Bridging the Gap to Home
Each Windsor skilled nursing and rehabilitation center is partnered with physical, occupational and speech therapists, striving to assist residents in achieving their highest level of independence. Collaborating with physicians and utilizing the latest equipment and techniques within a supportive atmosphere, each Windsor facility implements comprehensive, multi-tiered and customized nursing rehabilitation programs tailored to each resident’s specific needs and goals.
Each facilities ultimate goal is to safely return residents to their homes, or other appropriate levels of care. While each resident’s therapy regimen is prescribed by their physician, progress towards goals is assessed weekly in order to monitor the treatment plan to ensure clinical needs are being met. Once rehabilitation goals have been achieved, discharge planning occurs including home assessments and caregiver training to support a resident’s continued success in their own environment.
To learn more about nursing rehabilitation services at the various Windsor locations please call the Administrator at your local Windsor skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.
Comprehensive nursing rehabilitation services include Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy
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Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy would be recommended after one gets injured or has a prolonged illness. Physical therapy can restore or increase strength, range of motion, flexibility, coordination, and endurance. Physical therapy can also reduce pain, even pain associated with cancer.
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Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy works with cognition, activities of daily living, and strengthening.
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Speech Therapy
Speech Therapy is recommended for those who have speech, language and swallowing difficulties. The facilities speech language pathologists can provide evaluations and recommend treatment programs. Speech therapists work with residents to improve confidence in communicating and improve swallowing abilities. Each Rehabilitation department may offer a variety of clinical programs including:
01. Cardiac Specialty Program
The Cardiac Specialty Program focuses on improving the health and quality of life for residents with any heart condition and vascular disease. Treatment approaches include resident education on their diagnosis and its impact on activities of daily living and safety with functional tasks. Therapists focus on supervised exercise training with a focus on strength training, endurance training, and energy conservation training. Each residents exercise program is customized based on physician recommendations and protocols.
02. Cognitive Specialty Program
The Cognitive Specialty Program focuses on identifying cognitive deficits which impact the ability to conduct day to day functional activities in a safe manner. Standardized tests such as Allen Cognitive Level (ACL) can be administered to assess residents’ cognitive abilities. Based on the results, a customized plan of care is developed leveraging the residents’ cognitive strengths and abilities. This program explores skills including daily problem solving and reasoning, memory, comprehension, sequencing, orientation, functional communication, social interaction, functional mobility and safe activities of daily living performance. Caregiver education, environmental modification and task simplification are key to the success of this program.
03. Contracture Management
The Contracture Management program focuses on utilizing a combination of modalities (electrical stimulation, ultrasound), hot packs along with manual techniques, exercises, acupressure, aromatherapy, and splinting programs to impact existing contractures and prevent further contractures. Based on physician recommendations, therapists collaborate with restorative and certified nursing assistants to effectively deliver the protocols established for daily care, range of motion and splintingexercise program is customized based on physician recommendations and protocols.
04. Continence Improvement
The Contracture Management program focuses on utilizing a combination of modalities (electrical stimulation, ultrasound), hot packs along with manual techniques, exercises, acupressure, aromatherapy, and splinting programs to impact existing contractures and prevent further contractures. Based on physician recommendations, therapists collaborate with restorative and certified nursing assistants to effectively deliver the protocols established for daily care, range of motion and splinting.exercise program is customized based on physician recommendations and protocols.
05. Dysphagia Management
Dysphagia is a swallowing and/or feeding disorder. There are multiple phases of swallowing (oral, pharyngeal and esophageal). Speech therapists assess each phase of swallowing and collaborate with other interdisciplinary team members to develop the optimal plan of care for each resident with dysphagia. Pneumonia, aspiration, weight or appetite loss, vocal alterations, limited oral intake, dehydration, choking, and persistent coughing are some of the symptoms which may require a thorough assessment. Treatment approaches may include positioning, oral motor exercises, diet trials and recommendations, adaptive equipment, feeding and drinking techniques, and tactile stimulation
06. Fall Prevention Improvement
The Falls Prevention and Management program focuses on assessing the root causes of falls, developing an individualized plan of care, and implementing a multi-disciplinary treatment approach to prevent the occurrence and/or recurrence of falls. Assessment of falls includes a comprehensive review of multiple areas such as but not limited to: medication changes, infections, systemic imbalances, pain, nutrition, environmental changes, unsteadiness in ambulation, balance and postural changes, changes in functional capacity, cognitive, communication issues, safety in activities of daily living, as well as assessing patterns of episode occurrence e.g. during toileting or falling at a certain time of the day or night. Developing and implementing an individualized plan of care may include manual techniques to treat the underlying deficits, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, diathermy to treat pain, exercises for strengthening and improving balance, cognitive programs, environmental adaptations for safety, body mechanics training, nutritional counseling, caregiver education, adaptive device training, vision training, and activities of daily living training. Therapists also utilize standardized tests such as Berg, Tinetti, and Get up and Go tests to assess risks for falls as well as assess progress through the course of the Fall prevention and management program.
07. Low Vision Program
The Low Vision Program focuses on assessing the deficits of residents with vision disorders which impact there functional independence on a day to day basis. Treatment focuses on optimizing visual functioning, visual exercises, compensatory techniques, improving safety with daily functional tasks and mobility, and preventing falls and accidents due to visual deficits. Caregiver education is critical to ensure the environment and care provided is customized to each residents visual needs.
08. Lymphedema Management
Lymphedema is a condition characterized by swelling in one or more extremities resulting from impaired flow of the lymphatic system. Lymphedema most often affects a single arm or leg, but in uncommon situations both limbs are affected. Based on physician referral and recommendations, the rehabilitation program can include swelling reduction, compression techniques including use of compression garments, exercise regimen, and skin care. Once the swelling is under control, a consistent follow up program which may involve caregivers assistance with edema management techniques, exercise programs and compression garment.
09. Medically Complex Program
The Medically Complex Program covers treatments for complexities of all diagnoses. With many co-morbidities presented along with the primary diagnosis for each resident, this programs success is based on developing a comprehensive plan of care which involves all disciplines of the interdisciplinary team. Therapists focus on the core deficits such as strength, range of motion, balance, endurance, and pain management in order to stabilize the resident’s ability to consistently participate in a rehabilitation program on a daily basis. As the resident consistently performs to achieve the set goals, therapists update the care plan to involve more functional tasks with a focus on endurance and safety.
10. Orthopedic Recovery Program
The Orthopedic Recovery Program focuses on residents who have undergone a joint replacement (total hip or knee), fracture, musculoskeletal injury or a degenerative joint disease. In collaboration with orthopedic surgeons, primary care physicians and nurse practitioners, the rehabilitation team aims to improve balance, strength, range of motion, mobility, endurance and in return enhance activities of daily loving to optimize independence and a safe discharge to home or a lower level of care. Physical and Occupational Therapists work very closely with physicians and in many cases follow protocols established by each physician.
11. Pain Management
The Pain Management program focuses on reducing and/or eliminating persistent pain which limits the resident in performing day to day functional activities effectively. Manual therapy techniques, range of motion, strengthening, aromatherapy, acupressure, massage and modalities such as electrical stimulation and ultrasound are effective treatment approaches to resolve the pain symptoms. Therapists collaborate with the facility interdisciplinary team to gradually decrease pharmacological needs for pain management based on progress with the pain management program.
12. Physical Agent Modalities
Each Windsor rehabilitation department is equipped with a state of the art modality suite. This includes electrical stimulation, ultrasound and diathermy. Modalities can be utilized to impact underlying deficits related to pain, falls, contractures, wound healing, continence improvement, and osteoarthritis. Use of modalities require a physician order along with the comprehensive plan of care.
13. Pulmonary Specialty Program
The Pulmonary Specialty Program focuses on enhancing the functional capacity of residents with chronic respiratory impairments. Often times residents with COPD experience difficulty breathing which worsens with exertion due to limited respiratory capacity. This impacts the residents day to day functional ability to complete basic tasks. Physical and Occupational therapists utilize protocols for breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, exercises to enhance lung function and improve tolerance, energy conservation training, endurance training, and resident and caregiver education.
14. Wheelchair Seating and Positioning
Physical and Occupational therapists in collaboration with certified wheelchair specialists ensure residents are utilizing the most optimal wheelchair which allows for comfort, functional mobility, skin integrity and the least restrictive method of mobility. Positioning and safety is addressed in each setting utilized by the resident: bed, wheelchair, dining room chair, couch, and car. In-depth caregiver training is provided to ensure each resident is comfortable at all times of the day.
15. Wii Therapy
Each Windsor rehabilitation department is equipped with the Wii technology. The Nintendo Wii is a computer gaming console that offers simulated sports games (baseball, bowling, tennis) and a fitness program, among other activities. Through various games, functional loss can be improved and restored. Tennis for example, encourages a resident to use the shoulder through a more complete range of motion than traditional activities such as stacking cones. Residents seem to enjoy the Wii and this element of fun appears to reduce the anxiety and anticipation of participation in therapy. Therapists focus on impacting range of motion, strength, endurance, muscle tone, posture, balance, sensory processing, visual perceptual skills, motor skills, coordination as well cognition and effect on a residents’ psychosocial well being.
16. Wound Management
The Wound Management Program focuses on skin integrity and wound healing in collaboration with skilled nursing care. The rehabilitation treatment approach includes use of modalities (electrical stimulation) based on physician orders, conservative sharp debridement, positioning approaches, pressure reduction measures, nutrition and hydration and resident and caregiver training. Medicare guidelines on wound management are followed by physical therapists for optimal outcomes.