SCI Guide

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation: Assistive Technology Apps Guide

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:05:46 EST

The Reeves Foundation has put together a guide list of useful apps for those using technologies like the iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry. The apps can be used to find public transportation, record fluid intake, dictate communications and record your medical instructions for emergency situations.

Eight categories are listed in this helpful guide:

Assistive Technology

Entertainment & Gaming

Facing Disability

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:15:56 EST

The Facing Disability site contains more than 1000 videos of those with an SCI and their families. There are links to an interactive SCI map , experts in the SCI field such as an MD, a wound nurse and an expert on transitioning from hospital to home. Further links give the user access to a blog with extensive reading and a link to resources on the web such as government programs, medical research, SCI facts and figures plus much more.

Institute of Spinal Cord Injury

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:09:43 EST

This site was recommended by a male family member of an SCI patient. The site focuses on new developments in SCI research and features a database in five [5] languages of SCI information gathered from around the world. It is relevant to all levels of SCI including the newly injured. The institute is new and is hindered due to lack of funding.

In the upper left corner of the home page there is a red box with links to About Us, You can help, and their Press Kit in six languages including English. In the center of the page there are symbol links to About Us, International Database on SCI and also You can help.

There is also a link to their Facebook page.

Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Foundation: How to Pick A Rehab

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:18:48 EST

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Foundation site is a Best Of The Best website; this part of the site was recommended by a female SCI professional.

This section of the website is excellent for all levels of SCI/D regarding the choice of a rehabilitation center. The information answers the general rehab questions for the newly injured and/or their families. However, it lacks links to other resources.

Above the article there are three [3] useful page functions

1] the path of the route to the article.

2] options to enlarge or reduce text size, print or share this article.

3] two [2] tabs, the one you are reading turns red –the left tab titled Overview/How to Pick a Rehab contains the article.

The right tab titled Resources lists resources for SCI/D patients and / or family and those caring for SCI/D patients.

There is also a link to a free resource book (in English or Spanish) on the site for anyone with an SCI/D.

Fact Sheet: Spinal Cord Injury and The VA

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:10:57 EST

This site/page was recommended by female SCI professional. It contains information on the 23 VA Spinal Cord Injury Centers and how to contact them for acute care and SCI rehab as well as sustaining care for eligible Veterans as many veterans are unaware they are eligible for VA SCI Center care.

The page contains information on what an SCI is, compensation for veterans with and SCI, Health Care for Veterans with SCI, Research, National Recreational Events, Bringing Research to Treatment, and Continuing Education. At the lower portion of the page there is a list of 23 VA Spinal Cord Injury Centers and how to contact them for acute care and SCI rehab as well as sustaining care for eligible Veterans.

These benefits are only available for USA veterans or active duty personnel.

In the upper right corner of the page are options to save the page as a Word document or a PDF.

Paralyzed Veterans of America

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:53:32 EST

This site is recommended by a female SCI professional and is the site of the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine, an on-line resource for US veterans and civilians seeking information on SCI/D and membership information. It is good for all levels of SCI including those newly injured and can be read either in English or Spanish.

There is much information and many links available on this well laid out site such as: an overview of an SCI, Sports and Recreation, Accessible Design, Disability Rights and much more.

One highlight is their free Consortium materials and publications on SCI related topics such as:

Sexuality & Reproductive Health in Adults with an SCI

Respiratory Management after an SCI

Bladder Management for Adults with SCI

Outcomes Following a Traumatic SCI

Prevention of Thrombo-Embolism in SCI

and many more SCI related topics.

Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine: Consumer Guides

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:45:18 EST

This site was recommended by a female SCI professional. It is an invaluable resource for anyone with any level of SCI including the newly injured, their family and caregivers.

The center of the page features free books and / or on-line downloads(PDF’s) of the consumer versions of professional clinical practice guidelines from the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine. Some topics addressed are Sexuality and Reproductive Health, Autonomic Dysreflexia, Depression, Pressure Ulcers and numerous others. On the left side of the page you can choose to order these publications in Spanish.

The site is limited to these publications.

Professional consumer guides are also available from the PVA .

RxList

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:26:12 EST

This site was recommended by a female SCI professional and is an excellent resource for information about medications/drugs in the USA. It provides easy-to-read drug information sheets for consumers and professionals. The information is good for all but is restricted to medications/drugs available in the USA.

At top of page are links for Drugs A-Z, Pill Identifier, Supplements, Diseases, Conditions and Tests , Drug Medical Dictionary and more as well as to use the "search" tool box in the top center of the page.

Table Manners and Beyond

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:21:00 EST

Recommended by a female SCI professional. This website provides guidelines for women with various disabilities to instruct their health-care providers doing pelvic exams how to accommodate their disabilities as many women with disabilities get little or no gynecological care due to lack of access or attitudinal barriers. It has, however, not been updated in some time. The SCI Guide editors have not found much information on this topic online, so it is worth listing here nonetheless!

Table of contents

LIFE Center at RIC

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:05:23 EST

Recommended by a female consumer and Occupational Therapist at Life Center at RIC.

A thorough site which is good for all levels of SCI and general disability. It covers the basics as well as specific topics ranging from Autonomic Dysreflexia and spasticity as well as other medical issues to home modifications, financial resources, caregivers, recreation, Also listed are community and national organizations related to SCI care and research.

On the home page you choose a Health Care Topic from the list on the right side, then a page of links related to that topic is presented. After selecting a particular link the information can be filtered by Health Condition such as SCI, Age and Gender which gets you sites more relevant to them.

Information is available in a variety of formats such as information-videos, website links and fact sheets. It has a ‘’search’’ feature in the upper right corner of every page, and lets you choose ‘’printer friendly’’ formatting to print whatever resource you are viewing.

National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC)

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:17:25 EST

Review by an SCI professional:
NARIC is an "online gateway to an abundance of disability and rehabilitation-oriented information". The website provides valuable resources for people living with any disability as well as researchers and healthcare professionals. According to their website, they've collected over 75,000 resources including listings of organizations and agencies, internet resources, reports, and publications.

Care Cure Community

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:22:05 EST

Best of the Best Site for Online Communication:
This website combines an active online community of individuals with spinal cord injury with informative medical and scientific research done by Dr. Wise Young, a renowned authority in the field of SCI. Dr. Young often contributes to and/or moderates online discussion. You can access his articles here: Articles by Dr. Wise Young.

There are over 70 forums on the site and you can switch the subjects by scrolling to the bottom of the page and choosing your interest from the Forum Jump drop down menu. Some of the Forums include:

Qualified SCI-Nurses can answer any medical or other questions you may have in the Care Forum, New SCI Forum, Relationships and Sexuality Forum, Transverse Myelitis & Atraumatic SCI, and other forums.
There are also Caregiving, Equipment and Exercise Forums.
The Cure Forum contains comprehensive and up-to-date news on curing spinal cord injury.
The Research Forums lists abstracts of the latest scientific articles on brain injury & stroke, neurodegeneration, multiple sclerosis, neuropathic pain, spinal cord injury, stem cells, and tranverse myelitis.
Other good forums to check out are: Clinical Trials, Equipment & Services, Doctors & Clinics.

One important caution is that although the administrators and moderators of CareCure Forums will attempt to keep all objectionable messages off this forum, there still may be content that is offensive to some. However, for the site’s many users, this is far outweighed by the advantages of online communication with people with sustained injuries like them: “The nice thing about the internet is that all of us SCI victims are just an email away.”

Sports News

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:55:15 EST

ESPN provides comprehensive sports coverage and complete sports information, including NFL, MLB, NBA, College Football, and College Basketball scores and news.

Financial News

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:52:32 EST

NOTE: The sites in this section have very similar purpose and structure, so it doesn’t really make sense for them each to have their own review. Instead, we list what the purpose of the site is as the title (above), and then just list each of the sites and their description.

Please add to this list! Click on “Submit Your Own Review”, give an Overall Score to your site (because that one’s mandatory!), and put the site name, link, and description in the Comments section.

Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal Online is a compliment to the international daily newspaper. The Journal specializes in buisiness and finance and features the Jones 'Average,' the first of several indexes of stock and bond prices on the New York Stock Exchange.

General News

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:45:55 EST

NOTE: The sites in this section have very similar purpose and structure, so it doesn’t really make sense for them each to have their own review. Instead, we list what the purpose of the site is as the title (above), and then just list each of the sites and their description.

Please add to this list! Click on “Submit Your Own Review”, give an Overall Score to your site (because that one’s mandatory!), and put the site name, link, and description in the Comments section.

New York Times
The New York Times offers the same services online that it does in its print version: top stories, news you can use, puzzles, job listings and more. While it does have some news local to New York, it covers national news as well.

USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper, known for synthesizing news down to easy-to-read-and-comprehend stories.

CNN

CNN’s online site, where individuals can get local and national news, developing stories, political updates and more.

National Public Radio (NPR)

NPR is a public radio station that is an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming funded by its listeners. Its website has the same quality content, so is worth visiting!

Slate

Slate.com is an online daily newspaper known for its “strong editorial voice and witty take on current events.” Includes news in many fields, including News and Politics, Arts and Life, Sports, and Health and Science.