Like many businesses, Spark Rehabilitation Services was born out of the need and necessity the owners saw in our communities.
Owner and Speech Language Pathologist, Alana MacIntyre was running a small private practice, when she, and her husband Marty, realized clients in the area needed more than was being offered.
“I’m a Speech Language Pathologist by trade, and was running my business in Northern Ontario. But I noticed that many people within our communities were having to go to Southern Ontario for the types of programming they required.” she said.
“We looked at what was needed, and implemented services that would meet those needs. We have been pushing to integrate more and more service and programs into our communities.”
Spark Rehabilitation Services began small-scale in 2011, but has really expanded in the last two years since MacIntyre and her husband Marty decided to expand their business model. This included purchasing an established Physiotherapy Clinic, Back in Motion, in order to make sure all services were represented.
Spark’s offices are in Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, and they recently opened one in Espanola four months ago.
Spark offers Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation and Behavioural support, Social Work and Dietitian services. In Sault St. Marie, they also provide Physiotherapy , Kinesiology and Massage Therapy. To help employers, they can deliver Occupational Assessments, including Ergonomic, Post Offer Employment Testing and Functional Abilities Evaluation, as well as several others.
“Our goal is to provide all of these important services integrated into one practice so that we can work as a team, not siloing services.” she said.
Through all the expansion and changes, they’ve made sure their clients have remained at the centre of everything they do.
“With our satellite offices in Sudbury and Espanola, we can do so much more. We connect with local existing services to ensure our clients receive everything they need,” said MacIntyre.
Spark provides services to all members of the communities that we service. This includes from birth to end of life. Services are provided where they are needed, at home, the school/daycare, at work or in the community. Although the client and family are the center of what we do, being able to carry over all of your goals into real life is also a primary part of our treatment approach.
“We treat all disorders and diagnoses, and we are proud to work with a wide range of clients,” she said. “Whether they’re dealing with stroke after-effects, have had a physical/sport injury, neurological disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or were in a motor vehicle accident, we are here to help.”
“Fundamentally, we focus on respect, empathy and growth. We understand people are experts of their own lives, and we are empathetic in how we deliver services. Not everyone is the same, people and their families have different needs and goals.”
“We are in these communities to help in any way that we can. People need to know that there is help. Quality of life and being happy with your abilities is a right that all clients deserve. We are here to SPARK their best life. They just need to reach out!”
For more information on the team and their services, visit them online here.