Dec. 22, 2017 – Aimed at maximizing patient recovery outcomes and
restoring function, an expansion of the Southeast Georgia Health System
Senior Care Center-Brunswick rehabilitation services has nearly tripled the space used for physical
and occupational therapy.
Located at 2611 Wildwood Drive, across the street from the Health System’s
Brunswick Campus, the Senior Care Center-Brunswick provides care for both
short and long-term care residents. Short-term care focuses on nursing
and rehabilitation care to help patients transition back to independent
living following an injury, stroke, joint replacement, general surgery
or hospitalization. Long-term care provides skilled nursing to residents
with more complex health issues not manageable at home or in an assisted
living environment.
Construction began in June 2017 to update and expand the existing rehabilitation
services gym at the Senior Care Center in order to add additional equipment
and simulation areas for activities of daily living, as well as provide
workspace for team members.
“The expansion and renovation of the rehabilitation services gym
at the Senior Care Center will provide more space and state of the art
equipment resulting in improved patient care” notes Paul Trumbull,
P.T., MBA, director,
Rehabilitation,
Sports Medicine and Neurodiagnostic Services. “We will be able to accommodate more
patients at the same time, and the new equipment will allow us to personalize
treatment based on patient preferences and performance. Additionally,
our therapists will have a dedicated
work space
they didn’t have before, including a speech therapy room.”
Trumbull explains the new speech therapy room will give patients a quiet,
private area where they can work with the therapist without interruptions
and distractions. Making room for additional equipment, including recumbent
cross trainers and a cable pulley system, provides for greater flexibility
in maximizing patient recovery.
“Adding the commercial grade cable pulley system gives us a tool
to provide resistance training for strength building with higher level
patients,” says Trumbull. “It enables us to target different
muscle groups that are used in
every day
activities.”
From an occupational therapy perspective, restoring function and performing
the activities of daily living are key to patient recovery. This includes
laundry, cooking
and
bathing. In addition to a washer and dryer and a kitchen set up, the expanded
rehabilitation services gym will have a full bathroom with tub and shower
to practice the mechanics of safe bathing.
Jo Lucke, CNHA, GNHP, FACHCA, interim administrator, Senior Care Center-Brunswick,
says, “We are very excited
for
the opening of our expanded rehabilitation services gym. It is next generation
care. Together with our highly skilled team of therapists, the new equipment
and opportunity to simulate and practice activities of every day living
are designed to help speed our patients’ recovery and give them
everything they need to return to normal life.”
While most rehabilitation patients are short-term residents of the Senior
Care Center-Brunswick, the rehabilitation therapy team also treats long-term
residents as needed.