The Jikei Rehabilitation Forum held its 12th annual academic conference at the Sendai Leo Palace Hotel in Sendai City on the afternoon of Sunday, May 12. The theme of this year’s conference was “A Stepping Stone toward Disaster Restoration: Rehabilitation Health Care and Social Welfare Professionals Transforming the Community.” Since its inauguration in May 2008, the Jikei Rehabilitation Forum has been vigorously active in rehabilitation professional training.

The Rehabilitation Forum provides training opportunities for professionals working as members of research teams, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nurses, prosthetists and orthotists, certified care workers, social workers, and psychiatric social workers.

This year’s conference opened with an address by Dr. Seishi Sawamura, Honorary Director of the Hyogo Prefectural General Rehabilitation Center and Principal of the Kobe College of Medical Welfare, Mita Campus. In attendance was a broad mix of people sharing a common interest in rehabilitation including graduates and faculty from colleges in the Jikei Group.

The Rehabilitation Forum has been held twice a year in Hyogo, Osaka, Kyoto, and other areas in the Kinki region. However, this year organizers decided to consider rehabilitation in the disaster-affected areas and left the Kinki region for the first time to hold the forum in Sendai City in the Tohoko region.

Masahiro Takeshita emphasizes the importance of rehabilitation facilities for disaster restoration in his presentation.

Masahiro Takeshita delivers commentary using PowerPoint.

In his opening speech, Dr. Sawamura remarked “that we have been able to hold this conference for health care professionals working in rehabilitation in the Tohoku region, which is still struggling with disaster restoration efforts, to further raise their level of expertise is significant for health care in the disaster-affected areas.”

Following Dr. Sawamura’s speech, Mr. Masahiro Takeshita, a physical therapist managing 3 specialized rehabilitation facilities in Fukuoka Prefecture in Tagawa City including Rehabilitation Home Nursing Station “Subaru” and Day Service Center “Subaru,” delivered a lecture titled “Starting a Rehabilitation Business: Management Strategies to Stimulate the Community and the Heart.”

He spoke about management know-how and his own experience managing rehabilitation facilities where professionals can get of the hospital and contribute directly to the local community, calling on audience members to “think about what [they] can do in the disaster-affected areas” and start up a rehabilitation business.

Mr. Masami Tsuruno, a physical therapist at the Osaka Cardiovascular Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Clinic in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, gave a presentation on the theme of “Neurocognitive Rehabilitation: Potential Recovery for Hands.” Mr. Tsururo is an expert on neurocognitive rehabilitation, which has been gaining attention as a new form of rehabilitation recently, and he provided a detailed introduction using findings from actual medical cases.

Physical therapist Masami Turuno gives a lecture on neurocognitive rehabilitation,which is gaining increasing attention.

Assistant Conference Director Chiba introduces management staff.

Sendai College of Medical Health Principal Dr. Kyoji Tasaki delivers the closing address on behalf of the host institution.

Approximately 150 people partcipated in the forum, including graduates working in Tohoku-area prefectures such as Miyagi Prefecture, general physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and students from Sendai College of Medical Health. Dr. Kyoji Tasaki, Honorary Professor at Tohoku University and Principal of Sendai College of Medical Health, delivered the closing speech before the excitement had a chance to dissipate.

Afterward, the participants shared their thoughts about the forum giving comments such as “The conference was very informative about rehabilitation in Miyagi Prefecture,” “Listening to these passionate lectures has given me a new interest in community rehabilitation,” and “I’m deeply interested in whether neurocognitive rehabilitation can be used with our current patients.”

The theme of the next forum will be “The Feasibility of Community Rehabilitation—What Can We Do about the Demand for Mid-Level Therapists?” and is scheduled to take place in Kyoto in November.