{"id":36970,"date":"2015-12-15T15:18:04","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T19:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=36970"},"modified":"2015-12-16T14:58:12","modified_gmt":"2015-12-16T18:58:12","slug":"power-cord-members-are-improving-their-health-and-seeing-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2015\/12\/power-cord-members-are-improving-their-health-and-seeing-results\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Cord members are improving their health and seeing results"},"content":{"rendered":"

Community members with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and amputations who have been participating in the Power Cord program at the Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being are seeing physical, functional and psychological benefits.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Members credit a combination of their own commitment and dedication, the exercises customized to their individual needs, as well as the support of Brock\u2019s staff and students for improving their overall health.<\/p>\n

Many members are referred from the Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre as outpatients, says Scott Stevens, Manager for Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a great partnership with the Shaver and they have been very supportive of us,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

Geanine\u00a0Piacenti has multiple sclerosis. She\u00a0was living in an assisted living facility prior to attending\u00a0Power Cord. She had tried to exercise at a number of gym facilities in Niagara, but did not feel she was getting the guidance she needed to be successful and prevent injuries.<\/p>\n

Piacenti and her\u00a0husband maintained 55 acres of property and so she\u00a0was always very active, walking and hiking.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter my diagnosis, I tried a number of fitness clubs. Many of the gyms were busy and I would be left alone. A couple of times, I got stuck on the machines and no one was available to help,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n

When she learned there were Power Cord members with multiple sclerosis who were experiencing promising results, Piacenti asked to be discharged from the Shaver and referred to the Brock-Niagara Centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I work with students one-on-one to practice my posture and the specialized equipment suits my needs. I live on my own now and feel more independent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shawn Klink is another member of the Power Cord program. After a partial leg amputation a few months ago, he is now preparing his body for a prosthetic limb.<\/p>\n

He’s\u00a0had to wait for the surgical incision to heal and all of the swelling to go down before he can be\u00a0fitted for\u00a0a\u00a0new leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy physical condition has been improving, but last month, my doctor at the Shaver told me I wasn\u2019t strong enough. I have been working out every day since. I\u2019m really excited to report, I was re-evaluated and passed with flying colours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for this program, I never would have been able to do this so quickly. I\u2019ve always been really active and I\u2019m a determined person. The accessible equipment here has allowed me to do the exercises I needed to do to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klink expects to be fitted for his new leg in the New Year and will begin rehabilitation soon after. He is excited at the promise of getting back to a normal level of functioning.<\/p>\n

Rick Mason has been with Power Cord since the Brock-Niagara Centre opened and is happy to report he has lost over 70 lbs.\u00a0and is now gaining muscle mass.<\/p>\n

Mason can see the results and feels stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more confident than I was before. I used to worry when going down the street with my wife, if something happened, I wouldn\u2019t be able to protect her. Now, I may be in a chair, but my arms are strong and I\u2019m not afraid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Power Cord program is also an opportunity to exercise and socialize with people who have similar disabilities, said\u00a0Mason.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a big family here and our family is growing. Power Cord is unique in Niagara, without it, we would be scattered all over the city,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Community members with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and amputations who have been participating in the Power Cord program at the Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being are seeing physical, functional and psychological benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":36971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,3319,1],"tags":[831,3650,3649,3651],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36970"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36970"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37000,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36970\/revisions\/37000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}