Kaweah Health Uses New Piece of Technology in Stroke Rehabilitation

Kaweah Health is the first in California using a new piece of technology, the SafeGait 360º Balance and Mobility Trainer to help people who are learning to walk again after suffering a stroke or injury. The integrated health system serving Central California has also debuted a 100-foot track for its patients – the longest track in the nation.

"It is providing hope in motion and allowing us to take our therapy, specifically our stroke rehab as we are a stroke specialty center, to the next level," said Tara Norman, Kaweah Health therapy supervisor.

The SafeGait 360º Balance and Mobility Trainer is a ceiling-mounted dynamic body-weight support and fall protection system. It promotes a safe, efficient therapy session to individuals with a variety of impairments as they practice walking, improve strength and overcome balance concerns.

The purchase, made possible through the Kaweah Health Hospital Foundation's community fundraising efforts, is now in use at Kaweah Health's Rehabilitation Hospital.

There, physical therapists are using the track-and-harness system to increase patient confidence and reduce fears of falling as they learn to stand or walk again after a stroke, a spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, amputation, and other neurological or neurodegenerative diagnoses.