 Calgary Lymphedema Rehabilitation and Consulting Services Inc. offer an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program specializing in assessing and treating lymphatic disorders. All of our therapists are Vodder-trained Lymphedema therapists in addition to being licensed practicing therapists in the province of Alberta. Vodder-training for Complete decongestive therapy (CDT) is the gold training standard for therapists wishing to specialize in treating Lymphedema (PDF file, 9 pages, 91 KB).
Lymphedema therapy is a post-graduate specialization available for interested health care providers. In addition to treating your Lymphedema with CDT, our team offers treatment to address other concerns often associated with Lymphedema.
We offer:
Physiotherapy services: Our Physiotherapist (P.T.) will treat your Lymphedema concerns and other physical issues that may arise. Our client’s with Lymphedema may report issues with: mobility, balance, strength, endurance, and range of motion. Our P.T. will also provide treatment to help improve your quality of life.
Massage therapy: Our licensed holistic practitioner focuses on providing comprehensive Lymphedema treatment to assist in your care of this condition. Our client’s may experience issues with pain and mobility that respond to various soft-tissue healing techniques to assist in recovery and promote your wellness.
Occupational therapy: Our Occupational therapist (O.T.) focuses on treatment of Lymphedema through education, training, and support so you are independent in managing this condition in your daily life. The O.T. is interested in your functional performance in areas of: leisure, work, and self-care activities. The Occupational therapist will work with you to eliminate barriers to your ability to complete these activities, improve your independence, and enhance quality of life.
Our Occupational therapist also completed additional training in aquatic therapy for Lymphedema management. If aquatic therapy is an option for you, our Occupational therapist will work with you to develop a program tailor-suited to meet your needs.
Compression garment fitting services: Our certified fitter has extensive experience with measuring and fitting graduated compression garments, a critical part of managing lymphatic conditions. The garment fitter role extends into providing follow-up, education, and support for each client as they adjust to using these garments. Our garment fitter is available for follow up sessions to ensure appropriate fit, use, and management of Lymphedema. As compression garments need to be regularly replaced, our garment fitter is available to assist you in ordering, and re-measuring as needed. We have access to virtually any Lymphedema compression garments available developed to manage this condition.
Home care visits: Upon your request, our team will provide assessment and treatment services in your home. Many of our client’s are unable to come to our clinic for treatment, or prefer to be seen at home. Home care services are available for Calgary and local surrounding areas. Please note that there is an additional service charge for our drive time based upon returning to the clinic.
Calgary Lymphedema Rehabilitation and Consulting Services offer an interdisciplinary model of care. You may benefit from services from a combination of the above disciplines, based on your needs identified during assessment, or through the program. Our team will collaborate with you to develop a plan of care that best suits your needs and lifestyle. Each plan of care is individually designed based on your concerns and goals.
Assessment process:
- Contact the clinic to schedule an appointment for assessment and contact your physician to complete referral.
- You will be scheduled with a Vodder-trained therapist to complete your assessment. If you would like to be
scheduled with a specific therapist, please let us know and we will schedule accordingly.
- A client questionnaire, client consent to assess and treat, and information about our clinic will be provided prior to starting the assessment. You will need to complete the consent to assessment form prior to starting our session.
- We schedule up to 1.5 hours to complete the assessment with your therapist. We encourage our client’s to bring any questions they have to the assessment. You will also be provided extensive written material about Lymphedema for your review.
- Upon completion of the assessment, your therapist will make recommendations for treatment. Your therapist may wish to follow-up with your physician, or other healthcare provider, prior to starting any treatment.
- You decide how you would like to proceed.
Treatment:
A treatment program will be implemented based on results from the assessment and your feedback during the assessment. Typically treatment sessions run approximately 1 hour, however, can vary from short sessions of 15-30 minutes, to upwards of 2 hours depending on your treatment plan. The number of sessions will vary according to your presentation, although typically our client’s note some improvement within 3-5 treatment sessions.
Treatment will be modified according to your needs. Your therapist co-ordinates your care while in program. You may benefit from treatment from other members of our team to meet your program goals. We will make a recommendation to your physician for compression garment needs.
Our client’s will be discharged after meeting your goals, you plateau in progress, or you elect to end treatment.
Follow-up re-assessment and treatment is encouraged. We encourage periodic follow-up with our team to ensure you continuing to effectively manage your Lymphedema in your daily life.
In addition to treatment and support services, we offer ongoing educational opportunities for both the public, and other health care professionals.
Community Education. Calgary Lymphedema Rehabilitation and Consulting Services, Inc. provide free monthly educational sessions at Tom Baker Cancer Center. This is a 2.5 hour lecture session reviewing Lymphedema treatment, management, and prevention strategies for patients and their friends/family. The primary focus of the session is discussion of Lymphedema associated with Cancer care. However, other causes and medical issues associated with Lymphedema are discussed as well. You do not need to have been diagnosed with Lymphedema to attend this session! A handout and reference materials are provided as part of this session. Please contact Loring Gimbel, Patient Education specialist at Tom Baker Cancer Center to register for the next session. He can be reached at: Ph: 521-3591; E-mail: loringgi@cancerboard.ab.ca.
We are also interested in meeting with various interest groups to provide and in service or educational session on Lymphedema. Please feel free to contact our office if you would like to schedule a session or would like more information.
Healthcare professional education. Calgary Lymphedema Rehabilitation and Consulting Services has had the opportunity to lecture and provide continuing educational opportunities to physician groups, nursing teams, and allied health care professionals in the Calgary Health region and surrounding communities. Our presentation experience includes: Physician Breast Cancer Update, Calgary Health region nursing educational series, Calgary Home care rehabilitation services, and teaching a credited Lymphedema course to the University of Alberta: Department of Occupational therapy. We are always available to schedule an in service to health care providers interested in learning more about treatment and our program. Please contact us if you would like to schedule a time with our team.
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