Bath Manor and Windsong Care Center talks geriatric rehabilitation – LIVING WELL Magazine

Geriatric rehabilitation facilities help aid in a more rapid recovery

Courtesy Bath Manor and Windsong Care Center, Akron LIVING WELL Magazine

Many patients simply wish to return home after a hospital stay. However, their care needs are often more than they or their families can manage. Patients may have difficulty in the following areas: ambulating, being unable to safely navigate stairs, have complicated medication regimens and new medications that need frequent adjustments, need assistance with their ADLS, dressing changes multiple times a day, and may even require 24-hour care. These needs are often greater than what family members can provide. Also, these needs are often greater than the intermittent care and services that skilled homecare agencies can provide. Short-term skilled rehabilitation can meet the patient’s needs, facilitate a more rapid recovery and a faster return to baseline function, while also reducing the potential need for further hospitalizations.

Dr. Nancy Istenes, DO, CMD, from Summa Health System states that Bath Manor and Windsong are two examples of facilities that focus on geriatric rehabilitation and have staff that are educated on geriatric syndromes and medical conditions that commonly affect older adults.  A geriatrician provides the patient’s medical care and works along with a geriatric certified nurse practitioner to increase the medical management provided to the patients. The staff works collaboratively with the patient and their family to establish medical and self-care goals as well as a comprehensive discharge plan that often includes community services to support them after discharge, continues Dr. Istenes. This highly specialized and coordinated care allows patients to return home quicker with a higher level of independence when compared to a traditional skilled rehabilitation facility and have less hospital readmissions over the following year.

Geriatric rehabilitation is a program of skilled rehabilitation that incorporates specialized and coordinated interdisciplinary care to allow patients to return home more quickly and with a higher level of independence when compared to a traditional skilled rehabilitation facility. This plan often includes skilled homecare and other services that are appropriate to meet the patient’s needs at discharge. The patient’s length of stay at the geriatric rehabilitation facility is often shorter than a traditional skilled facility due to this high level of coordinated care.

Some patients have surgeries or hospital admissions that are planned in advance. This allows you –– the patient –– and your loved ones to tour facilities such as Bath Manor and Windsong prior to your hospitalization to talk to admissions staff and make arrangements for your rehab stay. If your hospitalization is not planned, either you or your loved ones can ask the hospital discharge planners to help arrange a geriatric rehabilitation stay. Conditions that would warrant a rehabilitation stay but are not limited to: three hours of daily therapy, comprehensive stroke rehabilitation, total joint replacement, tracheotomy and respiratory services, post tram injuries, pneumonia and COPD, CHF and MI, IV therapy, wound care including wound vacs, orthopedic surgery, and pain management.

Choosing a facility that specifically provides geriatric rehabilitation is a first step. Make sure you have a current list of your home medications and a complete medical history. If you are unable to speak for yourself, your POA or family spokesman should come to the facility with you on admission to help answer questions. You should have comfortable clothing and shoes to allow you to fully participate in your therapy. Daily participation in your rehabilitation, along with patient/family meetings, is instrumental in setting up your home-going plan. If anyone plans to help and support you at home have them come to the facility for training to ensure that they are fully prepared for their care giving role. If there are any questions, please contact Bath Manor or Windsong to help assist you with these questions.

Why should you chose as geriatric rehabilitation facility over a traditional care facility? Here are a few reasons why:

*To receive medical management provided by a geriatrician and nurse practitioner

*Physician/NP visits twice weekly and as needed vs. once weekly to monthly with traditional   care

*So that the patient’s progress and discharge plan is reviewed weekly by the interdisciplinary team

*To get coordination of home going services (i.e. homecare, passport, and private duty care)

*To have a shorter length of stay – average 15 days

*To prevent re-hospitalization and allow discharge to home.

For any questions or a tour, please feel free to call or stop in at Bath Manor Special Care Center or Windsong Care Center.