to 20 years after a stoke. The RehabCenter’s occupational therapists are the first to bring SaeboFlexä technology to western Nebraska. The SaeboFlexä is a custom, dynamic orthosis specifically designed for stroke or head injury survivors who exhibit some shoulder and elbow movement but have minimal hand function. This new technology will support the patient’s wrist and hand, which have been weakened, and allows patients to use their affected wrist and hand, thereby improving their activities of daily living performance.

“The splint is a great tool in helping people regain functional use of the arm and hand following a stroke,” said Theresa Olson, occupational therapy supervisor at the RehabCenter. “The gains I have seen people achieve with the splint are huge compared to what we see with traditional therapy.”

RehabCenter clients will be present to demonstrate the splint and will be available to answer any questions participants may have. Two local patients who currently use SaeboFlexä will demonstrate how the orthosis works.

“The SaeboFlex definitely works,” said Robbie Schadegg, a RehabCenter client who has used the product for approximately four weeks. “I can actually open my fingers on my left hand, which I hadn’t been able to do since my stroke.”

After the presentation, Regional West’s four occupational therapists, all of whom have been certified by SaeboFlexä, will screen participants to assess whether or not they would benefit from this new technology.

The free seminar and screening is limited to 50 participants and the registration deadline is Tuesday, April 17. Call (308) 630-1977 to register or (308) 630-1355 for more information.

Regional West Health Services, with over 1,400 employees, provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, we offer care that spans more than 40 medical specialties. Regional West Medical Center, a subsidiary of Regional West Health Services, is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is one of only three Level II Trauma Centers in the state of Nebraska.