|
Our rehabilitation specialists work closely with primary care providers as part of f Carondelet Manor's healthcare team to customize treatment plans for clients of all ages. With input from each patient and loved ones therapists can guide families through the rehabilitation process, developing plans to maintain the highest level of independence possible. This may include training with adaptive equipment, assessing mobility safety in the home and making discharge placement recommendations.
We provide a full spectrum of Rehabilitation Services in Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy. Conveniently located in the center of our building our services are readily accessible to patients in our Sub Acute Unit, Long-term Care Unit and our Alzheimer/Dementia Unit - Cherished Moments.
Physical Therapy
Movement, Strength, confidence
Physical Therapy helps restore mobility while preventing further disability, enabling participants to regain independence and boost self-esteem. Exercises also play a critical role in strengthening, endurance, pain and balance and control.
Services provided by our physical therapists include, among others;
- Therapeutic exercise programs for strength and mobility
- Balance assessments and training
- Training in body mechanics and posture
- Gait training (use of a cane/walker, managing stairs, changes in weight-bearing activity)
- Functional activities - bed mobility and car transfers
- Training in equipment and/or prosthetic use
- Pain control (including use of ultrasound electrical stimulation)
- Establishment of post-therapy exercise programs
Occupational Therapy (OT)
Self-care. Self Sufficiency
Regaining the ability to manage the aspects of one's daily life - that's the foundation of Occupational Therapy. Improving self-sufficiency, in many instances, enables an individual to remain in or return to his/her home environment.
"Occupation" refers to the tasks or skills that a person routinely completes during awake time. As such, Occupational Therapy services may include any of the following:
- Self-care training in daily living skills (dressing, grooming, eating, bathing, meal preparation, light housekeeping and laundry). Use of adaptive equipment and/or techniques may help compensate for physical deficits and enhance independence.
- Retraining for functional mobility during self-care (e.g. toileting, bed mobility, tub/shower transfer
- Community skills retraining (grocery shopping, finance management
- Upper body strengthening, activity tolerance and range of motion exercises
- Fine motor skill training (writing, buttoning, cooking utensil use)
- Cognitive evaluation and retraining including safety assessment
- Evaluation of visual-perceptual skills and judgment that may interfere with rehabilitation/performance of daily living skills
- Wheelchair seating and positioning, including use of electric wheelchairs and scooters
Speech - Language Pathology (SLP)
To be understood and to understand
Speech-Language Pathologists (i.e. Speech Therapists) provide intervention for communication and swallowing difficulties. Treatment focuses on restoring written/spoken communication skills to improve interactions in social and professional settings as well as in daily life. Swallowing (dysphasia) treatment is designed to ensure that an individual can efficiently swallow and adequate nutrition/hydration can be safely maintained.
Individuals served by a Speech-Language Pathologist may include people who have experienced a stroke, head or spinal cored injury; or anyone with a progressive neurological disorder (e.g. Parkinson's), dementia or head/neck cancer. Improved communication ability and quality of life is regained through the following SLP services;
- Speaking, understanding, reading and writing comprehension
- Training in non-oral methods of communication (communication boards and computerized devices)
- Skill-building in work identification and verbal expression
- Articulation
- Voice conservation and rehabilitation
- Treatment for Swallowing Disorders
Vital Stimulation Therapy
Our Speech-Language Pathologists assist in restoring quality of life and independence with Vital Stimulation Therapy.
Swallowing is a function so basic that most of us take it for granted. Yet each year thousands of people lose their independence and quality of life because of difficulty swallowing. The inability to swallow is called dysphagia. This condition is often caused by stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), head injury or head and neck cancers. No matter what the cause, the result is often the same - the patient cannot swallow.
Vital Stimulation Therapy is non-invasive and painless. During the therapy four electrodes are placed on the individual's neck to stimulate the specific muscles responsible for swallowing.
Specially designed electrodes deliver a small, carefully calibrated current to the motor nerves in the individual's throat. This causes the muscles responsible for swallowing to contract. While the electrodes are in place, a specialist in treating dysphagia monitors the individual's treatment and guides the individual through active swallowing therapy. This helps the individual's muscles re-learn the normal swallowing function.
Treatments usually last one hour. Ideally, individuals receive treatment daily or at least three times a week. Individuals often see results after as few as three treatments. The total number of treatments necessary depends on the underlying medical problem causing the dysphagia, but often ranges from six to 20 treatments.
Lymphedema Therapy
Carondelet Manor offer Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT) to individuals suffering from a common chronic condition affecting the lymphatic system, known as lymphedema. CDT treatments improve the individual's functional outcome and quality of life.
Lymphedema is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid that causes abnormal swelling, usually of the arms or legs. The condition often develops after lymph nodes are removed during cancer surgery, for example; or when lymphatic vessels are impaired or damaged due to illness or trauma.
Individuals with mild to moderate lymphedema can be successfully treated with Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT). The treatment consists of five stages, all designed to help reduce swelling and return the individual's limb to its normal size and function.
Initially, manual lymphatic drainage, which is light touch massage, is used. This treatment helps move the lymph fluid into the normal functioning lymphatic vessels and nodes.
In conjunction with manual lymphatic drainage, the therapist places compression bandages around the individual's affected limb. These bandages are necessary to keep the swelling down and improve circulation.
To complement the manual lymphatic drainage and bandaging treatments, the therapist prescribes an individualized exercise program for each patient. Exercise improves muscular contractions and joint mobility, which can help keep lymph fluid moving and prevent further swelling.
Because individuals with lymphedema are prone to chronic infections, skin care is an important component of Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT). Good skin care can prevent further complications of lymphedmea. Finally, individuals undergoing CDT learn self-care techniques to manage their lymphedema independently.
Although there is no cure for lymphedema, most individuals receive relief from CDT after several treatments, depending on the severity of the swelling. The condition can be successfully managed when the patient works closely with a certified CDT therapist.
|
