Rehabilitation & Other Therapies

Rehabilitation Services - Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit

Our goals

Aurora BayCare Medical Center's six-bed inpatient rehabilitation program teaches patients to care for themselves and how to adjust to the changes in their lives resulting from impairments in mobility, self-care, communication, cognition, and/or swallowing. Our goal is to return our patients to the community so they can live as independently as possible.

Rehabilitation program goals

  • To help each patient maximize their functional independence through a team approach.
  • To assist each patient in realizing their maximum level of independence in mobility, self-care and communication.
  • To help the patient and family adjust to a new or modified lifestyle through patient and family education.
  • To improve the patient's level of independence in the community after discharge.

The rehabilitation team

  • The Physiatrist is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. He will direct your rehabilitation program
  • Rehabilitation nursing provides individual nursing care and family teaching, reinforces the skills learned in therapy and assists in discharge planning
  • Occupational Therapy helps gain independence in self-care skills including feeding, dressing, bathing and homemaking
  • Physical Therapy helps gain independence in mobility skills including getting in and out of a bed and chair, walking or using a wheelchair, and going up and down stairs.
  • Speech/language Pathology assists with listening, reading, speaking, writing and thinking skills, and also provides therapy for swallowing disorders.
  • Therapeutic recreation helps with resuming leisure skills, community reintegration and providing leisure resources.
  • The Social Worker is your Care Coordinator and helps with community resources, discharge planning and advanced directives.
  • Rehabilitation psychology cares for emotional needs and assists our patients in learning necessary coping skills to deal with disability or injury.
  • Additional services are provided by dietitians, vocational counselors, home care coordinators, financial counselors, chaplains, and support staff.

Planetree Boulevard Concept

Anyone who has had a stroke, spinal cord injury, neurological disorder, head injury, a serious broken bone or a limb amputation finds that the most common ordinary, daily tasks need to be modified and relearned.

Aurora BayCare Medical Center's inpatient rehab unit is called Planetree Boulevard. The unit provides a life-like, everyday world within a safe rehabilitation setting. Planetree Boulevard has an actual neighborhood like setting, complete with a restaurant, grocery store, hair salon, bank, ATM, car, full model apartment and home-like front porch. The high and low shelves, varied flooring and diverse settings all provide the patient with a chance to face real life situations while participating in their rehabilitation therapy.

Planetree Boulevard is a controlled setting developed to assist patients in maximizing their independence utilizing real life challenges. Patients have time to learn new skills so that they may overcome problems they might face in the community after discharge.

Planetree Boulevard is a way to evaluate and decide whether a patient is ready to return to the community. For these reasons, Aurora BayCare Medical Center's Inpatient Rehabilitation Program has combined its traditional therapy equipment with the Planetree Boulevard concept.

For more information about Aurora BayCare Medical Center's Inpatient Rehabilitation Program, please call 920-288-4772.

Referral and admission

Aurora BayCare Medical Center's inpatient rehabilitation program is for individuals requiring assistance with mobility, safety, self-care, cognitive skills and/or communication as a result of:

  • Stroke Brain injury
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Other neurological diagnoses
  • Multiple trauma/injuries
  • Amputation
  • Polyarthritis
  • Hip Fracture

Admission requires a referral from your physician. Patients must:

  • Be medically stable and free from monitoring and life support systems
  • Have identified deficits in mobility, safety, self-care, communication, and/or thinking skills.
  • Must be cognitively able to follow simple directions
  • Be able to participate in an intensive rehabilitation program (approximately 3-5 hours of therapy per day)
  • Require a short-term acute rehab stay prior to discharge back to the community. Our average length of stay is 19 days. The program ranges between 12 and 30 days depending on the patient's needs. Approximately 73% of our patients are discharged home, and, approximately 10% are discharged to a sub-acute unit in a skilled Nursing Facility.

After your rehabilitation stay

Inpatient rehabilitation is focused on the goal of giving you the knowledge and skills necessary to return home confidently and safely. Your progress will continue once you return home. In-home nursing and/or therapy will be arranged if necessary. Outpatient therapy is available if ordered by your physician. Follow-up appointments are arranged as needed to assess your progress and to schedule any additional care that may be necessary. Upon discharge, reports are sent to your primary care provider for continuation of cares.

In the case that you are unable to return home after your inpatient rehab stay; we will assist you in finding alternate placement at an appropriate facility.

Outcomes

A successful return home is a key goal for patients in our inpatient rehabilitation programs.

  • The average length of staty in our program is 14.8 days.
  • The average length of stay for patients who sustained a stroke is 16.6 days.
  • The average length of stay for patients who sustained a brain injury is 19.4 days.
  • The average length of stay for patients who sustained a spinal cord injury is 15.7 days.
  • 72.3% of our patients were discharged home.
  • 18.8 % of our patients were discharged to a sub acute rehab setting for further services.
  • 100% of our patients states they would recommend our program to their family and friends.

Note: Data was collected from January 01, 2010 to September 20, 2010.

What our patients say about what most impressed them about our unit:

"Caring and compassionate staff"

"The nursing staff was very attentive! Rehab staff was always aware of my readiness or not to increase exercise"

"All of my care was excellent"

"The Rehab room and all of the props and equipment available to use for my benefit"

"Staff was very knowledgeable of the patient. Staff has very caring ways and they are well trained in their jobs"

"Personal commitment to patient success"

Accreditation

To ensure the highest standards of care, our programs are accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as part of Aurora Health Care.

Since December 2003, Aurora BayCare's inpatient rehab program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Since November 2007, Aurora BayCare's inpatient rehab program has also been accredited by CARF in the Stroke Specialty Program CARF is considered the 'standard of excellence' in the rehabilitation field.