Center for Life Skills Receives Grant

People with neurological disorders benefit from IC's Programs

Developed through Ithaca College's School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, the Center for Life Skills at Longview has been providing rehabilitation therapies to area residents suffering from strokes and other chronic neurological disorders. Thanks to a three-year, $264,000 grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, the program at the center is about to be significantly expanded.

"The Center for Life Skills has been in operation for almost two years and has been very successful," says Melinda Cozzolino, IC clinical assistant professor of occupational therapy and project director of the grant. "However, much work needs to be accomplished to enhance the interdisciplinary education component."

Because allied health programs traditionally train students through classroom and lab work as well as clinical experiences focused solely on their own disciplines, students often have few opportunities to learn in settings with other allied health students and faculty, says Cozzolino. "This is particularly inappropriate for preparing students to work with clients who are older adults or neurologically impaired," she adds. "Those individuals tend to suffer from multiple and interrelated health problems that require the intervention of multiple allied health disciplines."

The grant will support a program that involves rural health practitioners as well as faculty and students from the disciplines of occupational therapy, physical therapy, therapeutic recreation, speech-language pathology, audiology, and gerontology. The grant will also strengthen the allied health curriculum in HSHP by offering independent studies, clinical placements, and interdisciplinary seminar courses. The grant supports the development of an instructional manual to help other colleges and universities establish a similar interdisciplinary program.

"Because of limits in health care benefits, clients are often discharged to the community before they reach their maximum level of function," Cozzolino says. "The Center for Life Skills is responding to the increasing evidence that the functioning of chronic stroke patients can improve beyond the prescribed rehabilitation stage. A well-functioning interdisciplinary team of allied health professionals has been proven to decrease costs and increase the efficiency of the health care system."

Located just up the road from IC, Longview is an adult residential facility with 101 independent living apartments and a 60-room licensed adult home. Its partnership with the College has fostered intergenerational collaboration and sharing through various resources, including the Center for Life Skills. See www.ithaca.edu/lifeskills for more information about the fall 2003 sessions for individuals who have experienced a stroke or other neurological disorder.