Rehabilitation Patient Support Services

The following is a general listing of additional patient support services provided by Adventist Rehab.

Medical Services

The interdisciplinary team is led by a physiatrist, a medical doctor with specialized training in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The physiatrist also works with referring and consulting physicians to address the full scope of your medical and rehabilitation needs. The physiatrist prescribes the necessary therapy program for each patient, supervises the delivery of medical care and closely monitors the patient's progress.

Rehabilitation Nursing

Adventist Rehab nurses are part of the interdisciplinary team and are specially educated to provide care 24 hours a day for individuals with physical disabilities. The rehabilitation nurse instructs patients about medications and self care and reinforces the use of the techniques they have learned in daily therapy sessions. Before discharge, the nurse prepares patients and family members for the activities they will need to perform at home.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy's (PT) goal is to improve mobility, whether in a wheelchair or with other assistive devices. By evaluating the patient's ability to change positions, sit, stand and walk, the physical therapist implements an individualized treatment program to optimize movement, flexibility, balance, endurance, strength and muscle control.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy (OT) helps patients gain independence in a wide range of daily life skills, such as eating, dressing and bathing. This can be accomplished through exercise to increase strength, range of motion and coordination, combined with the practice of various skills in actual or simulated settings.

Speech-Language Pathology

Some patients at Adventist Rehab require specialized help with communication, swallowing or hearing. Certified speech-language pathologists (SLP) diagnose and treat a wide variety of difficulties resulting from stroke, brain injury or other conditions. Comprehensive screening procedures, including hearing tests and special x-ray techniques to identify swallowing disorders, are used. Therapy may involve both retraining efforts and education in ways to compensate for the problem.

Recreation Therapy

Recreation therapy is available to those patients striving toward community re-entry. Through the use of one-on-one and/or group programs, patients have the opportunity to participate in physical and cognitive social activities, such as pet therapy, community outings and spiritual services.

Social Worker

The role of the Social Worker is to intervene with patients by assessing, planning and advocating for their health needs. The Social Worker will provide counseling to assist you and/or your family in understanding and coping with the rehabilitation process. The Social Worker will meet with you to provide information about what you can expect during your stay and gather information to help you plan for your discharge, community resources, and psychosocial adjustment to life after discharge. They also facilitate patient orientation classes that give you an overview of what you should expect. The Social Workers also facilitate a variety of support and education groups for you and/or your family. Your Social Worker will recommend an appropriate group for you.

The Social Worker can assist you with completing forms for Advance Directives if you do not have one in place or if you wish to make changes to an existing one. If you want to appoint a health care representative or make a living will, we can explain these forms to you. If you have already completed these forms, we will need a copy within three days of admission. If you cannot easily access copies, we will ask you to complete another Advanced Directive, so that we know your preferences.

Case Manager

Case managers address the social and economic issues that may arise as a result of disability. In addition, they serve as a liaison between the rehabilitation team, the patient, the family and the patient's insurance company. They also coordinate and facilitate recommendations made by the team.

Patients will meet with a case manager who works one-on-one with them and their families to address individual needs and helps to ensure a smooth transition back into the community following discharge.

The case managers help patients access a variety of community services and explore the options available as the patient moves through the continuum of health care and to home.