Tag Archives: boston

ESPN, Ben Affleck To Honor father-son team Hoyt, Yes You Can

Actor Ben Affleck is set to present an award for perseverance to a father-son team who have competed together in more than 1,000 races despite the younger man’s severe disabilities.

Rick Hoyt, 51, has cerebral palsy and is unable to use his hands or legs. But with the help of a custom-made wheelchair steered by his father — Dick Hoyt, 73 — he’s blazed through finish lines at triathlons, marathons and other endurance events for over 30 years.

Now the duo, known as Team Hoyt, will be honored at the ESPYS, an awards show presented by ESPN highlighting the best in sports for the year. Affleck a Boston, MA native will present the Hoyts with the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the event July 17, ESPN said.

The Hoyts had indicated that this year’s Boston Marathon would be their last. But after bombs exploded at the event when the men were just one mile shy of the finish line, they vowed to compete again next year. ESPN indicated that the Hoyts’ commitment to race again is testament to the pair’s “determination in the face of adversity.”

“Rick and I are grateful to be receiving this award,” said Dick Hoyt. “Our motto is ‘Yes You Can’ and we strive to always persevere even when others tell you that it cannot be done.”

Need help selling a wheelchair van in New England?

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I want to sell my wheelchair van can you help? Yes we can!

We will buy your late model clean wheelchair van.

Need help selling your wheelchair van? We can help with that too.

Wheelchair Van Classifieds can offer a “for sale by owner” approach but, at the same time, do not afford a personal interaction with a trained mobility sales expert, we do.

Let us do all the hard work and sell your wheelchair vehicle for you through our New England network of sales professionals dedicated to ensuring people looking to buy handicap vans and adapted vehicles get something thats going to work for them.

Sure you can try and sell your used accessible vehicle in a online classifieds by creating an account and creating your classified ads listing.

VMi New England, Bridgewater, MA offers a mobility classifieds listing service for free on all vans we take on consignment to sell for you, in which we handle the sales process for your adapted vehicle. Learn more about having us sell your wheelchair van or other handicapped vehicles at our state of the art mobility center.

We accept all quality, serviceable mobility vehicles for consignment used Braun handicap van classifieds, pre-owned VMI mobility vans, and even used Rollx and AMS wheelchair vans, and all other brands of accessible vehicles.

We can get consumers financed that other wise would not be able to buy your van.

Have more questions? Give our mobility experts a call today at 508-607-6006 to ask more about our “consignment program” handicap minivans.

Find used handicap vans and accessible vehicles for sale in our online mobility classifieds. Shop our nationwide selection consignment vehicles sold through VMi New England. Included in our wheelchair van classifieds are adapted cars, trucks, SUVs, full-size vans, minivans, and other professionally modified vehicles for the disabled or elderly. Find pre-owned conversion minivans from, Braun Entervan (Braunability), Vantage Mobility (VMI) Northstar and Summit, Eldorado, Amerivan, IMS ramp vans and even AMS Vans, Rollx vans, and more.

Previous customers of VMi New England and Automotive Innovations receive a complimentary mobility equipment inspection and minor repairs free when contracting with us to sell you used wheelchair van

We are also happy to accept trade-ins toward the purchase of any new or used handicap accessible van.

spinal cord injury rehabilitation program new england

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Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program

Early rehabilitation treatment is critical to help patients achieve their fullest potential following a spinal cord injury. At New England Rehabilitation Hospital patients learn how to adapt and return to a normal life. Patients learn how to avoid complications and increase independence. New England Rehabilitation Hospital is pleased to offer a primary care practice for individuals with spinal cord injuries. This program provides individuals with spinal cord injury a community based physician that has the expertise and commitment to care for their special needs on an ongoing and proactive basis.

The Spinal Cord Injury Team of experienced clinicians at New England Rehabilitation Hospital may include some or all of the following professionals dependent on the patient’s individual needs:

The Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Team Consists of:

New England Rehabilitation Hospital’s Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program is designed to help individuals maximize their functional abilities so they can successfully return to the community. This goal is accomplished through development of an individualized treatment plan for each patient by the interdisciplinary staff. New England Rehabilitation Hospital advocates for involvement of the family in all aspects of care, and ensures patient/family education, support and participation in life care planning. New England Rehabilitation Hospital is fortunate to have the Greater Boston Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association at the hospital. The chapter is an invaluable asset in the rehabilitation and support of individuals with spinal cord injury.

Physiatrist (a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation) Board Certified in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
Psychiatrist
Nurses specializing in 24-Hour Rehabilitation Nursing
Occupational Therapist
Physical Therapist
Speech Language Pathologist
Case Manager
Benefits specialist
Dietician
Other medical specialties to include;
- Neurologist
- Neuropsychologist
- ENT
- Oncologist
- Pulmonologist
- Infectious Disease Specialist
- Wound Specialist

Program Components

The Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program components include:

24-Hour Rehabilitation nursing to address wound management, pain management, reinforce acquired functional skills, to assist with education of the patient and family.
Intensive and Individualized, goal-oriented treatment plans
Functional Approach to Activities of Daily Living and Community Re-entry
Availability of State-of-the-Art rehabilitation technology to include:
- AutoAmbulator (partial weight support treadmill training)
- Bioness H200 (Functional Electrical Stimulation)
- Bioness L300 (Functional Electrical Stimulation)
- Adaptive equipment for phone, computer and other aspects of communication.
Specialized insurance benefits coordination and management
Family conferences, education and support
Comprehensive case management discharge planning
Nutritional management
Daily Living Skills Training
Community Re-Entry Program
Splinting and Orthotics
Sexual Counseling
Educational Series
Driving Evaluation Program, as well as referrals to vendors for access and training to adaptive driving equipment.
Therapeutic Pool (Woburn only, 96 degrees)
Comprehensive Outpatient Services/Clinics including access to a physiatrist who specialize in the care of individuals with spinal cord injury.

Benefits Management and Coordination

An illness or injury may affect a person’s capacity for returning to work. If one of our patients is likely to be unable to return to work for a short or extended period, New England Rehabilitation Hospital offers the services of a Benefits Specialist to help the patient and family with practical matters of income replacement and health insurance concerns. The Benefits Specialist addresses such matters as: filing for Family and Medical Leave, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Social Security Disability, MassHealth and COBRA assistance. The Benefits Specialist is also able to address social concerns of emergency aid for those persons who may not have worked prior to the injury or illness.

New England Rehabilitation Hospital recognizes the importance of assisting patients back to their homes, communities and places of work. The benefits service is dedicated to achieving those goals by helping patients and families navigate through disability benefits systems and by providing support to patients and families as they go through this often difficult and confusing process. Many patients have commented that they would not have known “where to begin” and that this service completes their overall rehabilitation.

New England Rehab Offers Elder Assist Clinic

New England Rehabilitation Hospital in conjunction with the Senior Resource Center (SRC) now offers complimentary, weekly Elder Assist Clinics in Woburn. These pre-registered private appointments with SRC’s Eldercare Nurse Attorneys help patients and their families with important issues, to include:

How to pay for current and long term health care needs
How to protect your home and your hard assets
Advice on estate planning

These clinics serve as a bridge in helping New England Rehabilitation Hospital patients and their families deal with transition needs for a safe and timely discharge home, to a skilled nursing facility, or an assisted living facility.

Senior Resource Center, Inc. is a full-service eldercare planning advisory group, supporting seniors and their families throughout Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire.

New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center

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The New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center (NERSCIC) has developed a long and distinguished history of care, research, education, and service to people with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the New England region. NERSCIC Network headquarters is located at the Boston University Medical Campus, with Network members Gaylord Hospital and Hospital for Special Care located in CT.

The NERSCIC Network serves as an advocate and resource for patients; their families, friends, and caregivers; and health care professionals throughout New England. Our goal is to improve the health and function of people with SCI throughout the lifespan through innovative science and technology in three areas:

1. Consumer-focused Rehabilitation Research, which focuses on topics for people with SCI, such as health care self advocacy training, better ways to measure functioning, and which wheelchairs have the most breakdowns. Learn more about how to participate in studies.

2. Comprehensive, State-of-the-Art Care

NERSCIC offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient SCI care available through Gaylord Hospital and the Hospital for Special Care in CT.
NERSCIC is leading the development and dissemination of a uniform New England Standard of Care (NESoC) for SCI, a first-ever collaborative effort among area facilities with SCI expertise. Its goal is to enhance learning opportunities for professionals and ensure that all people receive the same level of care throughout New England.

3. Education and Collaboration

In 2012, NERSCIC unveiled a new Consumer Education Program called “Knowledge in Motion,” in partnership with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and modeled after the Stepping Forward- Staying Informed program pioneered by NERSCIC.
The Rehabilitation Research Roundtable joins together leaders of the local SCI community to collaborate on a common research and corresponding service and advocacy agenda.

This Fourth Of July, Show Veterans Your Gratitude

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Although we should show our gratitude every chance we get, the Fourth of July is an especially profound time to thank the nation’s military community for their sacrifices and for our freedom.

And our current and ongoing support is crucial, given statistics such as the fact that the the vet unemployment rate is hovering at 6.6 percent .

Show your patriotism this Fourth of July by checking out the organizations below and supporting vets in need:

Unemployed Vets
Hire Heroes USA
Hire Heroes USA helps train and advise veterans in order to help them find jobs. The organization reports that it finds nine veterans a job each week. This July 4th – with the help of MedAssets, a health care management company – golfer Carl Meyers will host and play in the the 6th annual “100 Holes For Our Heroes” golf tournament to raise funds and awareness for Hire Heroes USA. To learn more about how you can help out, click here.

Military Families
National Military Families Association
NMFA is a nonprofit committed to providing military service members and their families with much-needed financial and educational support. This Independence Day, the organization is encouraging Americans to send eCards to military families commemorating them on their service and sacrifice. On the Fourth of July, TravelCenters of America will also be hosting a donation drive to benefit the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple Program. To learn more about how you can help out, click here.

Homeless Vets:
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
NCHV is a nonprofit that helps fund and offer administrative support for various local, state, and federal agencies in order to provide veterans with housing, food, health services, and employment opportunities. To learn more about how you can help out, click here.

Vets Struggling With Mental Health Issues
Veterans Crisis Line
With about 22 veteran suicides occurring each day, it is important that veterans receive adequate mental health and support services. The Veterans Crisis Line provides veterans with private 24-hour hotlines, online chatrooms, and text services to connect them to VA professionals who will consult them and sometimes perform suicide rescues. To learn more about how you can help out, click here.

Military Spouses
Hearts of Valor (formerly known as Wounded Warrior Wives)
This organization sponsors retreats for the spouses of wounded veterans to both relax and also discuss the challenges that they experience caring for their significant other.To learn more about how you can help out, click here.

Young Vets
Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Of America
IAVA empowers and improves the lives of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with programs that support their health care, employment, and educational needs. To learn more about how you can help out, click here.

Vets With Disabilities
Disabled American Veterans
DAV employs hundreds of service officers nationwide to help struggling veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve from various government agencies – most notably the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more about how you can help out, click here.