Georgia Resources
Resources for Georgians recovering from Spinal Cord Injuries or Traumatic Brain Injuries and their family members.
When I speak with SCI community members from Georgia there is an immediate hope they or their loved one has received treatment from the Shepherd Center, and even if they have not perhaps they will qualify for rehabilitation at Beyond Therapy within the Shepherd Center. Access to world class treatment often makes a difference in the outcome after a catastrophic injury, however that is often just the start. We spend time discussing specific questions or resources they are searching for and more often than not spend a long time discussing the various different ways they can recover. How an individual responds to the injury and the resources they have available to them often dictate their immediate concerns, but long term concerns usually revolve around the physical recovery, potential legal recovery, and emotional recovery. Each of these subjects is important, below I have included information and links to help those of you whom I have not yet had the opportunity to speak with.
For those of you who have been treated at the Shepherd Center you likely already know how special the inpatient program is, but don’t discount those programs which offer lifelong support after you are discharged. Once discharged from the hospital and rehabilitation facilities the individual and family may have more impact over the physical recovery, and overall health, than a legal recovery or the emotional recovery. Depending on the exact nature of the injury (level and complete/incomplete) the physical recovery will be greatly impacted by how hard the individual works and their commitment to healthy living. Exercise, diet, and keeping a close eye out for the onset of secondary complications will not only improve the possibility of regaining additional range of motion but also maintain overall health and quality of life. Activity based therapy is the absolute foundation for recovery, if Beyond Therapy isn’t an option you should consider NextStep Atlanta. One last item to point out regarding the physical recovery, many of you ask me about stem cell therapy and other new therapies being developed. While stem cell therapy offers a great deal of promise for the future, it isn’t the immediate cure many media reports suggest. There are many Spinal Cord Injury Trials currently ongoing in the field and I would strongly recommend using the website scitrials.org to find those you may qualify for.
As you may know SpinalCord.com is sponsored by the law firm Swope, Rodante P.A. with a national reputation for assisting families after a member has sustained a catastrophic injury. While located in Florida, they have attorneys licensed in Georgia and regularly handle catastrophic injury cases in the state. They are specifically known by other attorneys for handling complex and difficult cases which other firms do not have the ability or capacity to bring to trial. Over the years I have been able to personally work closely with Swope, Rodante and our SpinalCord.com community members to determine what recovery options may be available. To learn more about our sponsor I encourage you to visit their website and watch videos which describe how the firm started and results they have obtained for other families. If you would like to investigate whether you or your loved one may have a path to a legal recovery just call me at 877-336-7192
The emotional impact of a catastrophic injury is nearly immeasurable from getting through the phases of grief to learning how to communicate to you partner everyone has questions. We have done our best to provide information (not always answers) in our blog with hundreds of original articles, I recommend if there is a topic you are interested in learning about utilize the search function located at the top of our website. Of course, anyone can search for articles online or talk to people via social media groups, but sometimes (I think most times) that isn’t enough. Fortunately there are a number of support groups in Georgia where you can discuss your recovery and nearly every other topic that goes along with spinal cord injuries. Some of you may be thinking “support groups aren’t for me” and I understand that, but even if you aren’t ready to discuss the emotional impact an injury has had there is much more to these groups. When connecting with others who have similar experiences as you there is the opportunity to learn from the path others have taken. Often individuals and family members feel alone, no one in their social group has experienced anything like what they are going through, unfortunately many people have and are going through this experience. So whether it is finding a local urologist with experience battling UTI’s or a reliable contractor to help with home modifications you may be more likely to find what you are looking for in a support group than an online search. (Keep I mind this is coming from someone who manages a large website dedicate to providing information to people online!)
Finally, if you live in Georgia and are not yet aware of the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund then be sure to visit their website and learn how to apply for a grant. You may apply for up to $10,000 in funding for qualified needs, or $15,000 for modified vans. The application process is fairly simple but does require some documentation but boasts that 95% of eligible applicants received a grant in 2019!
I hope you find this information helpful, if there is anything I should have included but did not, or if you have questions please feel free to reach out to me directly at 877-336-7192 or vincentd@spinalcord.com .
Sincerely,
Vinny Dolan
Are you or someone you know suffering
from a catastrophic injury?
For more than 30 years, the team at Swope, Rodante P.A. have taken on some of the most challenging spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases — recovering hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for their clients. Because their team is selective about which cases they take on, they can dedicate more time and energy to providing clients with first-class treatment. You are someone that they take the time to get to know and are not simply a case number.
