Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation: Focusing on Quality of Life
For neuroscience patients, quality of life is an important component of treatment planning. And the physical medicine and rehabilitation team plays a critical role in helping patients successfully return to their daily lives as quickly and fully as possible.
The Neuroscience patient care team includes a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician and physical and occupational therapy services.
Early Intervention: The team evaluates all patients diagnosed with a brain, spine or neck disorder early during the course of treatment - often when they are first admitted to the hospital. Early intervention helps patients recover from physical challenges or disabling conditions that result from an illness or injury. The team continues care coordination of all rehab services throughout hospitalization and until patients return home. Some patients will move on to another level of care to complete their recovery, such as an acute rehabilitation hospital or an outpatient therapy setting.
At Holy Cross Hospital, the rehabilitation team includes:
- A physical medicine and rehabilitation physician who evaluates patients and develops a therapeutic plan featuring a number of patient care services to help restore function and quality of life.
- Physical therapists who provide advanced physical therapy to address walking and mobility issues, and improve strength and balance.
- Occupational therapists who help patients perform "activities of daily living" such as eating, bathing and dressing.
- Speech language pathologists who work with patients who have problems with attention, memory, speech and swallowing as a result of their illness or injury.