Inpatient rehabilitation facilities recommended for stroke recovery
July 11, 2016
For the first time, guidelines have been developed by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for rehabilitation after a stroke. In the guidelines, which were released in May 2016, the American Stroke Association strongly recommends that stroke patients be treated at an inpatient rehabilitation facility rather than a skilled nursing facility.
“Many people survive strokes with some levels of disability,” according to Carolee J. Winstein, Ph.D., P.T., and lead author of the new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke. “There is increasing evidence that rehabilitation can have a big impact on the survivors’ quality of life.”
An inpatient facility, which may be a free-standing facility or a separate unit of a hospital, typically provides:
· At least 3 hours of rehabilitation a day from physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists
· Nurses who are continuously available
· Daily physician visits
“With stroke being the leading cause of disability in the United States, it’s crucial that stroke patients receive proper care so they can get the best possible outcomes,” says Richard Schulz, CEO of Spartanburg Rehabilitation Institute. “Rehabilitation is significant to a patient’s healing process so he or she can relearn how to perform skills that were lost due to part of the brain being damaged.”
The American Stroke Association also encourages caregivers to insist that a stroke survivor not be discharged from the hospital until they have participated in a structured program on preventing falls. This includes education about changes to make the home safer (such as removing throw rugs and improving lighting), minimizing the fall risk resulting from the side effects of medication, and safely using assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers and canes.
Other recommendations include:
· Intense mobility-task training after stroke for all survivors with walking limitations to relearn activities such as climbing stairs.
· Individually tailored exercise program so survivors can safely continue to improve their cardiovascular fitness through the proper exercise and physical activity after formal rehabilitation is complete.
· An enriched environment (which might include a computer, books, music and virtual reality games) to increase engagement and cognitive activities during rehabilitation. There is not yet enough research to determine whether specific promising new techniques, such as activity monitors and virtual reality games, are effective at helping patients.
· Speech therapy for those with difficulty speaking following a stroke.
· Eye exercises for survivors with difficulty focusing on near objects.
· Balance training program for survivors with poor balance, or who are at risk for falls.
For more information about the signs, symptoms, and how to prevent stroke, visit www.americanstrokeassociation.org.
