Working together to support ill and injured soldiers
by Jen Seipp, Communications Advisor
The 2011 Advanced Skills Training Clinic united civilian and military service providers under a common goal: advance the physical capabilities and confidence of ill and injured soldiers, and thereby improve their quality of life.
Funded by the Soldier On Program, the clinic brought 14 Canadian Forces personnel from each of the eight Joint Personnel Support Units across the country to Ottawa. PSP Regional Adaptive Fitness Specialists (dubbed “RAFS”) and Canadian Forces physiotherapists and occupational therapists led the participants through three days of workshops and exercises, with the event culminating in all participants running, walking and wheeling across the finish line in the Army Run. To ensure a holistic approach to the training, the Soldier On Fund also sponsored each participant to bring along a support person who provides assistance with daily activities as well as sports and fitness.
“The aim of the clinic was to work with ill and injured personnel to help advance their skills in a safe, supportive environment,” said Dan Bourgoin, PSP National Fitness Coordinator. “From a training perspective, it was also valuable for us to bring together staff members from PSP, Soldier On, and the Canadian Forces to learn from each other and strengthen our partnerships.”
The event began on September 13, when all participants attended a meet-and-greet session with a key note address from Doug Smith, a former NHL player who overcame an accident that left him quadriplegic to eventually regain his physical and athletic capabilities.
Building on this inspiring example, over the next three days the participants tested their own limits as the physiotherapists and the RAFS took them through a variety of fitness evaluations, circuit and core training, and pool sessions. Special activities were also organized throughout the week, such as a Wheelchair Skills Clinic and a demonstration of Paralympic adapted fitness equipment.
One of the clinic’s highlights was a chance to try a new rehabilitative technology called a CAREN, or Computer-Assisted Rehabilitation ENvironment system. A state-of-the-art virtual reality system, the CAREN was purchased through a partnership between the Department of National Defence and the Ottawa Hospital. The CAREN helps users to regain physical and mental skills with a system that is part skill-testing video game, and part moving platform and motion sensor, all of which work together to challenge the user’s mobility, balance, coordination and other skills.
The CAREN features scenarios such as steering a sailboat, walking or running through a forest with changing elevation, and driving a car through an obstacle course. Each of the scenarios is designed to be a fun, challenging way to strengthen multiple skills at once. The Canadian Forces personnel who used the system commented on how great it was to break from the routine with non-traditional exercises.
“I think the whole week was really great,” said Véronique Côté, the RAFS for Valcartier. “I found there was a good cohesion in the group – there was healthy competition, and everyone was very supportive. In Valcartier, we work well together locally but to see everyone come together nationally, it was even better.”
After three days of intense training, clinic participants had a day to rest before testing their newly strengthened skills at the Army Run on 18 September. Under clear blue skies and perfect race conditions, all 14 ill and injured personnel and eight RAFS made it across the finish line in the 5K or half marathon events. They joined 16 000 other runners who took to the pavement to show their support for the troops and to raise money for the Soldier On and Military Families Funds.
For more information about PSP Fitness and Soldier On, visit www.cfpsa.com.