CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR PHYSICAL REHABILITATION

This article is dedicated to Mitch and Amber without whose help this article never could have been written.

We have made it through an unexpected, unforeseen accident. Stepping out of bed in the middle of the night generally leads to new comfort, new positions and new dreams. Not necessarily so. I will always remember my husband's 3am moan over his certainty that he could not move and could barely talk. He had a sense of shock at his sudden loss of ability to be who he had been. From the weeks since that ordeal, he has struggled with pain, difficulty moving, loss of balance, weakness and feelings of dependence that have never before characterized his life. I have listened to this confused shell of a person talk about his feelings of losing control.
Bill's surgeries/hip replacement and rehabilitation have changed this injured person into a real warrior. It began with his laying on a cart in a cold, lonesome hospital hallway waiting for attention. This only made things worse. Bed soreness and infections complicated things.
As in many cases of severe injury, doctors and nurses sometimes announce incorrect diagnoses, lose medication and misuse blood thinners while creating cognitive difficulties linked to narcotic pain killers. (Marshall Allen, Health Inc.) Some treatment appeared to speed up the pace of care. As a spouse, I personally experienced dishonest practice beyond the scope of professional training. (Marshall Allen, Health, Inc.) There were many times when this seemed like a case of initial harm followed by more harm.
Fortunately, my husband was transferred to Encompass Health with a brighter picture of "rehab" treatment. Be cautious about your own choice of rehabilitation care: DO.......................

1. Ask how many patients have been treated with conditions like yours.
2. Check your insurance coverage to find out what will be covered.
3. Find out how much therapy is offered.
4. Ask about qualifications of staff.
5. Check out the availability of both group and individual therapy.
6. Learn about visitation policies - for family, friends and pets.
7. Check out the average length of stay and the frequency of doctors visits.
8. Know the difference between skilled nursing care and rehabilitation care.
9. Find out if you and your family will be educated about continuing rehabilitation at home.

(Web MD)
Adopt the attitude that my husband had: "I have a job to do and I'll do it."

This is an article about a need for change, a story about courage, and a love story about a former lacrosse player who survived nearly unmanageable loss as he learned that he could walk again.

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