Inpatient Rehabilitation

The Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine's inpatient program serves children with physical disabilities and/or injuries including but not limited to spinal cord injuries, head injuries, transverse myelitis, Guillain Barre syndrome and encephalopathies.

Early rehabilitation can improve a child's recovery and help prevent complications. The department's primary aim is to help the child attain the highest level of function incorporating medical and therapeutic interventions. The major goals of rehabilitation are improving function, promoting independence, facilitating community reentry, enhancing life satisfaction and preserving self-esteem. The rehabilitation team focuses on rebuilding skills using daily living activities and play as the basis for therapy. Parents and caregivers are an integral part of this process.

As a caregiver, you will be educated in the areas pertaining to your child, and as able, your child will receive education and learn to adapt or develop new skills in the following areas:

• Medical Condition: Education related specifically to your child
• Activities of Daily Living and Self-Care: Includes bathing, dressing and feeding
• Braces and Splints: May be used after surgeries or to prevent muscle tightness
• Communication: Practice ways to communicate and work on thinking and memory
• Lifestyle: Adaptive recreation programs and community/school reentry
• Mobility and Transfers: Ambulation, wheelchairs and transfers
• Passive Range of Motion: Stretching exercises to prevent muscle tightness
• Positioning: Education on positions in bed and/or wheelchair and changing positions
• Psychology: Assist with coping and adapting to illness or disability
• School: Continues school work and contacts school to arrange services
• Social Work: Assists with resource applications and referrals to community agencies

Rehabilitation is an ongoing process and at the time of discharge, your child may not be back to the level of functioning he/she was prior to hospitalization. The Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Team will be available to address any concerns that develop and provide discharge planning to meet the needs of your child including, but not limited to scheduling outpatient and/or day treatment therapy services, home health, physician follow-up appointment, ordering durable medical equipment, homebound education services and facilitating community reentry. The team will continue to follow your child on an outpatient basis through regularly scheduled clinic visits. During these follow-up appointments, your child will undergo a comprehensive assessment of their progress to further assist in modifications to their current rehabilitation program.

Inpatient referrals:
Please contact Patricia Clark, RN at Patricia.clark@childrensal.org or by phone at 205-638-2204 to refer a patient to our Rehabilitation Medicine inpatient service.