8 May 8, 1997
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f .'"Jr5fjli j Therapist Cathey Kahlie massages a patients knee as part of her treatment.
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Marti Rai works with Anita Davis to stretch her muscles while using . ,,f VV ' i 1 ?' ,1
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Recreation Department staff
Beginning a year ago Marti Rai
Wells, Shauna Queahpama and Scott
Moses have been receiving on-the-job
training to become Physical
Therapy Aides for the Warm Springs
Physical Therapy Program. The three
Recreation Department employees
were told that Physical Therapy was
to begin at Warm Springs and that
they were going to be a part of it.
They began their training with a
tour of the Physical Therapy facility
in Bend, Oregon and then participated
in in-service training. They
completed a terminology class before
they began on-the-job training. It has
been a great learning experience for
the three employees. A large part of
their training is on-the-job by
Physical Therapy Assistant Susan
Sagnemini who comes to Warm
Springs every Tuesday.
In their duties, the three aides
learned to prepare patches for
inflammatory electrical stimulation,
they do ultra sounds, massages, hot
and cold packs, use of gym
equipment, theraband and theraputty.
They learned manual traction and to
use a traction machine as well. They
learned to use care with each patient
Physical Therapy Program in Warm Springs for one year
Before construction began on the
Health & Wellness Center, the idea
of physical therapy was brought to
the attention of the Tribal Health &
Wellness Committee by Fran Moses
Ahern. People from the reservation
were traveling to Madras, Redmond
and Bend for physical therapy two to
three times a week. It was felt that
they were not being treated favorably
and needed more thorough treatment.
At the time that it was brought to
the committee's attention Marie
Moses was Director of Managed
Care. Fran, Marie and Joey Ortiz
would sit and talk about what a
"wonderful" Physical Therapy
Program Warm Springs could have.
Moses-Ahern's goal for Physical
Therapy Program was to have
patients come in and learn to make
themselves stronger in a rehab and
exercise program, and for people to
want to become stronger through
exercise and use of equipment
available to them.
Marie Moses was very
instrumental in getting their ideas to
the committee to make this a reality.
She began making contact with
Physical Therapists and decided to
work with Physical Therapy
Associates in Bend.
The spring of 1996 Physical
Therapy opened its doors for their
first patients. They have been in
and learn and understand their
injuries and become sensitive to how
they feel. They were taught the
importance of the whirlpool and its
cleanliness and sterilization. They
learned to use a biofeedback machine
to see if muscles are being used,
"The machine is a tattletale," says
the trio. They learned to do hot wax
bath and paraphen bath. In addition
to all of this Wells has learned to
transcribeeverythingforpatientfiles.
Marti Rai Wells shared her
thoughts of physical therapy in Warm
Springs:
"It's the best thing that ever hit
Warm Springs. I did not have a clue
as to what it was about or why it was
here. I have never had to go to
physical therapy myself so what's
the point in knowing, that's how I
looked at it. But after it was here, we
got over there and start moving
around and it got interesting. It
wouldn' t have even crossed my mind
to have anything to do with it, unless
I needed it for myself. It's a real
positive thing to have here.
"For the people, it is convenient
for them and they let us know that it's
easier not to have to travel. They
operation for one year. Moses-Ahern
adds, "I always pictured it successful
but I didn't realize the time it would
take to get started."
Moses-Ahern had hoped to
average 12 patients per day and they
now average 15 patients per day.
The summer of 1995 Physical
Therapy started buying equipment
and contractors began remodeling
the Community Center for Physical
Therapy. $32,000 was set aside from
Joint Venture funds to remodel the
Community Center for Physical
Therapy.
What used to be Head Start offices
and Culture & Heritage Office
became Physical Therapy rooms for
exercise equipment and a therapy
room. What used to be the laundry
facility became the whirlpool room.
Joint Venture money was used to
fund their first year of operation.
Managed Care and the Tribes agreed
to a contract to pay wages for two
Physical Therapists from Physical
Therapy Associates located in Bend.
The Tribal Council approved funding
for physical therapy to hire two staff
aides, one transcriptionist, and
operation for another year.
Joint Venture agreed to buy the
Nautilus equipment if Recreation
could provide the staff and space for
the equipment to begin physical
therapy. Recreation had provided
Warm Springs, Oregon
Assistant Therapist Susan makes sure everything is okay for Nathan
"8-Ball" Jim as he soaks his foot, in the whirlpool.
became directly involved in Physical Therapy Program
appreciate that Shauna, Scott and I
are doing the job as physical therapy
aides and that we are tribal members.
I don't think people know about
physical therapy so they don't
acknowledge us and say 'hey, you
guys are doing a really good job.'
The way our patients show us is that
they bring us food-pizzas, lunches.
Because they know we have to stay
during lunch and can't leave. That's
a rule, we have to stay.
"To see a patient come in regularly
and work their way back to using
their body parts is amazing. You take
for granted that you can use your
body parts and when you watch others
who can't, you learn to appreciate
the use of your own arms and legs.
I have learned more about people
and heard stories from elders in the
program who come in and share their
stories of the old days.
I hope that we can expand to at
least one more day, because they
limit our patient load to 12 per day.
"Many people don't know what
physical therapy is about and don't
know which direction you could go
with it, like me, I'm going to school
in the Fall at Mt. Hood Community
some of the equipment already. The
equipment ordered is top of the line
equipment and is available to anyone
in the community to use.
The patients seen at Physical
Therapy are referrals from the IHS
and Managed Care. With the amount
of patients being treated they hope to
expand to three days a week and
provide more staff.
Moses-Ahern is really proud of
the Physical Therapy Program's
success and is worried about the
Program since she left Recreation
Department to become Recreation
Director at Kah-Nee-Ta Resort.
MCH nurse Tammy Wells will
oversee the Physical Therapy
Program while she is gone.
Moses-Ahern has been working
at the Community Center since she
graduated from Washington State
University in the spring of 1982. She
had a job interview in Arizona, came
home for two weeks and stayed in
Warm Springs to work at the
Community Center. In 1991 She
became the Recreation Department
Director.
She had gone to college to be a PE
Teacher and had taken some classes
in Physical Therapy while she was
school. She has always had an interest
in Physical Therapy. Moses-Ahern
is extremely proud of the changes
made in the Recreation Department
College to become a therapy assistant.
I'm really excited about that and
looking forward to that.
Shauna adds that the patients like
the chemistry of the three of them
working together. "They also like
their individual one-on-one
relationship with each patient. They
say, Oh, you guys are fun to be
around. The three of us ask, what s
going on with your day, how are you
feeling? Are you hurting today ? They
like that. When they went to Madras
they do this, this, and this and they're
out of there. It's so mechanical.
"Patients can relate to us because
we are tribal members. They share
more with us. We have more than a
doctor patient relationship."
The aides have met more people
and talked with more of a variety of
people than they ever thought they
would. They are not the same patients
all the time. Some patients, like the
younger boys, are more comfortable
working with Scott. "It's a guy thing,"
Wells adds. Some female patients
are more comfortable working with
Shauna or Marti Rai.
"They are hiring two aides and
one transcriptionist and moving us
Patients share
comments of
Physical Therapy
program
I really think it's the best thing
that's happened here. Because when
I would go to the therapist in Madras,
I would go in and he would spend
about a minute with me. After finding
out that they had therapy here, they
send me here and they do more for
me. They are doing different
exercises to help overcome my back
injury due to an automobile accident.
It's hard healing. I really coming
here because they're such a happy
group too, they lift your spirits up at
the same time. They're really good
people here. I would like to see this
program get funding because we
really need it here for our Indian
people. I'm enjoying it, it's helping
me with my back.
-Shirley Chamema
I really think this a good program
for Warm Springs. I went to another
therapist in Madras for my back and
they didn't do as much for me as this
program has. In this program they
spend more time with me. I really
think it's a good thing.
-Pat Suppah
Shauna Queahpmama gives an
ankles.
out. I would not like for us to be
moved out completely. I would like
to stay involved. I would like to see
others have the opportunity but I
would like to stay involved
somehow," says Wells.
Physical Therapy Open
House
May 15, 1-3 PM
Refreshments served
See statistics of
successful program.
Physical Therapists hired from Bend
Physical Therapy Associates
Since Physical Therapy came to
Warm Springs in the Spring of 1996,
Physical Therapist Cathey Kahlie and
Assistant Physical Therapist Susan
Sagnemini have been coming once a
week each to work with Warm
Springs community members in need
of physical therapy. They are
employed by the Physical Therapy
Association located in Bend, Oregon.
They have been training
Recreation staff members Scott
Moses, Marti Rai Wells and Shauna
Queahpama to assist them.
Cathey Kahlie, of Portland,
Oregon, received herM.S.P.T. from
Pacific University, Forest Grove,
Oregon. Kahlie then attended
Portland State University where she
received her Bachelor of Sciences
degree.
Kahlie first practiced at a hospital
in San Diego. She then practiced at
St Charles Hospital in Bend, Oregon.
From Bend she moved to Whidsey
Island in Washington and practiced
there until her present location in
Bend.
Through the Physical Therapy
Association in Bend, she works in
three locations-Bend, Sisters and
Warm Springs.
Kahlie is currently going to school
to further her education in physical
SpilyayTymoo
ultra sound to a patient with sore
The three aides have formed a
bond, "Because we work together,
us three, we've been closer. We're
familiar with each other personally,"
concludes Queahpama.
therapy specializing in ankles.
She enjoys working with the
Recreation staff who have been
trained to assist Kahlie and
Sagnemini. She feels that here in
Warm Springs the patients are seen
and treated more thoroughly with
exercises and ultra sounds due to the
assistance of Recreation staff
members.
Susan Sagnemini was born and
raised in Bend, Oregon and graduated
from Bend High School. She then
went to Mt. Hood Community
College where she received her
Associate in Sciences degree.
She worked in Physical Therapy
in Portland until 1980 before
becoming an employee of 1 1 years
of the Physical Therapy Association
in Bend, Oregon.
Sagnemini is the Assistant
Physical Therapist who comes every
Tuesday to work with patients. And
throughout the year she has been
training Recreation staff members
within what Oregon law allows them
to be trained.
Sagnemini states, "with the three
aides that are here the patients receive
more thorough treatment because the
physical therapy aides help prepare
patients for therapists to see them."
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