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The Sub-acute Service administers
to patients who need short term rehabilitative services in order to transition
to independent living outside Silvercrest.
Working on the floors and in the expansive, 1st
floor therapy unit, members of the Sub-acute Services team carry out the
objectives of a comprehensive therapeutic plan formulated within 24 hours
of each patient's arrival. Before a resident's first week at Silvercrest
has ended, she and her family have met the entire treatment team and have
been apprised of the plan for therapy, its goals and the timetable for its
accomplishment.
Slated for "short-term" stays (2-4
weeks) are many patients referred by hospitals following major orthopedic
procedures (e.g. joint replacement and hip fracture surgery), as well
as patients needing to increase endurance after surgery for cardiac or
abdominal ailment, or treatment for chronic lung disease.
Progress for orthopedic patients is monitored on weekly rounds supervised
by the NYHQ Chairman of orthopedics. Residents also benefit from biweekly
evaluation by a staff physiatrist and orthotist.
Longer, 4-8 week stays are usually planned for patients who have suffered
stroke, amputation or exacerbation of multiple sclerosis.
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| Therapy is "hands on" for each and every patient.
Staff work in numbers sufficient to allow individual attention to the patient
throughout his session of therapy. Unlike many outpatient programs in which
the patient is placed on an exercise device and left to work on his own,
the Silvercrest Sub-acute program sees to it that all sessions are directly
supervised and that therapists encourage and participate with their patients. |
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Physical and occupational therapists work together in a
coordinated program of "restorative" therapy. Gait strength,
range of motion and endurance are focused upon by the physical therapist,
while the occupational therapist gives attention to "activities of
daily living" and the design of adaptive mechanisms the patient may
use to achieve greater independence.
An average of 16 therapists and therapy assistants conduct sessions daily.
Saturday sessions allow treatment for late admissions and for individuals
with scheduling conflicts during the week. |
| Team meetings for short-term rehab take place twice weekly,
allowing the progress of each patient to be individually assessed every
two weeks. Therapists, together with physicians, nurses, social services
and therapeutic recreation personnel re-evaluate treatment plans and discuss
how best to keep each patient on a course toward treatment success and graduation
to independence. |
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