2025 Evidence-based Upper Limb Retraining (F2F), Melbourne (Sept)

Presenters: Annie McCluskey, occupational therapist, Karl Schurr, physiotherapist, and other associate StrokeEd Collaboration presenters including Dr Liana Cahill and/or Dr Emma Schneider

A 3-day practical workshop for occupational therapists, physiotherapists and allied health assistants.

Website information: https://strokeed.com/about-work...

Learning objectives: By the end of the 3 days, participants will be able to:

• Name the essential components of normal reach and manipulation
• Recognise common compensations when observing stroke survivors attempting to grasp objects, and explain how to minimise compensatory strategies
• Name and discuss factors thought to contribute to the development of muscle overactivity, spasticity and stiffness, and intervention strategies to help minimise these secondary problems
• Explain the relationship and differences between overactivity, spasticity, muscle length changes and stiffness, missing essential components and compensations
• Plan and conduct an assessment and training session with a stroke survivor using motor learning principles and task-specific practice
• Discuss factors which affect motor learning, and can be modified to enhance learning and increase client practice
• Use an electrical stimulation machine to stimulate upper limb muscles.
• Discuss current evidence for constraint-induced movement therapy, mental practice, mirror box therapy and electrical stimulation for improving upper limb motor recovery

Pre-requisites: None. Suitable for students and recent graduates through to experienced clinicians.

Entry requirements: To participate in clinical sessions and work with stroke participants including inpatients during the workshop, registrants should be AHPRA registered occupational therapists / physiotherapists (or AHPRA registered student therapists), and will most likely be required to wear a face mask during clinical sessons (unless exempt, in which a face shield must be worn). Health requirements may be subject to change at short notice.

Number of registrants: Limited to 24 therapists because there are clinical sessions involving 8 stroke survivors and small groups of 3 therapists. The workshop presenters assist teams of therapists to assess and establish a training program for the 8 stroke survivors.

Pre-reading & homework: will be available from the StrokeEd website. Therapists are asked to start preparing 4-6 weeks before the event. Allow several hours for the homework. Pre-reading includes a book chapter and some analysis tasks.

Workshop manual including PowerPoint slides and worksheets will be provided in both electronic and hard (printed) copy.

Registration Fee = $1,149.49 ($1,000 + $44.99 Booking fee + $104.50 GST)

Enquiries: Annie McCluskey  - Email: dranniemccluskey@gmail.com -  0419 447 738

Local enquiries:  Belinda Woods  - Email: Belinda.Woods@mh.org.au

Register and pay here via Humanitix: 

NB Therapists or their employer can request an invoice via the Humanitix platform at the time of ticket payment if you do not wish to pay via credit card online; in that case an invoice will be emailed to the preferred contact person, for payment within 7 days via the StrokeEd bank account (or the ticket will be cancelled).