How to Choose a Physical Rehabilitation Hospital with Confidence
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Recovery from the unexpected may include a stay in a physical rehabilitation hospital. Your choice of a facility can mean the difference between achieving the highest level of recovery—or not. Asking the right questions will help you find the best facility for your loved one:
- Does the facility provide the services needed?
- How many hours of therapy per day are required? Does the patient have the ability to meet the requirement?
- Is the program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities?
- Is a board-certified physiatrist (physical and medical rehabilitation physician) on staff?
- Are patients evaluated frequently throughout the day?
- How well do the hospital’s patients recover compared to other hospitals?
- What is the hospital’s reputation in the community?
- Is the family encouraged to participate in treatment decisions if the patient would like them to be included?
- Does the facility offer patient and family education and support?
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF International) recently awarded the hospital accreditation with no recommendations for improvement. Only 3 percent of the 22,000 CARF facilities worldwide achieve accreditation with no recommendations.
What’s more, North Oaks Rehabilitation Hospital has one of only five CARF certified Stroke Specialty Programs in Louisiana and the only one on the I-12 corridor.
Rankings and accreditations are nice, but patient outcomes are the true measure of North Oaks Rehabilitation Hospital’s quality. In activities like dressing, walking, stair climbing, toileting and regaining memory, patients who choose North Oaks Rehabilitation Hospital make greater improvements in less days than patients at similar facilities, according to Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR).
Patients have private rooms and are encouraged to socialize at meal times and during recreational events. Therapy sessions may take place in a spacious gym, therapeutic garden, aquatic center, laundry room and kitchen areas, a bathroom, as well as community outings. To help get ready to return home, patients and caregivers can practice the skills they’ve learned in a training apartment that has a full kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom.
For more information on CARF International accreditation standards, visit www.carf.org.
