Surrey, B.C. (July 27, 2021) – The Legion Foundation BC/Yukon Command, the charitable giving arm of the BC/Yukon Command of the Royal Canadian Legion, is partnering with Neuromotion Physiotherapy + Rehabilitation to bring the Lokomat robotic gait training technology to the Legion Veterans Village (LVV). The Foundation raised $250,000 of the overall $500,000 cost to purchase the Lokomat machine, while Neuromotion fundraised to cover the other $250,000 through their Project Lokomat campaign. The partnership will enable veterans and first responders with neurological and brain injuries to have access to the Lokomat robot-assisted physiological gait rehabilitation therapy which will be located at Legion Veteran’s Village in Surrey, BC. Until the construction of Legion Veterans Village is completed, which is slated to be in late 2022, clients and veterans can access the Lokomat at Neuromotion’s Surrey clinic.
“We are extremely proud to support and help fund the state-of-the-art Lokomat technology so that veterans and first responders with neurological injuries can have access to this cutting-edge therapy,” says Angus Stanfield, Chair of the Legion Foundation BC/Yukon Command. “Our partnership with Neuromotion will benefit our veteran community and will also give us more opportunities to collaborate and have access to additional programs, research studies, and other innovative therapies.”
Led by the Whalley Legion Branch 229, together with BC/Yukon Command of the Royal Canadian Legion and Lark Group in Surrey B.C., Legion Veterans Village is a $312-million, two-phase, multi-purpose project envisioned to change the current standards of healthcare for veterans, first responders and citizens in the communities it serves. The project includes a mix of 495 market housing condominiums, 91 affordable housing units, and a new 10,500 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility for the Whalley Legion Branch 229.
LVV will also include Canada’s first Centre of Clinical Excellence for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health, as well as an Innovative Centre for Rehabilitation, for veterans and first responders. A key priority will be the integrated delivery of a continuum of programs and services, active research and science collaborations, as well as the utilization of multiple innovative technologies, clinics, teaching and rehabilitation spaces that are specifically focused on transforming care for veterans and first responders.
“There has been an incredible momentum and progress at Legion Veterans Village, not only with the pace of construction, but also with our partners and collaborators who are all working hard to bring a continuum of services to veterans and first responders,” says Rowena Rizzotti, VP of Healthcare & Innovations at the Health and Technology District and project lead for the Legion Veterans Village. “We are excited to bring this ground-breaking Lokomat robotic gait training technology to veterans and first responders, and look forward to bringing more innovative programs to LVV.”
Once the Legion Veterans Village is completed, Neuromotion will be moving its Surrey clinic along with its Lokomat technology, currently located at the Health and Technology District, to a brand new location at LVV to provide neuro-related physiotherapy and rehabilitative services to veterans and first responders, as well as clients with neurological conditions from the greater community.
“We’ve had tremendous success using innovative technologies like the Lokomat, which has helped so many people with traumatic and acquired neurologic disorders, spinal injuries and particularly, individuals recovering from stroke, to optimize their recovery and experience the ability to walk again,” says Pauline Martin, Owner of Neuromotion Physiotherapy + Rehabilitation. “We are excited to expand our services to include veterans and first responders, through this partnership, and bring the Lokomat to the Legion Veterans Village.”
Lokomat® is the first automated gait therapy robot and is the most scientifically and therapeutically reviewed robotic device in the world. Developed by Hocoma, a spinoff medical technology company of the Balgrist University Hospital in Switzerland, the Lokomat® is a highly intensive physiological gait rehabilitation for severely impaired neurological patients. It automates or assists walking movements on a treadmill, allowing greater efficiency of treadmill training and reducing physical demand on therapists. The Lokomat helps patients recover motor skills after losing some or all ability to walk due to conditions such as a stroke, a head injury, a spinal cord injury (paraplegia), multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease.
About The Legion Foundation BC/Yukon Command: The Legion Foundation BC/Yukon Command is the charitable giving arm of the BC/Yukon Command of the Royal Canadian Legion and its branches. The Foundation’s goal is to support Legion branches within the BC and the Yukon to carry out their mission of serving veterans and their families, along with the greater community. The Foundation achieves this by partnering with organizations that provide direct support and programming to veterans facing physical, operational stress and mental health injuries as a result of their time in the services. www.legionbcyukon.ca/foundation
Media contact: Yvonne Chiang, news@chiangpr.ca, 604-880-5090
