By Susan E. Campbell
A growing aging population is changing
the face of short-term rehabilitation as both
health care technologies and non-medical
services expand.
“The people we care for are not the typical
senior citizen, although The Pines at
Glens Falls Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation
does provide palliative and hospice
care,” said Tim Brown, director of communications
and public relations for National
HealthCare Associates, parent company of
The Pines.
“Patients as young as 40 or 50 need days or weeks of overnight rehabilitation following a surgery or medical episode, and our Passport Rehabilitation Program offers customized therapies designed to get them well and back into the community,” said Brown.
Those patients are looking for any combination of specialties during their stay in rehabilitation, including physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy, and will receive the best that today’s technologies have to offer.
“There are many different types of new technologies such as electronic stimulation on muscles to promote recovery, condition training to promote strength, and Doppler ultrasound therapy to speed healing and reduce pain,” Brown said.
But patients are also looking for some of the same amenities they get at home, from newspaper delivery to WiFi internet.
“The changing population of baby boomers has the expectation that they will get a good level of care in a comfortable environment with finely appointed accommodations,” Brown said.
“One of the important components of the Passport Program is that we hand-pick the employees we assign to that unit,” he said. “They receive an additional level of customer service training and care training.”
Even the housekeepers are taught more about what the residents’ specific needs are, as well as the kinds of issues to pinpoint and report to the nursing staff, according to Brown.
Brown indicated that the longevity of staff for the Passport Program is atypical in the health care field.
And the residents appreciate the personalized service, which is measured in post-discharge interviews conducted by the independent researcher, Pinnacle Health Care, which works with some 1,500 skilled nursing facilities in New York.
“We get excellent feedback,” said Brown. Care does not end when the resident leaves The Pines. Brown said physicians and surgeons may educate their patients on what to expect before and after surgery, but the Passport therapy team helps the patient know what to expect during and after rehabilitation.
“We can work with local home care agencies and therapists to go to the home and educate patients on tripping hazards, picking things up, and making life at home a little easier and safer,” he said.
Anyone who anticipates the need for rehab is encouraged to take a look and a tour at the facility of choice before the scheduled surgery, Brown said.
“Talk to the physicians and the therapy team and ask how they will work with you and what disciplines and techniques they would recommend for you,” he said. “Meet with admissions, the administrators, care staff and nurses.”
The slogan for the Passport Rehabilitation Program of The Pines at Glens Falls Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation is “Your Passport Back to Home.”
Committed to promoting the highest level of independent functioning for all its shortterm residents, all therapy services are individually designed based upon the needs and capabilities of the patient and are directed by an inter-disciplinary team that includes experienced and licensed therapists. Learn more at www.passportrehab.com.