Advanced Wheelchairs Skills Clinic returns to Banner Good Samaritan

PHOENIX (Sept. 11, 2009) — People who use wheelchairs are invited to attend a series of free clinics to improve wheelchair skills at the Banner Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute in Phoenix. The clinics will run four consecutive Wednesday afternoons in October and are divided into four modules that may be taken together or individually.

The sessions include:

• Oct. 7: Transferring (chair to furniture/bed/vehicle; chair to floor/floor to chair)
• Oct. 14: Bathroom mobility (focus will be on transfers and clothing management in the restroom)
• Oct. 21: Managing your environment (opening and closing doors; operating elevators and escalators; wheelies; curbs; ramps and various terrain)
• Oct. 28: Mechanics of your chair (making adjustments to and general maintenance of your wheelchair)

This series of free clinics will be given at Banner Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institute, 1012 E. Willetta St. (one block south of McDowell Road), Phoenix, AZ, 85006. Each clinic runs from 4-6 p.m. To register for a session or for more information, please call the Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association at (602) 507-4209 or (602) 790-7909.

Shorter hospital and rehabilitation stays may not allow enough time to learn important wheelchair skills. Even those who have used a wheelchair for some time may need to brush-up or learn new skills to remain independent. A lack of wheelchair skills may lead to secondary conditions or isolation because people cannot negotiate their ever-changing environment. These courses are designed to allow people to become more efficient in their wheelchair.

The courses are presented by the Banner Wheelchair Suns Basketball Team, Banner Health and the Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association.

About Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. Banner Good Samaritan is owned and operated by Phoenix-based Banner Health, a nonprofit organization. The hospital was named to the 2009-’10 U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list for Gynecology, Heart & Heart Surgery and Kidney Disorders. Banner Good Samaritan has been recognized as a Magnet™ facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor a hospital can earn for its nursing care and practices, and has been named one of the Best Places to Work in the Valley by The Phoenix Business Journal and BestCompaniesAZ in 2007 and 2008 and one of the “Top 100 Hospitals to Work For” by Nursing Professionals magazine.

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Contact:
Banner Good Samaritan Public Relations
(602) 239-4411