2024 REHABILITATION COMPANY OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

Abilities Rehabilitation & Counselling Services

Nominated For: REHABILITATION COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The team at Abilities Rehabilitation Services is honoured and excited to be nominated for Ontario Brain Injury Association’s Rehabilitation Company of the Year for 2024. OBIA strives to improve the lives of people who are struggling with acquired brain injury and provides high quality educational resources for clients and practitioners. They are indispensable for improving our understanding of important issues in brain injury, in professional development, and how our clients may make a practical difference in their quality of their lives. We are, therefore, especially honoured by this nomination and wish to thank our colleagues for considering us worthy of this recognition.

For almost twenty-five years, we at Abilities Rehabilitation Services have been committed to helping our brain injured clients cope with life-changing distressing difficulties and to assist them in regaining a meaningful and purposeful life. It is a difficult journey for our clients, who face many challenges along the way. To meet these challenges, our clients need education, specialized clinical assessment and treatment, and caring understanding and support. At Abilities, our goal is to provide this care.

Sue Cook, occupational therapist, established Abilities Rehabilitation Services in 2000 focusing on providing quality care for clients struggling with brain injuries and the emotional difficulties that so often accompany them. Over the years, our company has grown. At present, we have over fifty-five dedicated clinical practitioners. We provide services in the fields of neuropsychology, clinical psychology, psychoeducational assessment, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, psychotherapy, speech-language pathology, and nutritional counselling. We at Abilities have expertise in dealing with medical- legal issues, Court testimony, and procedures involved with support services provided by organizations such as WSIB and Veterans Affairs.

Our staff also include indigenous professionals to better serve our diverse communities. We provide services in several languages to adults, teens, and children. Abilities has a clinic based in Midland Ontario and satellite services in Sudbury, Kingston, Barrie, and Toronto. Our clinicians are familiar with local services and facilities in these regions of the province and co-ordinate with them in providing care. The therapists at Abilities are committed to ongoing education, evidence-based practice, and objective evaluation of outcomes. Marshalling all these resources serves our aim to maximize client benefit and rehabilitation.

Our clients have sustained their Injuries in variety of ways: in motor vehicle collisions, and accidents in the workplace, home, and community. We also provide services for military veterans who sustained their injuries in the course of their service for our country.

A core value at Abilities is giving back to the community. Our commitment to helping our brain injured community extends beyond clinical practice. Many people in our health system do not qualify for needed specialized assistance. Therefore, our consultants volunteer for local brain injury support group activities, donate their time to complete cognitive assessments for seniors, serve on boards of local brain injury associations, and participate in fundraising.

All of us at Abilities share a common purpose – to provide high quality rehabilitation to those who have sustained a brain injury and to work with our clients toward a better, more satisfying and rewarding life.

For more information about Abilities Rehabilitation Services please visit www.abilitiesrehab.ca.