On With Life at Ankeny
Specialty Services for Persons Served
Who are in a Coma or Minimally Responsive State

Our Program

Here at On With Life, we have a specialty component to our active rehabilitation program, a niche in working with individuals who are in a coma or a minimally responsive condition/state. We focus on improving responsiveness, minimizing impairment, reducing limitations, maximizing quality of life, preventing future traumatic brain injury, complications, and co-morbidities. Experts in this field offer the following definitions:

Coma: A period of unconsciousness involving not being able to follow instructions, showing no speech or purposeful communication, and no purposeful movement.

Minimally Responsive/Minimally Conscious Condition or State: People who have a slow recovery of unconsciousness continue to have a reduced level of self-awareness or awareness of the world around them. They have inconsistent and limited ability to respond and communicate. This condition of limited awareness is called the Minimally Responsive or Minimally Conscious state or condition.

Our Team

Our brain injury team includes professionals from Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Music Therapy, Therapeutic Recreation, Neuropsychology, Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistants, and our Case Management team. The entire team keeps up on the latest developments in assessment and treatment of persons in a minimally responsive condition and attends and presents at regional and national conferences related to topics involving the care and treatment of persons who are minimally conscious. We hold meetings at On With Life for the Iowa Brain Injury Association Central Iowa Area Support Group. Many of our staff are Certified Brain Injury Specialists, through the Brain Injury Association of America, and we have our own in-house CBIS-modeled training for professional staff.

Our Services

Our interventions focus on:

• Assessing and treating conditions related to brain injury and its complications;
• Identifying and reducing the risk factors for subsequent traumatic brain injury;
• Maintaining medical stability;
• Maximizing responsiveness;
• Maximizing quality of life;
• Providing services for families/support systems; and
• Preventing secondary complications.

A family book is provided along with educational information related to brain injury and the minimally responsive condition. The specific treatment focuses on:

• Tactile responses;
• Auditory responses;
• Visual responses;
• Gustatory responses;
• Positioning and seating; and
• Maximizing nutritional health.

Our traumatic brain injury team addresses prevention of co morbid complications, deficiencies, deformities, infections, mood disturbances, pain and trauma. On With Life Medical Director, Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine Medical Director, and Consulting Psychiatrist each have specific experience and expertise regarding traumatic brain injury and associated treatment. Owl has a specialty niche, which is not found in most rehabilitation facilities in the country, in working with individuals who are in a coma or minimally responsive condition.

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