On With Life at Ankeny Specialty Services for the Pediatric Person Served

Our Program
The pediatric brain injury team at On With Life works in partnerships with the pediatric persons we serve and their family/support system to provide services which focus on maximizing their function and to facilitate the most knowledgeable and skilled support system (parents, siblings, educators) in order to return the child as successfully as possible to the home setting.

Our Team
Our pediatric team includes Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Recreational Therapist, Music Therapist, Neuropsychologist, Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, Dietician, and our Case Management Team. Following admission, the child receives an in-depth evaluation by skilled and experienced staff members and a comprehensive individualized plan of care is established. This team keeps up on the latest developments in assessment and treatment with the pediatric population with brain injury and attends regional and national conferences related to brain injury within this population.

Our Services
Based upon the child’s needs and the needs of the family, treatment is individualized in terms of frequency, duration, regimen, and goals. On With Life prides itself in its commitment to create an environment tailored to a child’s particular personal needs. These areas and interventions may focus on the following:

• Assessing and treating conditions related to brain injury and its complications.
• Identifying and reducing risk factors for recurring injury.
• Maintaining medical stability.
• Maximizing functional independence and performance.
• Enhancing psychological, social coping, and adaptation skills, while also providing neuropsychological services for both the person served and their family/support system.
• Promoting community reintegration and participation in life roles.
• Providing services for the family/support system
• Preventing secondary complications.
• All therapies as appropriate—PT/OT/ST/MT/TR
• Alternative therapies such as Pet Therapy, Hippotherapy, and Aquatic Therapy as appropriate.
• Sensory integration/sensory stimulation
• Age-appropriate Brain Injury Education Group
• Support Groups
• Spiritual support and counseling.
• Home environment assessment.
• Coordination of return to school.
• Growth and development.
• Behavioral management

We provide both verbally- and visually-based education to persons served and their family about their child’s injury and common problems that are typical with that type of injury.

On With Life has a specialty niche, which is not found in most rehabilitation facilities in the country, working with individuals who are in a coma or minimally responsive condition.

Our Outcomes
Outcomes relative to clinical effectiveness, program efficiency, and customer satisfaction of persons served and their families, funders, and referral sources are routinely analyzed and utilized to enhance our services. Here is clinical outcome information from calendar year 2009:

• We served four persons under the age of 18.
• Three were males and one was a female.
• Their average length of stay was 116 days. The range of length of stay was between 28 and 130 days.
• We served one 14-year-old, one 15-year-old, and two 17-year-olds.
• When they left On With Life, all of the four persons served went home with family.
• We consistently measure the level of function that each person served has, from the beginning of their program throughout their stay, to the end of their stay and after the individual leaves On With Life:
-- 100% of all pediatric persons served showed improvement
-- All four showed at least a 25% improvement. One person served showed a 40% improvement, one showed 100% improvement, and one showed 300% improvement
-- The average percent improvement on our functional outcome measure was 73%

• Our customer satisfaction surveys showed a 95% satisfaction rate as to our services