Media Contact: Sandra Van Telephone: 1-800-396-1002 [email protected]
LOS ANGELES (April 1, 1999) -- For seven rehabilitation patients from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, an upcoming visit to the Van Gogh exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will be much more than a journey into the world of art. The April 7 outing is also something of a maiden voyage -- navigated with wheelchairs and canes -- into a new land of handicapped-accessible ramps and routes. For these patients, who have suffered strokes, spinal cord and brain injuries and other disabling disorders, this community visit is an important first step in their re-entry into normal life.
"Patients respond better out of the hospital and in a community setting, where they see they can live normally," explains Rickann Clapp, a recreational therapist with Inpatient Rehabilitation who plans and coordinates such outings as part of the community re-integration program. "Patients realize, 'I can go to this museum again,' and it really helps to build their confidence and sense of independence."
The tour to this immensely popular exhibit, "Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam," has been several months in the planning. Rickann's group was on a waiting list and was finally selected to visit the "barrier-free" institution, an essential feature she researches prior to any community excursion. These outings also include trips to the park, movies, malls, the Getty Museum and city functions as well as home visits.
"It can be really tough to go out in the community in a wheelchair for the first time," explained Rickann. "Just crossing the street is a huge difference. You're looking at headlights, which can be very traumatic. And other people aren't watching out for wheelchairs, because they're used to viewing everyone at eye level."
The community re-integration program helps ease patients into this new setting by emphasizing safety and awareness of handicapped-accessible features and facilities. Though some of these patients may become more mobile with time, their use of a wheelchair or other aid is a necessary component of their recovery.
When Los Angeles resident LynneMarie Maloney, who has multiple sclerosis, was hospitalized last September, she learned how meaningful those community visits were.
"Without those outings, I wouldn't have known how to use a wheelchair," she said, recalling trips to the movies, Hollywood Bowl and Car Museum. "I learned how to get around and, emotionally, it lifted my spirits not to be stuck in the hospital or at home."
LynneMarie now volunteers time to Inpatient Rehabilitation in an effort to help others on the unit, which specializes in caring for patients recovering from strokes and brain injuries as well as other disabling conditions. The typical stay in the unit is two to three weeks, and then patients return home with the appropriate resources and support.
"It was hard at first," LynneMarie remembered of her first ventures into the world with a wheelchair. "It was interesting to see all the different ways you can get around in a wheelchair but, at the same, you also see all the obstacles."
Viewing the Van Gogh exhibit is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of the rehab patients, said Kurt Vaillancourt, Acute Rehab Admissions/Community Development Coordinator.
"Some of our patients would never have the opportunity to go to such an exhibit for any number of reasons, including financial concerns or physical limitations," he explained. "This kind of experience is very exciting to patients -- they learn to deal with a new disability in a way that's a real bridge to wellness."
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