Your primary care physician will work closely with the physician assigned to care for you at our hospital--a doctor who specializes in or has experience in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Our physician will direct a team of specialists assembled to work directly with you. Our physician also communicates regularly with all those on your team, making sure each step in your program is carefully carried out.
Our nursing staff combines rehabilitation expertise with medical-surgical nursing skills. The nurse assesses your health issues and provides 24-hour care designed to complement and support your rehabilitation program. Your nurse actively addresses and encourages therapy goals with you. This allows you to work independently toward your goals. Your nurse also provides the rest of the staff with crucial information regarding your condition and any concerns (relating to pain, immobility, etc.) so that the team is aware of your overall condition and progress.
Your physical therapist will help you improve the function of your muscles and flexibility of your joints, improve coordination and balance and build the stamina and strength needed for mobility. The focus of your therapy may include learning to walk again (with or without the aid of a walker, cane or brace), using a wheelchair, getting in and out of a car or bed, on and off a chair or up and down stairs and curbs.
Your condition may have affected your ability to communicate, to swallow, to think or to remember. Your speech-language pathologist will evaluate and treat your condition and help you and your family find ways to adapt to the situation. Your therapist will evaluate and treat your ability to communicate basic wants and needs, and for higher level language skills of reasoning and problem solving. This may include listening comprehension, reading, writing and speaking.
Your occupational therapist will help you improve the strength of your upper body, arms and hands. Exercise and training will assist you to better perform such daily tasks as eating, dressing, grooming, bathing and cooking. Your training may also include learning to properly use equipment, splints or braces.
If you have breathing difficulties, your respiratory therapist will help you strengthen the diaphragm and increase lung capacity. This involves breathing exercises as well as the use of specialized equipment.
A clinical psychologist can identify challenges with memory, learning, solving everyday problems or organizing thoughts due to damage to your brain as a result of injury or illness. He or she then provides treatment techniques to assist you in overcoming your disability.A neuropsychologist may also work with you if you are experiencing chronic pain, depression or another emotional disorder.
Our staff pharmacist works with physicians and with the rest of the rehabilitation team to provide medications that are necessary in treating your condition and beneficial to the rehabilitative process.
An assessment of your diet practices and nutritional status will be completed when you are admitted to the hospital. Your dietitian will make certain your nutritional needs are met during your stay and will provide any nutritional education needed for your return home. You'll find your food preferences are taken into account as your diet allows.