therarpy description

Rehabilitation Hospital of Memphis
Therapy Descriptions

In rehabilitation, all therapies are interrelated and closely integrated. Physicians, therapists, nurses and all other hospital staff that practice at The MED work with the patient and the family as a team. When therapists practice their particular expertise during treatment, they reinforce goals established by other therapists to achieve true rehabilitation. Below are therapies that may be ordered by the patient’s physician based on his or her needs:

Physical Therapy

Focusing on movement dysfunction, physical therapists assist patients with mobility, walking, teaching wheelchair transfer techniques, and conducting orthotic/prosthetic device evaluation and training. In a fully equipped gym, therapists combine specialized equipment and one-on-one assistance to enable patients to gain confidence in balance, strength and endurance. They may also use special techniques to reduce pain, improve wound healing, and maximize range of motion.

Occupational Therapy

Therapists teach patients how to be independent with self-care and activities of daily living (ADL) such as bathing, dressing, eating and food preparation. The therapist may prescribe special devices to assist in improving independence. They also work on cognitive (thought) rehab and visual perceptual skills that interfere with advanced ADLs such as managing money, returning to work, or feeling safe at home. At the same time, they work toward maximizing the use of the patient’s arms, hands and fingers and may recommend special splints or casts.

Speech and language pathologists assist patients who have communication disorders. They offer basic cognitive retraining to assure functional independence with decision-making, reasoning skills and memory. Areas also addressed within the department include oral motor strengthening, swallowing evaluation/retraining, written expression and use of special communication devices.

Therapeutic Recreation

Therapeutic recreation works closely with other rehabilitation professionals to help patients visualize and adapt to recreation and social activities that were a part of their active lifestyle before illness/trauma. Community outings are arranged to practice new skills.

Rehabilitation Nursing

In addition to normal nursing duties, rehabilitation nurses teach patients and families how to manage health care concerns after discharge. They are specially trained to help patients utilize skills learned in therapies and encourage them to carry through with daily self-care goals. These nurses focus on improving the patient's ability to care for himself or herself. They understand the delicate balance of providing empathetic nursing care while encouraging the patient’s independence.

Social Worker/Case Manager

The social worker/case manager links patient, family, insurance carrier, treatment team and community resources. They facilitate family support groups, family education groups, family counseling, and discharge planning, which contributes to the successful completion of rehabilitation. The social worker/case manager is a key contact person for the patient and family...more