VIOLENCE
Gao Xingjian, Moon and Wind/Lune et Vent, 2016
THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE and
Rehabilitation in Treating Victims of Violent Crime
Sarah Wagers, MD
A
s a physiatrist, my main goal
for patients is to return them to
their optimal function—phys-
ically, cognitively, emotionally
and socially. At Frazier Rehab
Institute, we see many victims of violent crime.
These patients face many additional challenges
to their recovery process. We see victims of
gunshots, stabbings, assaults, and even assault with a motor vehicle.
We see children who have been physically abused as well.
All of these patients are treated by a team of medical profession-
als that includes the physician, nurse practitioners, nurses, aides,
secretaries, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech
therapists, social workers/case managers, psychologists and pulmo-
nary therapists. Many of the patients come in under an alias due to
the fear that the perpetrator of the crime is still in the community.
While the patients are undergoing rehab, they have to deal with
the added pressures of being a part of the criminal process as well.
Our physical therapists work to get the patients back to their
optimal mobility. For spinal cord or traumatic brain injury patients,
this may mean from a wheel chair level if needed. Our occupational
therapists work to optimize the activities of daily living including
eating, bathing, dressing and toileting. Patients with spinal cord
injuries face special challenges for a neurogenic bowel and blad-
der. Unfortunately, a large number of our patients have sustained
gunshot wounds to the spine. Another frequent area for gunshot
wounds is to the abdomen. These patients frequently end up with
a colostomy. Our speech therapists try to optimize both cognition
and swallowing, especially the patients with head and neck injuries
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AUGUST 2018
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