A serious hospitalization can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life and may require additional care at a skilled nursing center, also known as a post-acute care center. Whether you suffered a stroke, live with a chronic illness, or experienced a life-changing fall, this level of care provides each patient with a rehabilitation program intended to help them achieve a successful recovery and regain their full independence. Your healthcare team will work with you to build an Individualized Treatment Plan that involves one or more therapy programs: physical, speech, and/or occupational therapy.
At Prestige Care, our licensed therapy teams are dedicated to working with each resident, their family, and their doctor to develop a care plan that’s best suited for their recovery goals. Upon arrival, an evaluation will be conducted to determine which therapy program is optimal for each individual’s medical needs. Our goal with this level of care is to help each person transition successfully from hospital to home.
It is important to understand the critical role a post-acute therapy program plays in improving a person’s independence and reducing their length of stay. In addition to stimulating muscle recovery and cognitive health there are many more benefits to physical, speech, and occupational therapy at a skilled nursing center.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is essential in improving many different aspects of a person’s health and provides a variety of benefits for people who are recovering from a surgery or injury that has impacted their mobility and strength. This level of care is pivotal in restoring a person’s functional mobility, reducing inflammation, and improving balance and strength to prevent the risk of a fall and/or further complications.
While physical therapy can help a person regain their motor skills and increase physical range of motion, it can also be beneficial in managing chronic pain as a result of a hospitalization. This allows for a more comfortable and accelerated recovery which can lead to a smoother transition back to their independent lifestyle.
The goal of a physical therapy program is to improve a person’s physical challenges and overall quality of life. This is accomplished through a series of educational resources, therapeutic techniques, tailored exercises, and assessments such as Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) Score, Gait Speed and 6 Minute Walking Test (6MWT).
Physical therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of medical needs and is important to consider if you have limited mobility, significant muscle loss after an injury, or experience poor balance that can make you more susceptible to falls or injury.
Speech Therapy
If you or a loved one experience challenges associated with swallowing that affects your independence or have recently suffered a stroke or serious medical event that has impacted your communication skills, your healthcare team may recommend speech therapy at a post-acute care center prior to returning home.
Speech therapy at a skilled nursing center can have a positive outcome in a person’s overall recovery. It can help resolve problems with swallowing or eating, and improve communication challenges in speaking, reading, writing, memory retention, and verbal expression. This may include focusing on identifying vocal cues, verbal repetition, or practicing mouth movement techniques. This level of care is essential in improving cognitive function and can increase a person’s ability to communicate and understand clearly in social settings.
Speech therapists will also often collaborate with the dietary team to develop a customized diet plan for patients that may have difficulty with swallowing or eating.
Speech therapy not only increases a person’s cognitive health, but also their emotional health. It can bring a person a sense of confidence as their communication skills are advancing and they are able to express themselves with loved ones.
Occupational Therapy
If your independence has been impacted after a serious hospitalization or injury, you may require occupational therapy at a post-acute care center to help you regain your functional skills in completing daily tasks. This type of therapy program focuses on helping patients refine their motor skills, improve hand and upper extremity function, and achieve independence in activities of daily living (ADL) such as eating, bathing, and dressing to ensure they can return home to their active lifestyles.
Occupational therapy at a skilled nursing center not only provides exercises to improve a person’s physical health, but also educational resources on managing partial or permanent loss of function from the result of an injury or chronic illness. Your therapy team will work with you to ensure you have the tools you need in preparation for your return home. This may include ongoing evaluations and assessments such as SLUMS and ACL to evaluate your independence in performing activities of daily living.
If your independence has been affected after an injury, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and have a sense of frustration as you are working to regain your self-sufficiency in everyday tasks. Occupational therapy not only benefits your physical health, but also your mental well-being. As you are improving your functional skills, you will begin to notice an increase in confidence as you are able to complete tasks on your own.
Therapy at Prestige Care
Whether you require physical therapy to enhance your strength and mobility, speech therapy to improve challenges with speaking, swallowing, or eating, or occupational therapy to help regain your independence in activities of daily living, Prestige is here to help. We work with each resident and their physician to determine their individualized therapy plan and conduct ongoing evaluations to ensure they are receiving the care they need for an optimal recovery.
Our experienced therapy teams use a data-driven analytical approach and proven assessments to help increase positive recovery outcomes, dramatically decrease the risk of future complications, and improve overall functional skills.
Our speech, physical, and occupational therapy programs are intended to help each patient regain their independence and prepare for their transition home. Contact a Prestige Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center near you to learn more about our therapy programs.