 | Deb Wetta, RN, is a Director of Marketing/RN liaison for Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of HealthSouth, provider of inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational and speech-language therapies and exclusive home of the AutoAmbulator, Makoto and Interactive Metronome. Deb can be reached at Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, 8338 W. 13th Street in Wichita, 316-729-1140. |
Health & Medicine
2010-02-01 08:42:00
Rehab versus skilled care
QUESTION: I am needing rehabilitative care and was wondering what is the best type of care and is one better than the other?
ANSWER: When making a choice where to receive rehabilitative care, it is vital to recognize the difference between services available in various settings and how these differences can impact recovery.
Probably the most noticeable difference between a rehabilitation hospital and a skilled nursing facility is the amount of therapy a patient will receive. While both types of facilities typically offer physical, occupational and speech/language therapies, a rehabilitation hospital delivers more frequent and longer sessions in a week’s time. In fact, physical, occupational and/or speech language therapy must be delivered a minimum three hours a day in a rehabilitation hospital; there is no defined length of time for these services to be provided in skilled nursing. The amount of therapy is important because more aggressive rehabilitation can make a difference in how quickly someone returns home and is able to enjoy a quality of life comparable to that which they experienced prior to their illness or injury. Additionally, care in a rehabilitation hospital, is delivered by a team of specially trained professionals whose goal is to direct patients in recovery to the independence they once had.
In addition to the aforementioned, it’s good to consider the following points when looking at rehabilitation options for your loved one.
In a rehabilitation hospital, the attending physician visits daily, in a skilled nursing facility, the physician is only required to visit a minimum of once every 30 days. A multidisciplinary team led by a medical doctor or a doctor of osteopathy is a requirement of a rehabilitation hospital; not so in a nursing home. And registered nurses must provide oversight around the clock in a rehab hospital but only eight consecutive hours a day in a nursing facility. There is also a higher concentration of nurses per patient in a rehabilitation hospital and each of them receives specialized training in the unique needs of patients working to get back on their feet and back home.
I recommend a tour of any facility you are considering. When you go, ask about some of the following: Are you assigned a case manager to help you navigate this new world you and your wife have entered? Does the facility offer therapies designed specifically for your wife’s condition? Do they routinely monitor how well patients do as result of their rehabilitation? Are family members involved in the care plan and how often are they included in goal setting? Is there education available to help learn how to deal with your wife’s condition? And be sure to ask about the plan for your wife’s therapy once she is discharged to home, ideally, she will be able to continue her treatment as an outpatient until she is fully recovered.
