Amplifying the Voices of Patients Living With Disability: Valerie Beuschlein
In this episode of the PTA+ Podcast, Katie interviews Valerie Bueschlein, a Physical Therapist Assistant working in outpatient neurological rehabilitation who also serves as a spinal cord injury caregiver and patient advocate.
Valerie shares the deeply personal story of her husband’s catastrophic injury and how it reshaped her understanding of rehabilitation, caregiving, and advocacy.
Through that experience she learned that injuries affect far more than the patient — they impact caregivers, families, and entire communities.
That perspective led her to co-create the “You’re Not Alone Podcast: Understanding Life With a Disability,” a platform that allows people recovering from neurological injury to share their stories and support others navigating a new normal.
In this episode we explore:
- The caregiver perspective in rehabilitation
- Why PTAs must understand life outside the clinic
- The creation of the You're Not Alone Podcast
- Giving a voice to people living with disability
- The importance of community support after injury
This conversation is an important reminder for Physical Therapist Assistants and rehab clinicians that true patient-centered care includes caregivers, families, and lived experience.
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Special Thanks to:
Thanks to US Physical Therapy for hosting PTA+ at CSM.
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