The Right Rehab Makes a Difference

By Lisa Hinton, MS, CCC-SLP

Most people have probably known a friend or relative who has fractured a hip from a fall or other accident. Of all fall-related fractures, hip fractures cause the greatest number of deaths and lead to the most severe health problems. Up to 25% of community-dwelling older adults remain institutionalized for at least a year.

Proper rehabilitation is vital for a more positive outcome following a hip fracture. Hip fracture patients have a better chance of achieving personal goals when they choose an acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital, such as HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Colorado Springs. In rehabilitation hospitals patients go home in an average of 12.8 days compared to 36.2 days at other facilities. And on average, 81.1% of patients go home following an inpatient rehabilitation stay versus only 45.5% of patients admitted to nursing homes.

HealthSouth is known for its outstanding results for hip fracture patients by using aggressive therapy programs and the latest technology. Its team approach provides a setting with more intense therapy and nursing care than other post-acute settings. Positive outcomes are the result of experienced therapists, specialized nursing staff and physicians.

When hip fracture patients are admitted to HealthSouth, they can except to find excellence across the board. Patients participate in an intensive therapy plan with 24-hour nursing care, physical and occupational therapy, and daily physician assessments. Three hours of therapy is completed five to seven days a week in 30-minute to one-hour sessions with some patients gradually working up to that intensity.

Patients are also offered highly advanced specialized services at HealthSouth, including HealthSouth’s own AutoAmbulator™. The AutoAmbulator is an innovative therapeutic body-weight supported treadmill device created by HealthSouth to help rehabilitate patients who experience difficulty walking. The AutoAmbulator simulates normal walking motion for remarkable results.

Following discharge from HealthSouth’s inpatient hospital, patients can continue recovery at home through outpatient therapy or home health.

Although hip fractures can be life changing, they don’t have to change a life, at least when proper rehabilitation is in place. For more information on hip fracture rehabilitative services, contact HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Colorado Springs at 719-630-8000.

Sources: Wolinsky 1997, Hall 2000, Popovic 2001, Magaziner 2000, Stevens 2005, in press, CDC 1996; Effect of Rehabilitation Site on Functional Recovery After Hip Fracture, Archives of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Vol. 38 March 2005