• A man uses hand rails to stand during physical rehabilitation therapy.

    Rehab Refresh

    Donor support is enhancing patient access to modernized equipment and technology to help meet recovery goals.

Thanks to generous QEII Foundation donors, patients receiving care at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation and Arthritis Centre at the QEII — the province’s most specialized rehabilitation centre — will now benefit from enhanced spaces and technology, helping them regain their skills and independence following a life-altering illness or injury.

Increased access to care. Better patient outcomes.
What donors are making possible

Each year, 500 patients are admitted to the Rehab Centre at the QEII along with 30,000 visits for outpatient care.

A patient’s time during rehabilitation therapy focuses on helping them achieve as much independence as possible through mobility, daily activities and leisure pursuits. It’s a long journey, with patients receiving intensive therapy for up to three hours each day. Key to this is access to equipment and technology that impacts patients’ therapy experience, recovery and outcomes.

The collective efforts of generous donors will create the Balance & Mobility Lab, a new treatment and assessment space, that will benefit nearly every patient receiving care. The funds are also bringing four new Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) devices to the Rehab Centre. This critical neurorehabilitation technology helps patients regain motor skills by stimulating muscle activation. 

Two rehabilitation patients, seated in wheelchairs, and a therapist, smile at the camera.
Every day, patients like Tanya and Donnie (pictured in front), with therapist Andy, get the best clinical care. QEII Foundation donors are helping them access tools and technology that match up.
Upper Extremity Lab

Creating a new Upper Extremity Lab is also a key piece of the Rehab Refresh project.

Thanks to the generosity of 15 donors in the QEII’s Leadership Giving group, this life-changing space is now fully funded. The collective gifts from this group were generously matched by the J & W Murphy Foundation for a total impact of $150,000.

An open space where patients are working towards common goals using cutting-edge technology, the Upper Extremity Lab is designed as a collaborative environment for patients and therapists working on recovering and strengthening hand, arm and shoulder skills. The lab helps patients regain the skills that they need for the activities of daily living — like eating, brushing their teeth, preparing meals and more.

Three men sitting at a table are using equipment and games in a physical rehabilitation space.
When the Upper Extremity Lab opens in spring 2025, it will have a direct impact on the approximately 80 patients who will use this space weekly. And many more patients for years to come.

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