Special Tree is excited to announce the recipients of their Healthcare and Rehabilitation Scholarship for 2019.  Each of the 13 recipients was awarded a $1000 scholarship to pursue their education in a health-related field.

This year, Special Tree awarded cash scholarships totaling $13,000 to high school graduating seniors from Michigan school districts in communities where Special Tree has a rehabilitation facility. Since 1995, Special Tree has contributed $150,000 to 175 Michigan students as part of their annual scholarship program.

Students receiving Special Tree’s 2019 Healthcare and Rehabilitation Scholarships are:

Downriver Area

• Elizabeth Jensen, a graduating senior from Flat Rock High School, who will attend Michigan State Univers...

Recognizing the need to address vision limitations after brain injury, Special Tree screens for vision problems with every patient.

After three separate eye surgeries to repair detached retinas, resulting in 75 days total spent face-down to recover fully, Special Tree CEO Joseph Richert knows first-hand how powerful vision can be in everyday functioning.

That’s one reason he is passionate about evaluating all patients with brain injury for vision challenges when they first come to Special Tree. Another is simply the good sense it makes to screen patients for impaired vision at the outset; something that is often overlooked and which can have a tremendous impact on rehabilitation and recovery.

“About 70 percent of your sensory nerve fibers are vision, just vision,” says Dr. Danna Haba,...

Virtual Reality isn’t just for gamers. For therapists like Courtney Fankhauser, Certified Recreational Specialist at Special Tree, it’s a fantastic tool to motivate patients recovering from traumatic brain injury.

“We appreciate the immersive experience VR offers patients,” shares Fankhauser, “And that it allows us to follow their progress.”

In virtual reality, or “VR”, patients interact with 3-D, computer-generated environments to experience activities like baseball, travel, mountain climbing and more. Therapists are able to watch what patients are doing in real time via monitor, then store data from their sessions to track trends over time.

At Special Tree, virtual reality has provided a powerful method to engage patients in the rehabilitation process.

“One of our patients, Josh, uses vir...

On Friday March 8th, Special Tree Day Treatment Services (DTS) clients and staff teamed up with Fusion Medical for another great therapeutic basketball event. This is the 4th time Special Tree and Fusion Medical have paired up to conduct an adaptive basketball clinic for clients. Fusion Medical hosted the workshop at Romulus Athletic Club, where clients were able to shoot some hoops and test out specialized basketball wheelchairs that allowed them to step their game up!

Following the clinic, clients picked sides and cheered on the Wayne “Warriors” and Troy “Titans” as the staff went head to head in a competitive basketball game. The Troy Titans took the winning title with a final score of 32 to 17. This annual event is highly anticipated, with such a fun atmosphere and a little cross county rivalry. Many thanks to...