When Brad Corr, D.P.T., returned to MMI earlier this year, he did so with a mandate: Grow and strengthen adult physical therapy services provided by the institute.
Dr. Corr, currently the director of adult programming for physical therapy, worked at MMI from 2007-13, first as a postdoctoral research fellow for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders program (LEND), and then in a diverse clinical role including outpatient and multidisciplinary clinics, Early Development Network and school-based services, and collaborative research in the sensorimotor learning lab with Max Kurz, Ph.D.
Since 2013, he has been working in home health care, with a focus on cardiac patients, a variety of chronic diseases and co-morbidities related to decreased activity levels.
“We saw a lot of really sick patients. It opened my eyes,” Dr. Corr said. “At MMI, I’d worked with a pediatric population that frequently got a lifelong diagnosis. Outside of MMI, I was seeing what happens throughout the lifetime.”
The result of his experience is a vision for the department — “some still formulating,” he admits, as he continues to speak with community members — that emphasizes trying to meet people on their own ground.
“So, we’re not just throwing up a program and saying, ‘Come get us,’ but we’re going to them and seeing how can we best make a program sustainable where the people are,” he said. “We need to reduce the number of barriers to adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities who are living active lifestyles. At MMI, we like to use the ‘F-Words: Fitness, Function, Fun, Family, Friends and Future.’
“I’m listening to stories and asking questions. What’s it like to become a young adult and get older with a disability? What are the obstacles to achieving your goals? What support did you have in place that really helped you? What was lacking that could have supported your success?”
Dr. Corr is careful to point out that the institute already serves across the lifespan and has outreach efforts. PTs serve in a multidisciplinary clinic that handles adult neuromuscular diagnoses; the Mobility and Assistive Technology (MAT) Clinic for seating and mobility provides lifespan services in collaboration with occupational therapy; and several PTs in the department serve the 19-21 year old population in the Omaha and Bellevue public schools.
“I’m hoping to create some sustainable programs that when in place, that the community knows exist, they have access to and feel like they contributed to the design,” he said.
Dr. Corr has felt a lot of support from department director Sandy Willett and MMI administration as he is out in the community, building relationships and brainstorming solutions to provide services where the people are.
“I know that as we dialogue, I can go back to administration and they will listen to our creative ideas to serve the adult population.”