Choosing the Best Rehabilitative Care for Fast Recovery

January 11, 2017

Rehabilitative care is a common recommendation for patients following a medical emergency or hospitalization. The goal of this short-term care at a specialized facility is to ensure that the patient can safely return home after hospitalization or an acute medical incident.

Many people don’t realize that they have a choice of which rehab provider to use — and each facility is different in the services and amenities offered.

If you or your loved one has planned surgery that will require rehab, such as knee replacement, take some time to research your options. Ace Agustin, Director of Rehab Nursing Services at Martha & Mary REHAB, recommends visiting the potential rehab center ahead of time to get a feel for the environment.

“Ask about the nurse-to-patient ratio and inquire about availability of the providers. Look at the dining experience for patients,” she recommends. “Also, find out if transportation is available for getting to appointments so the patient doesn’t have to solely rely on family members.”

If rehab care is necessary after an emergency event, a decision must be made quickly. But it’s not a good idea to rush and enroll your loved one in the first facility recommended by the hospital or medical provider. Call perspective rehab centers and in addition to inquiring about cost and provider coverage, ask the following questions:

• How often is therapy offered? For example, at Martha & Mary REHAB, physical, occupational and speech therapy is available seven days a week.
• How many patients do the licensed nurses take care of? Are the licensed nurses skilled and trained in rehab care? Are the licensed nurses offered opportunities for continuing education to hone their skills?
• Does the rehab facility have a specialized wound care nurse that works with the interdisciplinary care team to help heal existing skin issues and prevent further skin breakdown?
• What kind of programs and activities are offered during the patient’s stay? It’s vital for your loved one to remain active and involved during recovery. It is therefore important to have activities that cater to their interests and preferences.
• Who is part of the patient’s recovery team and is there a case manager at the facility? When your loved one has multiple care providers aiding their recovery, it’s important to have a point person, such as a case manager, who can ensure that everyone stays informed. This helps in coordinating the patient’s care during this stressful time.
• What is the process for discharge planning and discharge? How is the family involved? Does the facility follow up with the patient after discharge?

Martha & Mary REHAB is known for getting patients home five days sooner than most local providers. Agustin says that one of the factors contributing to that fact is the careful planning that starts as soon as a patient is admitted to Martha & Mary REHAB.

“We identify the patients’ goals with the patient, their support person and the interdisciplinary care team. We help determine barriers to discharge early and devise a plan to overcome obstacles in achieving the patients’ goals,” she says. “If the patient is not quite progressing towards goals as planned, we seek ways to adjust to their needs and persistently find ways to support the patient so they may continue to reach their best health outcome.”

Martha & Mary REHAB also has a reputation for reducing the likelihood of hospital readmission. To achieve this, their staff ensures that patients have what support they need to be successful at home.

“We identify the barriers to successful discharge back home,” Agustin says. “We collaborate with different entities — hospitals, other skilled nursing facilities, primary care providers, other consulting physicians or specialists, home health providers, home care providers, family members. This really helps to prevent readmission and ensure a successful patient discharge.”

One of the aspects that make Martha & Mary REHAB unique is that it provides a friendly and healing environment that feels less like a hospital setting. Martha and Mary REHAB gives patients access to multiple enrichment programs.  Although the rehab unit is a separate from the larger Martha & Mary community, Martha & Mary REHAB patients have opportunity to garden, visit with children from the child care centers and participate in a variety of fun activities.

“This kind of environment really helps them in healing and recovery,” Agustin says.

A remodel of Martha & Mary REHAB, which is nearly complete, gives short-term-stay patients a separate entrance, along with more private rooms with private bathrooms. Additionally, outpatient rehab services will be added next year, so patients can continue care and treatment with their same inpatient therapists after discharge.

Martha & Mary’s services are ranked in the top 15 percent among 2,200 providers nation-wide as rated by Pinnacle Quality Insight, an independent customer-satisfaction assessment company.  Martha & Mary was a recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2016 Customer Experience Award, based on surveys of Martha & Mary clients. For more information about Martha & Mary REHAB, go to www.marthaandmary.org/rehab.

 

 

Receive email updates when we add updates.