Course Description
Sensory Rehabilitation following Stroke: Neuroscience Foundations, Evidence and Application to Clinical Practice
Leeanne Carey, BAppSc(OT), PhD, FAOTA, FOTARA
and the Neurorehabilitation and Recovery research team
Upskilling for evidence – your time, your pace.
SENSe ONLINE is designed introduce you an evidence based approach to sensory rehabilitation following stroke – founded on neuroscience, evidence and application in clinical practice.
I hope through SENSe Online that you will gain a greater appreciation of the impact of sensory loss following stroke and the potential for recovery and rehabilitation. That you will gain new knowledge of current evidence as well as the skills to be able to implement it and problem solve how you will apply the principles in the context of your daily practice.
Professor Leeanne Carey, PhD, FAOTA, FOTARA
Copyright
- Please note the online materials and workbook are provided for personal use by participants in the online program titled: Sensory Rehabilitation following Stroke: Neuroscience Foundations, Evidence and Application to Clinical Practice.
- The text and images included are not to be copied or used without the permission of the author Dr Leeanne Carey.
- Additional resources provided that are related to assessment and training are also the property of Dr Carey and are not to be copied or used other than for personal study.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Dr Leeanne Carey is the originator of and leads the development and testing of SENSe Assess and SENSe Therapy.
A training manual and equipment are now available for purchase as part of an evidence-based assessment and training unit from a not-for-profit organisation (Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and La Trobe University). Dr Carey does not receive any financial benefit from sale of the unit.
Your SENSe Online Team
Professor Leeanne Carey
Professor Carey is the lead developer of the SENSe approach to help stroke survivors regain a sense of touch. She is recognised as a world leader in evidence-based rehabilitation and translation of neuroscience to stroke rehabilitation. She is a Professor of Occupational Therapy, School of Allied Health, La Trobe University and Head of the Neurorehabilitation and Recovery research group in Stroke, at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Australia.
Yvonne Mak-Yuen
Yvonne Mak-Yuen is an Occupational Therapist working clinically and in research. She is the Assessor Lead for the SENSe Program of Research, and her studies focus on the development and trialing of standardised quantitative somatosensory assessments (SENSe Assess) used in clinical settings for adult stroke survivors.
Doctor Brendon Haslam
Brendon Haslam is a physiotherapist working clinically and in research. He is the Clinical Lead for the SENSe Program of Research, where his role includes training and ongoing support for research therapists in SENSe Therapy. Brendon has a particular research interest in chronic pain and the contributing role that somatosensory function may play in this condition following stroke.
Anna Joy
Anna Joy is an Occupational Therapist working clinically and in research. She is the Lead for the SENSe Online Program of Research, and her studies focus on the use of online learning to upskill clinicians working in stroke rehabilitation. Anna has a particular interest in innovative mechanisms to support evidence-based practice.
Goals & Objectives
Overall Learning Objectives (Module 1)
Following the SENSe ONLINE program you should be able to:
- appreciate the nature of sensory loss following stroke
- appreciate the functional impact of sensory loss following stroke
- articulate the neuroscience foundations for SENSe Therapy
- be aware of new standardized assessments
Overall Learning Objectives (Module 2)
- know how to assess for somatosensory impairment using the
- Tactile Discrimination Test,
- Wrist Position Sense Test and
- functional Tactile Object Recognition Test.
- observe and structure a functional activity to assess the presence and functional implications of sensory impairment in a client.
Overall Learning Objectives (Module 3)
- explain the rationale and neuroscience foundations for SENSe Therapy
- articulate the principles underlying SENSe Therapy
- apply SENSe therapy principles in a range of sensory stimuli – i.e. component training of texture, limb position sense and object recognition
- apply newly researched sensory retraining methods to a range of occupational tasks – i.e. occupation based training
Overall Learning Objectives (Module 4)
- apply evidence-based principles of sensory retraining in the context of functional, client-centred activities.
- plan an evidence-based approach to assessment and SENSe Therapy treatment program for a client
- adopt an evidence-based approach to assessment and rehabilitation of sensory loss following stroke
Course Content Overview
Within SENSe Online, there are 4 modules:
Each module is designed to cover 2-2.30 hours of online content to focus your learning. However, delivery of SENSe involves not only knowledge, but also skill and clinical application.
We therefore encourage you to intersperse your learning with reflection, practice of skills, and application to practice. We will help guide you with questions and opportunities to enhance your learning.
Course Structure
The course structure is as follows:
The structure of the course is that each of the four modules contains several lessons. Each lesson will take a maximum of 1 hour to complete. The lessons and approximate time to complete each lesson is detailed in the diagram below.
Therapists can choose when to engage in the course within the structure outlined. Several of the lessons guide the therapist to develop skills in use of the SENSe assessment and therapy equipment. It is encouraged that therapists work through the course, especially these sessions, with a buddy and the SENSe equipment at hand.
Sessions where the SENSe equipment and a buddy are recommended are indicated with the sense logo.
Time Commitment
It is recommended that clinicians allow the same amount of time as the formal learning modules again to practice their skills. For example, with the SENSe Assessment modules will take 2.25 hours to complete online. It would be expected that clinicians spend an additional 2.25 hours consolidating their learning. Clinicians can choose how they wish to structure their learning, as it all happens in their own time.
The total time commitment for SENSe Online training is:
- 9 hours formal online training modules
- 9 hours practice / check in zooms with expert trainers
= 18 hours total commitment
Workbook
Here is the workbook that you can print out, or save to your computer, and use both during the online training, and to support your clinical practice:
SENSe Online Workbook Eastern Health