Jun 20, 2020

U of T Program Supports People with Spinal Cord Injuries Through Pandemic

Students, Alumni, Research, Faculty & Staff, Partnerships, Inclusion & Diversity
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By

Ciara Parsons

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about new challenges and stressors for people with spinal cord injuries. Many have been self-isolating at home and have lost their regular support systems — an especially difficult situation for those who use wheelchairs and rely on caregivers. Dr. Susan Jaglal  

Dr. Susan Jaglal has created a virtual support and mindfulness program to help people with spinal cord injuries cope during COVID-19. The program aims to foster mental health and resilience through peer connections and mindfulness. 

Jaglal is the interim chair and a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto. She recently spoke about the unique struggles that people with spinal cord injuries face in the pandemic, the inspiration behind the new program and how it can improve mental health. 

Tell us about the program you’ve developed for people with spinal cord injuries. 
We started our program in 2017 with funding from the Rick Hansen Institute and currently have funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research for evaluation. Our program provides access to remote peer-support services, where people with spinal cord injuries are paired up with ‘health coaches,’ who are living with a similar injury and have been trained in motivational interviewing. Peers can connect with each other through videoconferencing to discuss mental well-being and other topics. Since the pandemic, we also introduced weekly, live-streamed, mindfulness and resilience sessions, along with regular mindfulness tips and messages.  

One of the main reasons we created the mindfulness part of the program was because people with spinal cord injuries are in the high-risk category for COVID-19. They need to be especially diligent with physical distancing and so are often cut off from their routines and regular supports — which can undermine their mental health and well-being.  

We began to think about mindfulness as a method of coping on a suggestion from one of our health coaches who is trained in this area. We found the tactics of mindfulness were beneficial, including meditation and breathing exercises. And we were fortunate to receive and emergency relief fund grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation for $10,000, which allowed us to implement the mindfulness part of the program quickly. 

How can mindfulness and resilience positively impact people living with spinal cord injuries?  
We think that mindfulness helps provide participants with better coping skills, so they can deal with stressors that have arisen during the pandemic and in everyday situations more effectively. The practice of mindfulness means being ‘present’ in a moment and being aware of your thoughts and feelings; over time it can have a positive impact on mental well-being and resilience.  

Are people living with spinal cord injuries at a higher risk of developing mental health conditions?  
Yes, especially anxiety and depression. Another reason we developed our program was because we realized that many people living with spinal cord injuries were already affected by mental health conditions, which the pandemic likely worsened. 

What are some of the biggest disruptions that people with spinal injuries face in this pandemic? 
Many are dealing with cancellation of in-hospital visits and the loss of personal support workers, who may provide care daily. Many rely on a caregiver or personal support worker to help them with activities that others often take for granted, such as buying groceries, preparing food and cleaning, especially if they are wheelchair-bound. Many are economically disadvantaged as well and may or may not receive social assistance.  

How has the program been received? 
We’ve had about 700 views of our mindfulness videos and we have between 25 and 50 viewers at our weekly live-streamed events. So far, participants say the sessions have been positive and that they enjoy attending. If people continue to find the program helpful, we hope to hand it over to a community organization that can carry it forward.  

What are some of the challenges you have come across when developing this program?  
One challenge we experienced was finding the balance between online accessibility and safety. We want to make sure our online sessions feel good for everyone, and that people feel comfortable sharing with one another when we meet.  Our group is also looking to find ways to better integrate the group for connectivity and cohesiveness.

Connectivity and technology are issues we have started to think about, too. Some people do not have a computer or access to the internet, and these are people who would benefit most from a sense of connection at this time. To help remedy this, we have come up with a few potential ideas, such as loaning out technology. 

Being able to read people’s body language is also another challenge we have encountered. In our virtual environment we’re not able to see the visual and perceptual cues that are really important to gauge emotion and efficacy of the delivery and content to the audience.