Rehab unit works creatively and tirelessly to support residents

October’s Physical Therapy Month is an opportunity to showcase how skilled nursing patients benefit from physical therapists’ support and life-enhancing therapies. This year these healthcare heroes deserve even more accolades. 

SKLD physical therapists, with the help of their rehab teams in our Ohio and Michigan facilities, have creatively managed to challenge residents to continue to meet their therapy goals.

Therapy always takes creativity to keep residents motivated and find ways to support their goals even when it’s hard for residents or they may not feel well. But in the last seven months, every session has required physical therapists and the residents to adapt.

Exercises inspired by the pandemic

At SKLD Beltline, Director of Rehab Nicole Blake-Jones says her team has pivoted to modify exercises and treatments in spite of limitations. In fact, her team is using infection control exercises in the therapy itself. “We have the residents practice putting on and taking off their masks to make sure they are able to do it properly, and we practice routine hand washing and sanitizing with them,” says Blake-Jones. 

The team also encourages patients to keep their personal areas clean, which helps prevent the spread of disease and uses muscle-strengthening exercises. Blake-Jones says, “Making sure their environment is clean promotes dynamic balance. We have the residents bend down to pick something up off the floor and throw it away. This helps them build the skills needed for when they are discharged.”

Residents’ rooms become a therapy gym

Without the use of the equipment in the therapy gym as readily available, the rehab staff has found ways for residents to exercise right in their rooms. Some of the exercises are simple but get the job done. “We have the residents walk up and down the halls if they are able to with their masks on, which can be very challenging, especially for residents with cardiopulmonary conditions,” says Blake-Jones. 

The rehab care team also brings equipment to residents’ rooms like ankle weights or arm weights. Before a patient is discharged, they encourage patients to be able to climb up and down stairs. Blake-Jones says, “To modify this, we simply bring a step-stool to the rooms to have patients practice safe stepping.”

One of the biggest challenges now is working on higher-level tasks that normally require the therapy gym. “Patients recovering from an amputation would come down to work on the parallel bars, and to adapt this, we work with physical therapy and occupational therapy to do similar strengthening exercises in the residents’ rooms,” Blake-Jones explains. 

To prepare a patient better for discharge Blake-Jones says, “We practice more hands-on, higher-level balance. This includes having a patient shift their weight in standing or bouncing a ball back and forth, which helps with strengthening and balance.”

Residents are seeing the difference 

The staff members are not the only ones who have had to adapt. Blake-Jones says, “The residents miss using the gym, but through education and bringing higher-level therapy treatments to them, they have adapted nicely. They see a difference, are getting stronger and are more able to ambulate performing ADL tasks.”

Although the residents and staff miss seeing each other and sharing in achievements in the gym, through hallway social distanced workouts residents are still able to encourage each other. To make this possible Blake-Jones says, “Having the residents in the hallway, even though they are masked and socially distanced, enables the residents to have some normal engagement with each other.” 

Blake-Jones is looking forward to one day getting back into the gym but is comforted by seeing the residents’ progress and encouragement. Blake-Jones, “Seeing the patients rooting for each other and motivating their roommates to give that extra push shows that despite everything, the patients are thriving.”

In honor of Physical Therapy Month, Blake-Jones encourages residents, their families and friends to continue to stay active as much as possible while taking the special precautions to stay safe.  

Learn more about our SKLD locations throughout Ohio and Michigan