St. Joseph
Rehabilitation Team

Facilities | Services | Physicians | Employment | News & Activities | Foundation

Physiatrist - The rehabilitation physician that supervises all the patient's rehabilitation and medical treatment. Patient's personal physicians may also see them for certain medical needs.

Rehabilitation Nurse - Helps design a nursing care plan that meets each patient's specific needs. They assist patients in doing things they cannot do for themselves and teach them to care for themselves again. The nurse educates the family and patient on his or her condition, medications, and other significant information that must be learned during their stay. They also reinforce what the therapists teach and assist the patient to utilize this information on the unit.

Occupational Therapy - Therapists teach patients self-care or activities of daily living (ADL) skills such as bathing, dressing, and household management. Cognitive (thought) and perceptual (visual) deficits, which interfere with everyday skills, are also addressed. Upper extremity strength and function is also addressed by the Occupational Therapist.

Physical Therapy - Therapists focus on movement dysfunction and utilize specialized exercise programs designed to increase strength, coordination, balance and endurance. They assist the patient in walking, teaching transfer techniques (moving from one surface to another) and do orthotic/prosthetic device evaluation and training as needed.

Speech Language Pathologist - Specializes in treating swallowing and communication problems. The department provides basic cognitive retraining to facilitate functional independence with all decision-making, reasoning skills and improvement of memory. Other areas addressed include oral motor strengthening, swallowing retraining, written expression, and design and implementation of specialized communication devices.

Therapeutic Recreation - Provides recreational services to help people to improve leisure and social skills through educational and community resources and outings.

Case Manager/Social Worker – Coordinates the patient’s plan of care while on the rehabilitation unit. Serves as the contact person between the patient, patient’s family and rehabilitation team members. They work closely with the patient and family to make arrangements for discharge and provide resources for any continued needs at the time of discharge.

Psychologist - Helps patients and their families deal with the emotional adjustment of disability. The psychologist will conduct an evaluation or assessment on the cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems that may results from illness or injury. These services are provided on an as needed basis by consultation.

Nutritional Counseling - Special dietary needs are often a major consideration for rehab patients. A full-time registered dietitian evaluates patient needs and aides patients and families in developing proper diets and menus.