Western Reserve Independent Living Center    

Monthly Game Days are from 12:30 to 2:30 in Room B:

Our next Game Day is March 18th. April's is the 22nd.

 ILS Skills Day is March 4th from 10:30 to 11:30, and Artistic Expression Day will be April 8th from 10:30 to 12:30. Call the office to register.

We will also be adding Emergency Preparedness classes starting March 25th from 10:00 to 11:30. If you are interested call the office to register.

Liberty Township Senior Watch Program: A Senior Health Fair will be held at the Liberty administration bldg. at 1315 Churchill-Hubbard Rd. on March 31st from 10 until noon.

Kent State Trumbull Branch is holding a Health Fair on April 28th from 10 to 2 in the student union/class/administration bldg. The same day they will also be hosting a Job Fair in the tech bldg. room 117-T from 11 to 2.

Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) Administrator Michael Rench is embarking on a 12-city road trip to engage you and fellow community members in collaborative dialogue during café-style conversations.

You and other guests will gather in small groups to share thoughts on questions that are genuinely important to your lives, work experiences and communities. Ideas, patterns and themes from the discussions will be compiled and used to shape future state services such as employment, vocational rehabilitation, transition youth and independent living.

Don't miss this chance to shape the future! Everyone's voice will be heard!

Our area meeting will be March 11^th from 4-6 PM at the Butler Institute of American Arts in the Butler North Education Center at 525 Wick Ave. Youngstown, OH.

Computer classes are Fridays from 9-3. Call and sign up for the next session. Classes are in our computer lab upstairs.

Survey News:

 First Name : Charles
  Last Name : Elander
  Email : Charles_Elander@Shepherd.org
  Mobile Phone : 4043230729
  Comments : My name is Chuck Elander and I work for the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC), a federally funded program here at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta dedicated to promoting universal access to wireless technology by people with disabilities.

We are conducting research into the use and usability of wireless technology by people with a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities through our Survey of User Needs (SUN).  The Survey of User Needs takes only about 10 minutes to complete. The information we collect helps us educate manufacturers of wireless devices and wireless service providers on ways to make their products and services more accessible and more useful. In this way we can fulfill our mission of advocacy for the development of new assistive technologies.

The survey can be found at:
http://www.wirelessrerc.org/survey/

 We do have paper copies that I can mail to respondents if they prefer that method or require assistance completing the form. Also, respondents can call me and I will help them complete the survey over the phone.

Monthly Food Distribution from 11-1 are usually in Room B.

March 9th and 23rd. The 13th and 27th are the days in April.

Please call at least a week before pickup to reserve your box, or call to cancel a pickup.

The office will be closed April 2nd and 5th for the Easter holiday.

Diabetic Patients Invited to Take Part
In Study of New Treatment for Wounds

Do you have a diabetic wound that won’t heal? You may be eligible to participate in a study Ankle & Foot Care Centers is conducting on a new treatment for such wounds.

The study involves a palm-sized device that disperses oxygen to heal diabetic foot ulcers. Our physicians and the device’s manufacturer plan to recruit up to 30 individuals to wear the devices under their clothing to test the new treatment.

“We make it a point to get involved in research related to diabetic wounds,” said Dr. Lawrence A. DiDomenico, managing partner at Ankle & Foot Care Centers.

“This device is already approved by the Food & Drug Administration, but there is still much to be learned about how effective it is and how we can make it more effective.”

The device, called Epiflo, consists of a small, silent oxygen concentrator and a long, sterile tube. It draws oxygen from the air, concentrates it to near 100 percent and then pumps it slowly over a wound that is covered tightly by a dressing.

Patients can wear the Epiflo device beneath their clothing, near the wound, for 24 hours a day without affecting their own activities or the device.

“The oxygen encourages a moist environment and jump-starts the body’s natural healing processes,” Dr. DiDomenico said.

We are looking for individuals between 20 and 90 years of age who have a diabetic foot ulcer that has not healed after at least 30 days.

All participants will be equipped with an Epiflo device and a standard wound dressing, but half of the units will be non-working. The devices will be numbered, and neither the patients nor the podiatrists will know which devices are working.

The study lasts up to 12 weeks. The treatment is free to patients, and travel expenses will be reimbursed.

For more details about the study, contact Ankle & Foot Care Centers at (888) 881-8805.