Rehabilitation Center - Brady Building
Rehabilitation Team Members
Rehabilitation Physician
A specially trained rehabilitation physician is in charge of treatment and progress while the patient is in the Rehabilitation Center. The physician works closely with the patient’s primary care physician and provides active management and direction for the patient’s rehabilitation program. Other specialists are consulted as needed.
Rehabilitation Nursing
The Rehabilitation Nurse provides 24-hour overall care. This includes monitoring changes in the patient’s health status, working with patients in such areas as improving bladder and bowel control and learning how to avoid damaging skin pressure. The rehabilitation nurse also helps the patient manage prescribed medication and practice skills learned in therapies.
Physical Therapist
The Physical Therapist works with the patient to promote an optimal return of function through improving overall physical strength, endurance, balance, coordination, posture and flexibility. Guided by an individual treatment plan, patients receive treatment that may include exercises, wheelchair mobility, equipment fitting, gait training and family education.
Physical Therapists work with patients in a variety of real-life simulations to assure they achieve the highest possible level of safe functional mobility.
Occupational Therapy
The Occupational Therapist works with the patient to improve the ability to perform daily living activities. These activities might be as basic as feeding, dressing, bathing and grooming, or as complex as planning a menu, shopping for groceries and preparing a meal. The Occupational Therapist may also design splints and provide other adaptive equipment to enhance the individual’s abilities in self-care and decrease further disability.
Speech-Language Pathology
The primary focus of Speech Therapy is to maximize the person’s ability to communicate. The Speech-Language Pathologist works with the patient to improve speech, language, voice, memory and thought processing skills. The Speech-Language Pathologist can also assist with swallowing disorders that hamper the ability to eat safely and take medications orally.
Social Worker
The Social Worker assists patients and families with personal, financial, emotional or social concerns that may arise as a result of illness or impairment. The Social Worker maintains frequent contact with patients and families to ensure communication with the rehabilitation team and to assist with planning for discharge. If going home upon discharge is not an option, the Social Worker will help the patient locate an appropriate facility. The Social Worker will provide information and referrals to community resources that may aid the individual and family during the hospital stay and after discharge if going home.
Psychologist
A complete rehabilitation program includes helping the individual heal emotionally as well as physically.
The Psychologist works with the Social Worker to assists patients with overall adjustment and coping, as well as with specific issues such as pain management, sexuality and relationships.
Neuropsychological evaluation and treatment are available for patients with cognitive changes. These changes include alterations in thinking skills, memory, emotions and behavior that might occur after head injury, stroke or other neurologic illness.
Dietitian
The patient receives a diet prescribed by his or her physician. Representatives from St. John’s Nutrition Services visit patients to assist them in making appropriate menu selections.
Prior to discharge, a registered dietitian instructs the patient and family in any special diet the patient should follow.