Skilled nursing therapy provides effective postoperative care
By Greg Carnes, MBA, LNHA, Falls Village, Magnolia Village, and Medina Village, Akron LIVING WELL Magazine
In any given year, a large number of patients needing orthopedic rehabilitation of hips, knees or broken bones will cycle through many venues of healthcare facilities on their way to recovery. Skilled nursing therapy provides a cost effective way to enable patients with postoperative care needs to recover in an environment outside of a hospital. The therapy received in these state of the art gyms has improved significantly in the past decade. Focusing on return-to-home rates, social workers, discharge planners, along with physical and occupational therapists, work with their patients and guide them on where and how to continue the mending process once the patient is discharged from a hospital or long-term acute care facility.
Skills, interventions, attitudes, communication and continuity of care constitute the essential components of orthopedic postoperative care. Regular exercises to restore normal motions and strength and a gradual return to everyday activities are important for full recovery. It is important to be in a facility where the focus is on therapy, rest and recuperation. In a skilled nursing rehabilitation setting, the total time spent with a patient each day can reach up to three hours. Those patients who return home and resume their lives too soon often experience complications, which could have been avoided with a therapeutic regime overseen by a professional nursing staff.
So, in these cases, the question becomes: “How do I choose the facility which is right for my recovery, my mental state, my family and my eventual safe and healthy return to home?” There are a number of resources, which provide answers to this all-important query.
Since nursing homes are surveyed yearly by the State of Ohio, their survey results and ratings are public and viewable on www.medicare.gov. Listen to recommendations by friends and family. Talk to your family doctor, your surgeon and the persons at the hospital responsible for discharges. Tour the recommended facilities and ask questions. Pay attention to smells, attitudes and cleanliness. If you are comfortable with your tour, chances are that you will be happy with that choice.
Above all, don’t forget that you are not in this situation alone. There is help available. The possibilities of coming through an injury on the other side––strong and mended––are increasing with each year of research and knowledge gained.
For further information, or to talk about our therapeutic programs, please call Shannon at Falls Village, Debbie at Magnolia Village or Gina at Medina Village.
