Common Functional Problems Treated

• The inability to walk
• Weakness or loss of joint movement
• Difficulty with coordination and balance
• Difficulty moving from one surface to another (i.e., from the bed to a chair or from a chair to the tub)
• The inability to control bowel and bladder function
• Difficulty with daily activities such as eating, grooming, dressing, bathing or homemaking
• The inability to swallow
• Problems with memory, thought processes, decision making or reasoning
• Difficulty communicating with others
• Emotional problems associated with serious illness or injury
• The inability to pursue recreational activities

Admission Criteria
The staff of the Rehab Hospital tailors intensive therapeutic and educational programs for individuals who:

• Have a physical impairment caused by stroke that requires multidisciplinary rehabilitative services and also have a reasonable expectation of improvement
• Have a relatively unchanging medical status, are not ventilator dependent, and can participate in a complete rehabilitation program within a reasonable length of time after admission
• Have the intellectual and psychological status appropriate for participation in a full rehabilitation program

Treatment
A treatment team of physicians, therapists, nurses and speech pathologists works closely together to help each patient reach his or her full potential. This multidisciplinary team meets regularly to evaluate and help the patients achieve their short- and long-term goals. The patient's family members are encouraged to participate in the rehabilitation process.

Education
Patients and their families receive counseling and instruction in many important areas to help facilitate the readjustment to a fulfilling lifestyle. Topics of discussion include:

• Understanding the medical, physical and emotional effects of stroke
• Nutrition
• The adjustment to disability
• Vocational counseling
• The availability and use of adaptive equipment
• Equipment maintenance
• Community resources
• Community reintegration
• Prosthetics and orthotics

Each patient also receives a comprehensive manual about stroke rehabilitation that includes information about selfcare, nutrition and equipment use.

Discharge Planning & Follow-up
Our attention to each patient's rehabilitation needs does not end with his or her discharge from the Rehab Hospital. To help ensure continued and long-term improvement to the physical and emotional well-being of every patient, we continue to monitor each patient's needs after he or she has completed rehabilitation at the Rehab Hospital to determine whether outpatient or home therapy is necessary.

We also make referrals for services from community, state and federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the Division of Aging, Meals-On-Wheels and home health care agencies.