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Improving quality of life for all
Recent News
FROM AARP.ORG: A Community is Enabled Through the Reuse of Walkers, Wheelchairs and More
A decade ago in Hazard, Kentucky, home of the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health, physical therapists from four health programs met and shared a common complaint. Used wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches and other durable medical equipment desperately needed by their patients were routinely thrown away. The items ending up rotting and rusting in landfills.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Donates $125k to Hazard’s new Appalachian Center for Assistive Technology
By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director
HAZARD, Ky. (March 10, 2023) — The University of Kentucky announced today a $125,000 grant from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky to support the new Appalachian Center for Assistive Technology, or ACAT, located in Hazard.
Patrick Kitzman, PhD, PT and professor in the College of Health Sciences' Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation and Health Sciences PhD programs, is director of both the Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network and... Read More
Perry County Students Improve Accessibility at Local Park Through UK's CARAT-TOP Program
Video produced by The University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (UK CERH). To view captions for this video, push play and click on the CC icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. If using a mobile device, click on the "thought bubble" in the same area.
HAZARD, Ky. (July 5, 2022) — Students from Perry County Central (PCC) High School have been busy this summer at the Perry County Park completing projects to help make the park more accessible for people impacted by disabilities. The group of 17 students is the first cohort to complete an eight-week training in Coordinating and Assisting the Reuse of Assistive Technology: Together One Priority, known as CARAT-TOP,.is a new intergenerational training... Read More
Project CARAT refurbishes assistive devices while filling the gap for supply chain issues
As the price of aluminum continues to skyrocket, hospitals across the U.S. are reporting shortages in wheelchairs, canes and walkers. A program at the University of Kentucky refurbishes assistive devices while filling the gap of supply chain issues.
Project CARAT, which stands for Coordinating and Assisting the Reuse of Assistive Technology, is a partnership between UK and various agencies across the state that started in 2010 and provides medical equipment to those in need.
The student-run program takes donated equipment, cleans it and makes repairs if needed. Then, they redistribute it to people in need.
Read the... Read More
Community Connections: Uniting People Living with Disabling Conditions
Join us to participate in an upcoming discussion group hosted at Frazier Rehab’s Community Fitness & Wellness Gym (CFW) located at 250 East Liberty, Louisville, KY 40202. This group will meet every Wednesday starting April 13th for a 5-week series. The Community Connections group will meet from 12-1pm and the Caregiver Connections group will meet from 1-2pm. Come for one session or all five sessions; whichever your schedule allows. Hope to see you there!
'Toys with a Purpose' Ready to Help, But It Needs One Thing — Toys
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2022) — Shelley Ferrin remembers exactly when everything started to make sense — the idea, the need and the simplicity of the solution. It all came together at once and seemed so clear.
It was last fall when she and Patrick Kitzman had met to discuss the progress he’d made regarding Toys with a Purpose, a lending library that supports child development and promotes learning through play by improving access to free adapted toys in eastern Kentucky.
Kitzman, Ph.D., is a professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Physical Therapy and the founding director of ... Read More
Third annual call for applications for the Grace Jones Memorial Fund mini-grants
Purpose: To help persons with physical/stroke-related disability and their families. Priority will be given to patients and families with physical disability resulting from stroke, but people with other central nervous system disorders (e.g. traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, etc.) and their families can also qualify.
Use: The Grace Jones Memorial Fund mini-grant can be used to pay for things such as adult day care, medical equipment (lift chairs, wheelchairs, walkers, bath benches, etc.), therapy services (such as PT, OT, or Speech), transportation costs related to attending disability support services, short-term respite care, education, home modifications (such as ramps, rails, etc.), and assistive technology.
... Read More
