As children who have disabilities grow older, they need health care appropriate for their complex conditions. Many of these conditions lead to age-related effects that can be managed—or even prevented—with proper care and treatment. Gillette's adult services clinic serves teens and adults who have conditions that began during childhood and require lifelong specialty care.

Whether you’re a teen or adult who has a disability or the parent of a teen or adult child, you can trust our expertise in treating the age-related effects of cerebral palsy, spina bifida, neuromuscular conditions and other disorders.

We offer adult disability services for you or your family member. We’re with you every step of the way as you make the transition from pediatric care at Gillette Children’s to adult care at Gillette—or to another adult health care environment.

We offer an outpatient clinic (for teens 16 and older) and access to an inpatient unit on our St. Paul Campus for adults 18 – 40 who might require orthopedic, urological, neurosurgical or plastic surgery procedures for complex medical issues.

Because we specialize in services for people who have childhood-onset disabilities, Gillette adult services providers don’t treat conditions that develop during adulthood.

Additionally, it’s important that you or your adult child have a primary care provider and clinic, as our specialists don’t offer primary care.

We offer care for teens and adults who have the following conditions:

• Cerebral palsy.
• Spina bifida.
• Neuromuscular conditions, including:
  • Becker muscular dystrophy.
  • Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
  • Spinal muscular atrophy and similar genetically determined conditions.
• Complex movement disorders (associated with a condition that began in childhood).
• Post-polio symptoms and effects.
• Rett syndrome and similar genetic conditions.
• Traumatic brain injury (sustained before age 8).

If you have a lifelong disability, you’ll receive care for your unique needs at our specially designed facilities, as well as in our adult inpatient care unit. Our hallways, examination rooms and treatment spaces are large enough for comfortable wheelchair use. We can also lift, transfer, weigh and otherwise accommodate adults who have a wide variety of cognitive (thinking and learning) and physical challenges.

Gillette's adult services clinic offers appointments with medical and surgical specialists, rehabilitation therapists and more. Often-used specialty services include:

• Endocrinology.
• Medical genetics and genetic counseling.
• Neurology.
• Neuropalliative care.
• Neuropsychology.
• Nutrition and feeding.
• Psychology.
• Pulmonology and respiratory care.
• Rehabilitation medicine.
• Skin integrity and pressure injuries.
• Sleep medicine.
• Social work.
• Therapeutic recreation.

Orthotics, Prosthetics and Seating

Working in teams, our orthotics, prosthetics and seating service providers develop custom solutions to improve the abilities, health and quality of life for people who have disabilities. You or your adult child will have orthotics, prosthetics and seating equipment designed and built just for them, and will learn how to use it.

Your family might work with orthotics, prosthetics and seating experts to provide:

• Evaluations for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.
• Computer access equipment and electronic aids to daily living.
• Braces (also known as orthoses).
• Artificial limbs (also known as prostheses).
• Seating and mobility equipment.

Transition Services

We understand that leaving providers you’ve seen since infancy or childhood can be scary. As your child moves from pediatric to adult health care—we support your family in the transition. Our goal is to help you and your child find age-appropriate care with providers who understand the complexity of treating adults who have childhood-onset disabilities.

Our Transition Clinic works with Gillette patients 16 and older who qualify for adult services care at Gillette. We encourage your child to bring a parent or other caregiver to the appointment. Our staff works to provide life transition services that include:

• Creating a health care plan specific to your child’s needs.
• Helping your child manage their medical conditions to the best of their ability.
• Providing education and resources connected with legal, medical and independent living topics.

The first step to accessing adult services support is often to make an appointment at our Transition Clinic. Appointments take about two hours and include meeting with nursing staff and an advanced practice registered nurse or certified nurse practitioner. Your family also receives:

• A tour of Gillette's adult clinic.
• An assessment of your child’s skills.
• A thorough review of their medical history, including an easily accessible summary for future health care providers.
• An individual transition plan with specific goals based on their hopes and requirements.
• Referrals or access to specialty health care providers, psychologists and social workers at Gillette's adult clinic.
• Advice about finding a primary care provider for adults.
• Direction on where to gain specific skills, receive training and gather other important information.

We share a medical records system with Gillette Children’s. This shared system gives our providers access to all the information they need to continue caring for your child as they move to adulthood.

Because some of our pediatric specialists also have training in adult care, your child might see some of their childhood providers at Gillette's adult clinic.