You’re about to leave the hospital, headed for a post-hospital rehab facility as the next step in your recovery. Your doctor has signed off on your release, the flowers and cards from well wishers are all packed up and you’re ready to go. But you may be feeling nervous or even overwhelmed—how do you know what to expect during your first 48 hours in inpatient rehabilitation?
Don’t worry—there will be someone with you every step of the way to walk you through the process. But here’s an outline of what you can expect during your first 48 hours and beyond.
When you first enter your room, you’ll have some time to settle in and familiarize yourself with your accommodations. If you’d like, you’ll also have time for a bath or shower.
A nurse and nursing assistant will visit with you to go over any immediate questions you have and to acquaint you with the care community. From there, the process is as follows.
Day One
Clinical Assessment
Your nurse will review the information we’ve received from the hospital or your physician with you and complete a clinical assessment.
You can expect the clinical assessment to take a while because you’ll be going over all of your medical paperwork, taking care of initial goal setting and completing a medication reconciliation to make sure that all of your medications (both from the hospital and from home) are accounted for, among other things. This is also the perfect time to talk about what’s important to you during your stay.
Admissions Paperwork
As part of the admissions process, admission paperwork will be completed with one of our admission staff members. We’ll help you take care of all the necessary paperwork and review your financials with you.
Dining Services
From day one, you’ll be able to enjoy delicious, chef-prepared meals, showcasing two specials daily and a Bistro Menu. You’ll also receive a visit from a dining service representative. They’ll ask you about your likes, your dislikes and any allergies you may have. If necessary, they’ll review any specialty diets as recommended by the hospital to ensure you’re receiving the proper nutritional support.
____________________
Related: Ask the Expert: How’s the Food in Rehab?
____________________
Social Services
Your social worker will start the conversation about your discharge with you on day one. Their focus is to provide proactive care coordination and discharge planning based on your personal needs and desires.
They’ll ask you questions such as:
- What are your plans for returning home?
- What does that home set up look like?
- What support systems do you have in place?
- What barriers do you see for going home?
That way, they’ll be able to spot any areas of concern and create a personalized discharge plan to help you get home as safely and as quickly as possible if that’s your goal.
Day Two and Beyond
Therapy Evaluation
An initial therapy evaluation will be completed, usually on the day following your admission to determine your current level of function. Your therapist will work with you to set personalized goals and will create a plan to obtain a positive therapy outcome.
You’ll most likely be assessed by a minimum of two therapists, as you’ll be seen by a therapist from each therapy discipline that you need. The three therapy disciplines are:
- Physical
- Occupational
- Speech
Interdisciplinary Care Conference
To make sure your family is kept in the loop, a patient and family care conference will be scheduled with our interdisciplinary team members to discuss your personal plan of care.
Setting You Up for a Successful Inpatient Rehabilitation Stay
As you can see, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy during your first few days in rehab. After your first two days, you’ll be able to settle into a comfortable routine of therapy, dining, activities, socializing and whatever else you’d like to do during your stay.
Keep in mind, the process outlined above may not necessarily happen in the order listed and some things may wait until day two of your stay. Many people don’t come to our care communities until later in the day and we don’t wish to overwhelm new patients with too many visits.
The goal of everything we do on your first two days is to get to know you. We want to see you as more than just what’s on your chart—we want to know your likes, dislikes, goals, concerns and more. It’s all about starting to paint the big picture so we can provide the kind of personalized, patient-directed healthcare we’re known for.
If you would like to learn more about our therapy services, please contact us or schedule a tour.
