Inpatient Rehabilitation

What to expect

Effective rehabilitation requires a careful balance of therapy and rest. Throughout the day, your schedule will include opportunities for both. Typically, therapy sessions occur between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., although your individual schedule may change from day to day. On average, patients receive three hours of physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy, five days per week.

When you are not in therapy, you are given the chance to practice all the skills you have learned so that you can reap the full benefit of your rehabilitation stay. We encourage members of your family to make arrangements to attend therapy sessions, classes, and support groups, so they can follow your progress and offer their support.

A typical day at inpatient rehabilitation

• Morning: Your rehabilitation nursing team will give you medications and assist you as you prepare for your day’s activities. Your nurse or therapist will assist you with your activities of daily living, or ADLs, including grooming, bathing, dressing, and having breakfast. As a patient, you should plan to dress in regular clothing, including shoes, so that your therapy closely reflects how you will function in your home environment. You will then attend morning therapy sessions.
• Noon: Break for rest and lunch. If needed, a therapist may work with you during your lunch on swallowing and eating skills.
• Afternoon: You'll continue therapy sessions and educational activities until 4 p.m.
• Evening: Dinner and visits with your family and friends will round out your day. Informal activities may take place in the evening as well.

Discharge

While an inpatient hospital stay is an important step, it’s just one of several steps in your rehabilitation—and you’ll find all you need right here. Once you have completed your course of inpatient rehab, you may benefit from ongoing services. Ongoing rehabilitation includes home care, outpatient, and subacute levels of care. The goal of each level of care is to maximize your level of function and teach you and your family to cope with the limitations of your illness or injury.

• Home care provides nursing, therapy, home health aide, and social work services in a home setting. Services are ordered by your discharging physician and may include home care through MedStar Health Home Care. Your progress will determine the frequency of visits and length of service.

• Outpatient care consists of therapy services and specialized treatment to assist you in your recovery. Medical services, such as lab work and physician follow-up, are also part of this level of care. At MedStar Health, we provide ongoing physical and occupational therapy at more than 50 outpatient clinics throughout the region. Please visit MedStar Health Physical Therapy to find a location close to you.

• Subacute care is another inpatient level of care, such as a skilled nursing facility. It is designed to meet the medical and rehabilitation needs of patients who no longer require the intensity of inpatient hospital care, but are not ready to return home. You will receive medical follow-up, daily nursing care, and therapy as recommended by the subacute staff.