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What makes for the best possible rehab experience with Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy? There are many factors. I’ll cite five.

The first two have to do with the most important element: the therapists themselves.

1. Compassionate Therapists. Our therapists have a genuine passion for their patients’ rehabilitation and are driven to see them reach the highest possible level of function. There is always a window of time in which rehabilitation must take place. As patients near the closing of that window, opportunity diminishes. Caring therapists plan well, work hard and find ways to motivate patients to achieve their goals.
2. Competent Therapists. As necessary as it is that therapists have a caring heart, it is equally important that their hands (and minds) be well trained and skilled. Therapists gain much knowledge while earning their degrees and certifications, including various specialty certifications.  However, they must continue to learn and grow in order to implement evidence based techniques. Rehab team members need to have a hunger for personal and professional growth, and the rehab provider has to accommodate that hunger. When people are learning and growing, they are not only more equipped, but also more motivated to perform. So a high and ever rising standard of staff competence is essential to providing the best possible rehab experience.

The next two are related to the resources the gym has to offer.

1. Gym Space. A large and spacious primary gym with two additional more private gyms, including an OT gym and a cardio gym to accommodate patient individual needs is the ideal arrangement. A spacious gym allows multiple therapists to treat their patients simultaneously. And large open spaces provide for safe and efficient gym.
2. Equipment. Here’s a pretty good sample list of some of the equipment utilized by therapists to enhance patient outcomes: parallel bars, an ADL kitchen, short wave diathermy,  electrical stimulation, free weights, resistance bands, pulmonary care program, ultra sound, hydrocollator, paraffin, fluidotherapy, high low mat tables, orthotic devices, seating and positioning equipment, traction system, Scifit recumbent bikes, Omnicycle, Pnuemex anti-gravity walking machine, Saebo program, treadmill, standing frame, Treadwell, DME, adaptive equipment, rebounder, monofilament.  Obviously, the more equipment options a therapy team has access to, the closer the patient can come to the best possible rehab experience.

Finally, for in-patient rehabilitation, there has to be strong support systems in place.

1. In-Patient Support. Even though patients often enter a skilled nursing facility to rehab from surgery, an injury or the exacerbation of a medical condition, they also require the support of other systems, like nutrition, social services, recreation, personal nursing care, a truly multidisciplinary approach to their experience. For example, a spacious room or suite in which to receive nursing care, enjoy good food, relax, visit with family and friends, read, watch TV and sleep provide an environment conducive to recovery. When patients aren’t in their actual treatment sessions, their experiences need to support their rehabilitation. If the patients are going to achieve their prior level of function and maximize their level of independence, it will involve the networking of the various disciplines. A multi-team approach is required, not only during the patients’ stay, but after their stay as well. It is the therapy team and the teams from the other disciplines working together that assures a safe transition to home or to the appropriate environment.