The Restorative Living Program (RLP) consists of many disciplines within the hospital. They are grouped under one program because, in many cases, there are overlapping issues; treating these as a whole is vastly more beneficial to the patient than treating each injury or medical complication seperately.
One can certainly have a problem with, for example, carpal tunnel syndrome and have no need for the Communications Disorders Program. The same can be said for Audiology having little to do with a rotator cuff injury.
But many times, a continuum of care is required (after stroke or severe trauma) whereby these individual departments rely on one another to present to the patient a full resource for care.
Our goal is to make sure that you receive the best care possible.
An individualized continuum of care program which includes:
Specifically, The Restorative Living Program recognizes that the treatment of acute medical emergencies such as stroke or severe trauma require a continuum of care if a patient is to get back to, as much as possible, a normal pre-event lifestyle.
The RLP at Benedictine Hospital involves immediate emergency care followed by a systematic assessment of the patient’s condition.
Successful restorative treatment begins with the recognition that stroke is a medical emergency – similar to myocardial infarction (heart attack) or severe trauma. Initial Emergency Room evaluation of the patient includes an assessment of breathing and circulation. Other considerations such as mental capacity or physical mobility are also evaluated.
The Stroke Unit is dedicated to the treatment of stroke. The staff and the multidisciplinary approach to treatment and care are the hallmarks of the unit. The disciplines used include, but are not limited to, medical, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy, as well as social work.
Once in the Stroke Unit, our patients are carefully monitored and cared for utilizing a multidisciplinary approach. Our dedicated stroke team is specially trained to enhance patient outcomes and reduce hospital length of stay.
We understand that time is critical when dealing with stroke or severe trauma. The window for treatment can be as little as 3 hours for thrombolytic therapy. The advantage of getting into a Stroke Unit as soon as possible is that the mortality rate and the future need for a nursing home are reduced. The final result means that you have a better chance of recovery with fewer complications.
In addition, all nurses in the unit have stroke certification through the American Heart Association and NIH stroke assessment scale certification.
The most prominent feature of our stroke unit is the systematic prevention of complications, shorter time to start mobilization, and early rehabilitation. Critical features of the unit also include a specially trained staff, teamwork, continuous education, and involvement of relatives.
Almost half of all stroke patients require some kind of rehabilitation (rehab). The rehab process is started as soon as possible. The kind of rehab and its intensity depend upon the assessment of each patient’s needs. If, for example, the patient is unconscious, the rehab is passive to prevent contractions and joint pain, and to prevent distress for the patient once mobilization starts.
The rehab team initially consists of: