INSTRUCTORS: Kit Malia & Anne Brannagan
'Despite the emphasis often placed upon physical deficits during the early stages of recovery from severe brain injury, it is cognitive and behavioural defects that give rise to the morbidity and most impair the capacity to return to work and maintain social activities. By 5 years after injury, deficits in memory, information processing, structuring and planning are often still evident'.

British Society for Rehabilitation Medicine Report (1998)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This one day interactive workshop is suitable for physiotherapists working with adults who have cognitive problems following brain injury.

The course presents a practical model within which to understand cognitive problems in the physiotherapy environment. The workshop format encourages the development of practical activities that can be put into practice within the department.

AIMS:

• To define cognition
• To provide a practical cognitive framework
• To increase therapists’ understanding of cognitive problems and how these impact on physical function
• To provide practical ideas that physical therapists can implement
• To demonstrate how physical therapy sessions can be used to treat cognitive problems

Programme:

INTRODUCTION 10:00am

Why run this course? Defining cognition. The 5 cognitive modules – attention, visual processing, information processing, memory & executive functions. Metacognition. Identifying the impact of cognitive problems on physical rehabilitation. The 4 approaches to treating cognitive problems.

Coffee 11:00am

ATTENTION & INFORMATION PROCESSING SKILLS 11:20am

Defining attention. The 5 levels of attention. The importance of attention. Understanding what it is like to have attention problems. Defining information processing. The relationship to memory and organisation skills. Capacity, speed and control. Recognising information processing problems.

Break 12:00pm

ATTENTION/INFORMATION PROCESSING AND THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST 12:10pm

Ordering motor tasks according to cognitive demands. Evidence from published articles. Concept of resource competition and overload. Conscious versus automatic skills. What this means for the day to day practice of physiotherapy. Practical organisation and treatment strategies to incorporate rehabilitation of attention and information processing deficits into the physiotherapy department.

Lunch 1:00pm

VISUAL PROCESSING/MEMORY AND THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST 2:00pm

Defining visual processing. Hierarchical visual processing model. Understanding what it is like to have a visual processing problem. Visual processing and the PT. Defining memory. The 5 processes involved in memory. Memory and the PT – practical suggestions.

Break 2:50pm

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST 3:00pm

Defining executive functions. Suggestions for the PT to use in helping develop executive functions.

Coffee 3:30pm

REVIEW OF OWN PRACTICE 4:00pm

In small groups time is spent reviewing practice. How will you alter practice to take account of cognitive problems? How could you structure physiotherapy sessions to improve cognitive deficits? Practical demonstration of how physical skills can be used to treat cognitive deficits.

FINISH 5:00pm

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