By Angela Penny
When your loved one has an acute injury or surgery, there are many decisions to make during the hospital stay. One of them may be where to go for rehabilitation.
During your hospital stay, you will be assigned a case manager that assists you during your hospital stay and plays a vital role in assisting you with your discharge plan.
Typically, you will be given a list of choices for rehabilitation centers. Most of the rehabilitation centers have a liaison that is able to meet with you in the hospital to discuss the type of care you need, your insurance information, and to review any rehabilitation questions you may have.
When possible, you or a loved one should visit these centers so that you can make an informed decision.
The decision of where to receive post-acute care could be crucial to the outcome of your loved one’s recovery, and a return to their prior level of function. In my experience as the liaison for a local nursing and rehabilitation center for the past seven years, I have found there are many questions that directly impact the choice of a rehabilitation center for post-acute care.
One family member said that meeting with a liaison in the hospital to discuss her dad’s nursing and therapy needs was imperative to choosing a facility for her dad’s rehab stay. She said, “I was able to have my questions and concerns answered, and to discuss the plan of care my dad would receive upon admission to the facility.” She thanked the liaison for making the decision process easy.
Angela Penny, COTA, is director of admissions and marketing for Holy Trinity Nursing & Rehabilitation Center located at 300 Barber Ave. in Worcester, Mass. She can be reached at 508-852-1000 or on her cell phone at 508-341-7170 for information, to schedule a tour or patient screening. Holy Trinity is a non-profit community owned and managed healthcare facility.
