This month in Kate’s Korner I wanted to tell you about my good friend Alan.

Alan Olsen founded Robomedica, Inc. (www.robomedica.com) in 2002. It’s mission has been to develop innovative strategies and technologies that will enable individuals with paralysis to walk again. Robomedica, Inc. began as the result of his youngest son becoming quadriplegic as the result of a diving accident at the age of 23. He felt his 32 years experience in the medical device industry could offer some fresh ideas to improve rehabilitation through the use of advanced technology. Within the last 2 years the company has expanded its technology focus from spinal cord injury to technologies and therapies that can assist in the improvement on the quality of life for persons affected by strokes.

Efforts have been primarily concentrated with Dr. Edward Taub from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, who is the founder of constraint induced therapy (CIT). Some of you no doubt are familiar with CIT. "Taub Therapy gives patients hope that they can recapture the life they had before suffering a stroke.” —Edward Taub, Ph.D., Director of Taub Therapy Clinic (www.taubtherapy.com)

Robomedica, Inc. expects to automate constraint induced therapy that can be available in the clinic but also have plans to make this technology available in the home. I’m looking forward to continuing working with Alan and our goals to help people like us recover from the life changing events of a stroke. Feel free to give me your thoughts on the following. Alan would like to get some information from our perspective since we are the experts. Each of us need to take on a significant role in the recovery process because lets face it folks the money isn't just there to fix things the way they were prior to the stroke.

1. List all the reasons that it is important to have use of both arms and hands, in order of priority.

2. In order of priority, what is most important to the least important -- walking, use of one arm/hand, use of both arms/hands, speech?

3. Are you familiar with constraint induced therapy?


Finding out if this is important to you is critical to what Robomedica, Inc is trying to develop. I appreciate you taking the time and look forward to your responses which will be posted an upcoming column. Thanks.
 

Email Kate at kadamson@strokenetwork.org.
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