After a spinal cord injury, you will need to attend a rehabilitation journey to recover optimally and reintegrate into your residential and community environment in a possibly adapted way. Inpatient rehabilitation is only one part of the rehabilitation journey. 

Includes the restoring of function, strength and mobility to the musculo-skeletal system to enable the person to return to their roles so as to participate in his or her community. The conditions treated may include but is not limited to: joint replacements, amputations, fractures, multiple trauma, post – surgical rehabilitation for example shoulders, knees, spines and hips to name but a few. Rehabilitation always begins with a thorough assessment and thereafter patient specific goals are set, taking into consideration the pathology and personal circumstances, roles and goals of the patient. This rehabilitation will include, pain management, strengthening, stretching, teaching of techniques and skills, gait (walking) rehabilitation, as well as adaptions to limitations either temporarily or long term. Mobility in and out of bed and in and around the home and environment is also addressed. Functional rehabilitation may start with simple activities of daily living such as grooming, dressing, bathing, toileting and progress towards higher community participation functions including return to driving and work. Assistive devices which include mobility aids like crutches or wheelchairs, or home adaption equipment to promote independence, may be prescribed where necessary for the condition. Rehabilitation can be done as both and in or outpatient basis depending on the acuity of the injury or condition.

The Rehabilitation Outpatient programme at Rita Henn and Partners Inc. has adopted a family-mediated rehabilitation approach which shall:

• Empower the patient and family to drive their own rehabilitation to achieve their goals and enhance functional recovery
• Train the family and caregivers on how they need to be engaged in the rehabilitation process to reduce the burden of care
• Ensure individualised skilled programmes that facilitate and increase the amount of training and practice within the home environment

The influence of family and a caregiver trained to assist in rehabilitation, combined with empowerment and self-efficacy of persons requiring rehabilitation to take charge of their rehabilitation in their home environment cannot be underestimated.

Knox et al., Clinical Rehabilitation; 2018
Dobkin BH., Current opinions in Neurology; 2016

RHP Inc. offers rehabilitation services to people with various types of neurological injury and disorders, for example following stroke, the numerous causes of acquired brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis to mention a few. Our programmes are designed individually for each patient. Active involvement of you and your family is vital to the success of the program.

The goal of neurological rehabilitation is to help you return to the highest level of function and independence possible, while improving your overall quality of life — physically, emotionally, and socially.

To help reach these goals, our neurological rehabilitation programme may include:

• Training of activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, and more advanced instrumental ADLs as appropriate, namely cooking, and basic housekeeping
• Speech therapy to assist with difficulties in swallowing and communication.  
• The rehabilitation of functional independence shall work on activities to improve mobility (movement), balance and gait (walking).
• Specific management of spasticity, range of movement and pain.
• Social and behavioural skills retraining
• Activities to improve cognitive impairments, such as problems with concentration, attention, memory, and poor judgment

As part of the rehabilitation process the therapy team shall help with equipment trialling and recommendations for yourself and your home and possibly work environment, following a seating assessment, and home / school / work visit, where appropriate recommendations are made.

Periods at home as part of residential integration, once cleared by the whole team, with the prescribed and required grading of time periods at home to implement therapy recommendations (home adaptations, equipment trials, education and training, home programmes, etc.)

At Rita Henn and Partners Inc. A treatment plan following a 3-day assessment includes:

• Individual therapy sessions
• Group therapy / group-based classes
• Independent and supervised practice
• Meeting with immediate family / primary companion to facilitate optimal planning for reintegration upon discharge
• Comprehensive training and education specific to your condition / injury, with yourself, your family, and possibly caregivers
• Outpatient therapy programme as part of the recommendations upon discharge, where appropriate.

We look forward to your rehabilitation journey, to provide the best possible care to support optimal recovery and reintegration.