Acute Care Rehab

At the Virtua Acute Rehabilitation Center, located within Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, we provide personalized, comprehensive care and physical rehabilitation services for people with multiple medical conditions.

Our Approach to Acute Care Rehabilitation

Many people receive rehabilitation in skilled nursing centers, including long-term care facilities. This care consists primarily of routine, light-to-moderate physical therapy and contact with a physician—often not a rehab specialist—only once or twice a week.

At the Virtua Acute Rehabilitation Center, you benefit from a higher level of care. Our interdisciplinary care teams—doctors specializing in rehabilitation medicine, registered nurses, social workers, and physical, occupational, and speech therapists, as well as a psychologist, if needed—are specially designed to meet your individual needs, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This means you’ll reach a higher functional improvement in a shorter period of time.

Because the Center is located within Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, you have fast access to emergency cardiac, neurosurgical, and other interventions, if needed—no calling 911 and waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

You can rest assured that Virtua clinicians are with you throughout your recovery.

Admission requirements to the center include:

• You are at least 18 years old
• Your medical condition is stable enough to allow for participation in rehabilitation
• You are able to participate in at least three hours of therapy a day
• You require 24-hour nursing care and regular physician management
• Your limitations are of recent onset or progression, unless you have not had prior medical rehabilitation
• Your Virtua team believes you have a likelihood of achieving significant improvement of function in a reasonable period of time and have the potential of discharge to a community setting.

If you do not meet these requirements, we will help you find the most appropriate option for therapy.

Conditions We Treat

We provide care for individuals with a range of medical conditions, including:

Neurological

• Stroke with functional deficits
• Brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Significant functional deficits from a neurologic disorder such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron disease, polyneuropathy (damage to the nerves located outside of the brain and spinal cord that causes weakness, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet), post-polio syndrome, or Guillain-Barre syndrome

Orthopedic

• Complex fractures or trauma
• Amputation of a lower extremity and need for prosthetic training
• Bilateral joint replacement or hip fracture
• Complicated single joint replacement

Cardiac

• Open-heart surgery

Our center also is specially equipped to accommodate people needing dialysis, transfusions, special feeding (PEG) tubes, and tracheostomies.

Acute Rehabilitation Treatments

Your rehabilitation treatment plan is tailored to your unique needs and goals.

You will receive at least three hours of inpatient rehabilitation therapy daily, often starting the day of your admission. Working in the center’s therapy gym, you will obtain the skills needed to return home, including walking, going up and down stairs, getting dressed, and preparing meals.

You will meet with your therapy team at least once a week to discuss your progress and goals as you work toward renewed activity. Family members are invited to attend therapy sessions so they can help you practice your new skills at home.

We frequently provide treatments for:

• Balance and coordination problems
• Decreased bladder or bowel control
• Decreased cognitive function (memory, attention)
• Decreased muscular strength or movement
• Difficulty moving part of the body
• Difficulty using your hands
• Difficulty talking or comprehending speech
• Slurred speech
• Emotional adjustment problems
• Loss of limb(s)
• Needs for supervision or assistance in the home due to a disability
• Sexual concerns related to disability
• Skin breakdown
• Swallowing or nutrition problems
• Visual perceptual disorders

The Virtua Acute Rehabilitation Center also offers electromyography (a procedure to assess the health of your muscles and nerves) and videofluoroscopic swallowing evaluation.

Transitioning to Your Next Stage of Care

Our goal through intensive medical and rehabilitation care is to maximize your independence so you can return home.

Our team will assist with arranging home care by a therapist or nurse, scheduling outpatient therapy sessions, or transitioning to a skilled nursing facility. We strongly believe in the encouragement and camaraderie of support groups, and will refer you to those that may be of benefit.