 | 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
2007-03-01 12:49:00
Rehab hospital vs. skilled nursing
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 recovering the independence they once had.
There are more measurable differences in the care that is delivered as well. In a rehabilitation hospital, the attending physician visits daily, in a skilled nursing facility, the physician may only be required to visit 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 husband have entered? Does the facility offer therapies designed specifically for your husband’s condition, such as aquatics, swallowing therapy, gait training? Do they routinely monitor how well patients do as a 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 husband’s condition? And be sure to ask about the plan for your husband’s therapy once he is discharged to home, ideally, he will be able to continue his treatment as an outpatient until he is fully recovered.
