Grant Recipient
James Tallon
History
James Tallon is a 33-year-old male diagnosed with encephalopathy in 2013 resulting in movement disorder with freezing gait, severe dysarthria, coordination impairments and probable cognitive impairments. He has been receiving PT for motor skills and OT for vital stim and advance ADLS. He lives alone with support from his mother; he is non-verbal due to breath control and apraxia. A very talented young man, he is motivated and committed to his therapy. From his University of Michigan physician, “Remarkably, Mr. Tallon has been enjoying significant improvements over the last six months with ongoing therapies, including improvements in coordination, spasticity, strength, endurance, speech, and swallowing following treatment at The Recovery Project. If there is any mechanism by which he could continue his therapies, I recommend that he do so to capitalize on his recent progress.” Available Medicare benefits have been exhausted.
Action
The Board of Directors of the Mary and Charles A. Parkhill Foundation for Spinal Cord Rehabilitation unanimously approved James for 16 Physical Therapy visits, 16 Occupational Therapy and 12 Speech Therapy visits.
Summary of Progress
James started PT, OT, and speech in May of 2017. In physical therapy, he utilized functional electrical stimulation (FES) and body weight supported treadmill training, helping him increase his walking speed and distance. James also made excellent improvements in his standing balance, giving him more confidence and adaptability with walking, leading to performance of more functional tasks while standing. In speech therapy he utilized VitalStim FES combined with specific techniques and strategies to improve swallowing. Through hard work and devotion to his home exercise program, James began to speak more clearly with less frequent use of his assistive communication device. James and his occupational therapists worked to address safety and coordination during functional tasks. He and his family report they are continually striving to involve James in the community and become more
independent at home.