Short-term rehab has long-term effects
Recovering from surgery, injury or deteriorating health takes time and care. Sometimes, it requires a little extra help.
Short-term therapy helps senior patients get back on their feet in three major ways.
Patients who are in the hospital occasionally need in-patient therapy, which mostly helps people with postsurgery weakness and recovery, said Monica Pellegrio, Butler Health System manager. This is known as “transitional care” and includes occupational, speech and physical therapy.“They need a little help before they go home,” Pellegrino said.Exercises are geared toward independent living.“So you can get out of the hospital and get back to your life,” she said.The age range of patients varies, particularly when it comes to in-patient therapy. Still, Pellegrino estimates 40 to 50 percent of BHS's therapy patients are elderly.Three physical therapists, four physical therapist assistants and one hospital volunteer treat 30 to 45 patients a day.“We strive ... to give very personalized care,” Pellegrino said. “We really spend time with our patients.”Therapy sessions last 45 minutes to an hour. Patients are also given customized exercises they can do alone at home, which helps with recovery time.Among older patients, the most common injuries are fall injuries. The likelihood of a senior falling increases in the winter. Falls can be debilitating. Pellegrino said simple things such as strength and balance exercises can prevent major injury and falls altogether.“It doesn't take a lot,” Pellegrino said. “It's just getting people on the right program.”
Therapy isn't just about strengthening muscles and joints, according to Pellegrino. It's also about camaraderie. That's why working with a therapist in a therapy center is different from exercising at home.“It's a boost for recovery,” Pellegrino said. “There's a social aspect.”She added the biggest misconception physical therapy centers face is people thinking they're spas. Butler Health Systems also offers out-patient physical therapy.“We do some stuff like that,” Pellegrino said, noting that BHS offers aquatherapy. “But a lot of it is exercise.”Out-patient therapy isn't for recovery alone, according to Lorri Lankiewicz, who has a Ph.D. in physical therapy and owns FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Center in Penn Township.Therapy can also be a preventive measure. Laser and micro-vibrational treatments can help seniors fight diseases such as osteoporosis, she said. Resistance training is another technique.“We actually do have exercise equipment,” Lankiewicz said.Four physical therapy doctors and four physical therapy assistants are on staff at FYZICAL. They see 50 to 100 people per week.Each patient undergoes a comprehensive evaluation that's conducted the first time a patient visits to see what needs to be worked on. A second evaluation is conducted after three or four weeks of therapy. Patients complete a final evaluation before they are cleared.“They'll come to us and say, 'Oh my gosh, I've never had an evaluation like that before,'” Lankiewicz said.Some services — such as vertigo treatments — take one or two days. Others require more time. Generally, total recovery takes three to five weeks.The average patients are seniors with degenerating health.“Their ... system starts to go haywire,” Lankiewicz explained.She said FYZICAL works on comprehensive plans with patients.“We are looking at people holistically,” she said.
Sometimes, traveling to a physical therapist is not an option.“We can provide care at home from many health care disciplines,” said Laurie Pullano, therapy manager in the Concordia Visiting Nurses Cabot office.Homebound patients can receive skilled nursing; physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapies; dieticians; and home health aides. Nurses help patients in 12 Western Pennsylvanian counties — including Butler County.“We have grown from a very small agency primarily providing care in the Cabot area around the Concordia campus,” Pullano said, “to providing services to close to 13,000 people in 2018.”CVN has about 110 physical, occupational and speech therapists and 145 nurses.The average patient is around 65 years old, according to Pullano.“We get patients following hospital stays in which the patient needs ongoing care,” Pullano said.Some at-home patients are also referred by doctors if they've had a decline in their ability to move and function.Many patients use an at-home approach to recover from joint replacements, strokes, head traumas, fractures and a number of chronic illnesses. Wound care and general strength recovery following extended hospital stays are also addressed.“We see a large number of people following total joint replacements,” Pullano said.For most insurance, only patients who are homebound qualify for at-home health care services.“If a patient is not homebound ... and we were to provide care it would be considered fraud,” Pullano said.Pullano said another misconception is scheduling. While appointments are made, recovery time can't be planned.“The clinician will spend as much time with all patients as needed,” Pullano said. “But it needs to be understood 10 to 11 o'clock may be 11:10.”
