Inpatient Rehabilitation

30-40% of the patients who receive services from the Parkview Rehabilitation Center have experienced a stroke. The rehabilitation center team treats a variety of diagnostic conditions, including damage due to hemorrhage, ischemia or blockage of arteries.

Patients admitted to the stroke program must be willing to actively participate in their own recovery and must have a condition indicating a potential for significant practical improvement. It is our goal to help you regain as much function as possible, so you can resume your previous activities of daily life. Caregivers are encouraged to participate in the program as an integral part of your team.

The brain injury program at Parkview Rehabilitation Center provides care and treatment for patients who have suffered a brain injury due to trauma or illness. The program meets rigorous national standards for quality and is focused on helping you achieve the most favorable results possible.

You and your caregiver(s) will work as partners with the rehab team to create an individualized team care plan following an evaluation of your condition.

Certified brain injury specialists

To provide the highest-quality rehabilitation care possible, our rehab team includes staff members who have received specialized certification from the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists. These Parkview rehabilitation professionals have a detailed understanding of the impairments in physical function, information processing and behavior caused by specific types of brain injury. Well-versed in effective treatment approaches, these members of our rehab team assess available therapies and assistive equipment on an ongoing basis, incorporating new choices into patients’ treatment plans as appropriate. 

Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Scale

Patients admitted to the Brain Injury Program must must show responsiveness at or above Level IV on the Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Scale. This neurological tool is widely used by rehabilitation facilities to describe and measure a patient's level of functioning and progress over an extended period of time. The Rancho scores also guide clinicians in the development of individualized treatment programs.

Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Scale

Parkview Rehabilitation Center patients and their caregivers will find comfortable accommodations in one of the center’s 50 private rooms.

Each wheelchair-accessible, over-sized patient room is equipped with:

• Adjustable bed facing a large window
• Bathroom with walk-in shower
• Cable TV
• Free Wi-Fi Internet access
• Couch or large chair that can be converted into a bed for a caregiver

Guests may dine in the Parkview Hospital Randallia cafeteria, which is open daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and offers a wide variety of hot and cold meal options.

A multidisciplinary team of specialists work together to provide care for patients and their families at Parkview Rehabilitation Center. This team includes:

• Rehabilitation program coordination by PPG - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation providers, including physiatrists and nurse practitioners specializing in rehabilitation.
• Physical therapists take the patient through a program to increase strength, balance, endurance and mobility.
• Occupational therapists assist in maximizing self-care activities such as grooming, dressing, bathing, eating, home management and other daily tasks.
• Speech language pathologists address deficits with communication, swallowing, writing, thinking and reasoning skills.
• Nursing staff provide daily medical care that is personalized to every patient.
• Certified brain injury specialists, registered nurses and other nursing staff are highly trained in delivering quality care tailored to the needs of patients with brain injuries, including promoting their independence.
• A neuropsychologist provides testing and counseling for patients and their families to help them cope with new lifestyle limitations. They also work with the school system to reintegrate injured children into the classroom.
• Nurse practitioners are master’s degree-prepared nursing specialists who offer patients and families personalized educational opportunities.
• Case coordinators provide coordination of care and discharge planning, and serve as liaisons with other team members, including insurance case managers
• Registered dietitians provide nutritional education and input for patients who follow specialized diets
• Pharmacist provides medication education
• Physician specialists are available by referral
• Diabetes educators
• Respiratory therapy

The Parkview Rehabilitation Center offers several features designed to enhance recovery for patients.

Activities of Daily Living Suite

This area affords patients and families the opportunity to learn and practice domestic skills in a homelike environment.

Transitional Living Unit 

The Transitional Living Unit resembles a small, accessible apartment, complete with bedroom, sitting area, kitchen and full bathroom. It is available to patients and their caregivers – on the recommendation of the rehab team – as part of a patient’s individual rehab program. Moving about the unit allows the individual to practice the skills necessary to return to living at home.

Community re-entry program

When appropriate, the rehab center’s wheelchair-accessible bus takes patients and their families “on the road” to practice the skills they have learned in the hospital setting. Each outing has a particular goal and is supervised by therapy staff members. Typical outing destinations include restaurants, stores and malls. Staff members help patients and their families identify and overcome obstacles that will be faced after discharge.

Lounge area

The lounge area is the center of activity for scheduled events and free-time visiting for large groups. A computer is available for patients and families for research and education.

Therapists may incorporate any of the following into a patient’s treatment care plan as appropriate:

• Bioness® devices can assist with movement for patients who are experiencing weakness in arms and legs as a result of stroke, illness or injury. Small, lightweight devices using mild electrical stimulation may be used to help with hand and foot movement. Parkview Rehabilitation Center uses the NESS H200® Hand Rehabilitation System and the NESS L300™ Foot Drop System by Bioness, a leading manufacturer of advanced technology devices improving mobility and independence for people with neurological or spinal cord damage. 
• LiteGait® gait therapy can help patients who have difficulty with balance and mobility. This piece of equipment uses a harness to support part of the patient’s weight and provides stabilization as he or she practices walking under the supervision of a physical therapist.
• VitalStim®, non-invasive treatment for patients who have dysphagia, can help overcome difficulty swallowing.

Bioness®, NESS L300™ and NESS H200® are trademarks of Bioness Inc.

LiteGait® is a registered trademark of Mobility Research.

VitalStim® is a registered trademark of Empi, Inc.

Robotic Assisted Therapy

Parkview Rehabilitation Center, located at Parkview Hospital Randallia, has robotic-assisted therapy to complement traditional rehabilitation in patients with various neurological impairments, amputations, orthopedic disabilities or other traumatic conditions impairing their ability to walk.

The G-EO Evolution™, made possible through generous donations to the Parkview Foundation, is a robot used for gait training, a form of physical therapy used to improve a person’s ability to walk. The G-EO simulates normal walking and stair climbing with individualized levels of assistance, speed and body-weight support. This advanced rehabilitation technique is used by Parkview’s treatment team to enhance patients’ motor learning more efficiently than traditional therapy alone.

G-EO Evolution™ is a trademark of Reha Technology

In order to be admitted to the Parkview Rehabilitation Center, patients must:

• Be medically stable, alert and willing and able to participate.
• Be free of mechanical ventilation.
• Benefit from a minimum of three hours of intensive therapy per day.
• Need 24-hour rehabilitation nursing care as well as 24-hour availability of a rehab-credentialed physician.
• Need at least two of these forms of therapy: occupational, physical or speech. Third-party payors may require physical therapy plus occupational therapy or speech therapy.
• In the case of a brain injury, show responsiveness at or above Level IV on the Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Scale.
• Be age 6 or older

Every patient referral for admission will be reviewed. Patients are evaluated individually based on medical needs, functional status and insurance.

Insurance coverage will be verified and pre-certified prior to admission. A hospital financial counselor can assist you in arranging for payment of charges not covered by insurance. For more information, contact the financial counselor at 260-373-8812.

You may be discharged as a patient when:

• The request for discharge comes from the patient and/or caregiver
• Goals have been accomplished
• You complete the criteria for the intensive inpatient program

To refer a patient to Parkview Rehabilitation Center, call the rehab admission specialist at 260-266-4359.

In response to the referral, the rehab admission specialist will:

• Review documentation of patient information to determine need/eligibility for acute inpatient rehab as the appropriate level of care.
• Complete a face-to-face assessment if the patient is within the Parkview system and within a geographic area that permits on-site evaluation.
• Verify and pre-certify insurance coverage prior to admission.
• Review the pre-admission screen with the rehabilitation physician.

If the patient referral is accepted, the following will be required:

• A physician’s order to admit, along with orders for medications, treatments and other elements of care
• Nurse-to-nurse report phoned to 260-373-3659

For questions, contact the rehab referral line at 260-266-4359.