Mount St. Rita Health Centre

Mount St. Rita Health Centre SPONSORED CONTENT
The Road Back Home: How Short-Term
Rehab Helps Patients Recover After
Hospital Stays
For many older adults, leaving the
hospital doesnt necessarily mean
theyre ready to go home. A surgery,
fall, stroke, or serious illness can leave
patients needing additional nursing
care and therapy before they can safely
return to their previous routines.
At Mount St. Rita Health Centre in
Cumberland, that transition happens in
a 12-bed short-term rehabilitation unit
where every patient has a private room.
And, according to director of admissions
and business development Maryellen
Gillis, many patients who recover there
ultimately find their way back.
We have repeat people who come to
the rehab several times, too, for different
surgeries, Gillis said. I would say that
about half of my monthly admissions for
rehab are people who have been here
before and they keep coming back.
Were proud of that.
Some return for another rehabilitation
stay, while others go home after rehab
only for their families to contact Mount
St. Rita a year or more later when long-
term care becomes necessary. Gillis
attributes that loyalty to the facilitys
rehabilitation team, its reputation
in the community, and the level of
individualized care possible within the
small unit.
The rehab team is fantastic,
Gillis said. We have an exceptional
rehab staff, and we have really good
outcomes.
The unit is staffed with one nurse and
two certified nursing assistants for its
12 patients, a staff-to-patient ratio Gillis
called unusual in todays skilled nursing
industry. Nurses working in the subacute
unit are also accustomed to patients
arriving with more complex clinical
needs than those typically entering long-
term care.
Those needs can vary widely.
Mount St. Rita cares for short-term
patients recovering from orthopedic
procedures such as hip replacements,
as well as falls, strokes, infections, and
hospitalizations related to conditions
including congestive heart failure and
COPD. The facility also provides wound
care, with a specialized physician
visiting weekly.
The road home also begins almost
immediately after a patient arrives.
Following admission, Mount St. Ritas
clinical team reviews the patients case.
Physical, occupational, and speech
therapists generally evaluate the new
patient within 24 hours and develop an
individualized care plan.
The goal is to get them back to their
former baseline, hopefully as soon
as possible, Gillis said. Everybody
progresses at their own rate.
A typical short-term stay lasts about
two to three weeks, Gillis said, although
it can range from roughly a week to
two months depending on a patients
diagnosis, progress, and insurance
coverage.
About a week into the stay, Mount
St. Rita holds a team meeting with the
family to begin planning for discharge
and determine what the patient needs
to accomplish to return home safely.
Sometimes, however, recovery changes
the conversation.
A patient may no longer be able to
safely live alone, or a spouse may be
unable to provide the level of assistance
now required. If long-term care becomes
necessary and Mount St. Rita has an
available bed, a patient can transition
from the rehab unit into long-term care.
If it doesnt, staff help families explore
other nursing homes or assisted-living
options appropriate for the residents
needs.
Other patients successfully return
home, only to remember Mount St. Rita
when another need arises. Gillis said
word of mouth also brings new patients
to the facility, including people who
contact her before scheduled surgeries
because a friend previously had a
positive rehabilitation experience there.
For families suddenly choosing a
rehab facility after an unexpected
hospitalization, Gillis recommends
paying particular attention to one thing:
the ratio of patients to staff. At Mount St.
Rita, she believes that personal attention
is a major reason former patients
remember the facility when they need
help again.
People talk, Gillis said. Ill get calls
from their friends and say, Hey, Mr. So-
and-so was with you for rehab. He had
a very good experience. Im going into
surgery in two weeks. Can I come there
for rehab?
Mount St. Rita Health Centre is
located at 15 Sumner Brown Road in
Cumberland. For more information
about short-term rehabilitation, long-
term care, or other services, visit
mountstrita.org or call 401-333-6352.