Rehabilitation and daily life
Planning for the first night home
Think about a trip from bed to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Tell your therapist who will be there to help, what equipment you will use and where the route gets difficult.
If you or a loved one have a planned surgery, such as a joint replacement, or are hospitalized for a serious medical event like an injury or stroke, the setting where you receive rehabilitation makes a difference.
Getting home after surgery, injury or stroke depends on safe mobility, medical needs, the layout of the home and who can help. The earlier article described returns home in roughly 12–14 days for some inpatient rehabilitation stays. Ask for an individual estimate and what must happen before discharge. A past range cannot predict the length of this stay.
What to Expect
Lakeview inpatient rehabilitation brings medical oversight, nursing and physical, occupational and speech-language therapy together. Sessions can be divided across the day with breaks for rest and medical care. Ask what the planned therapy time looks like, how the team will adapt it to your tolerance and which skills you need before trying the bathroom, stairs or entrance at home.
Your loved ones are encouraged to play a supportive role, receiving education on the rehabilitation process both during your stay in the hospital and also when you return home.
Members of the Rehabilitation Team
A Physical Therapist helps with exercises designed to improve balance, strength and endurance. They work with you to decrease pain, improve range of motion and restore ability to walk and complete normal daily skills.
An Occupational Therapist helps you become more independent by teaching you new ways to perform daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating and preparing food in order to return to a more normal daily routine.
The Speech-Language Therapist helps with communication, memory, hearing and problem-solving skills. They also help people return to eating and drinking normally again if they have difficulty swallowing after being on a ventilator.
Your rehabilitation team will work with the rest of your care team to tailor a plan for your condition and abilities, which often includes:
- Memory strategies, especially following stroke or traumatic brain injury
- How to better complete daily activities such as bathing
- Osteoporosis/posture therapy
- Improving fine motor skills like writing or fastening buttons
- Arthritis pain management and joint protection
- Walking with assistive devices like a cane or walker
- Fall prevention and balance training
- Hand rehabilitation
- Post-joint replacement therapy
For questions about a possible stay, call Lakeview Admissions at (262) 534-8509. During a stay, ask the bedside nurse who can help with your question.