With a fully staffed therapy department, Medford Care Center's Rehabilitation Department is one of the leading therapy programs in the state.  We are unique in that we are able to provide patients with one-on-one therapy as often as possible.  Unlike most rehab facilities that provide large and frequent group therapy sessions, our patients partake in small group therapy session comprising as few as two people, as infrequently as once a week.  Even then, our patients are working off staggered treatment plans, in which one may require hands-on therapy, while the other needs limited assistance.  We work with you, at your own pace, every step of the way, to achieve optimal recovery and independence.

PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM
At Medford Care Center, helping patients reach recovery is our overall goal.  Therefore, we strive to make the physical therapy process as effective and rewarding as possible.  Treatment is patient-centered, which means that we don’t just treat the injury, rather we treat the whole person.  Our warm, compassionate and encouraging therapists really take the time to get to know each patient and build a rapport.  We always take the fears, discomfort and frustration of our patients into consideration when providing care and make every effort to ameliorate each situation in the best way possible.

Our fully licensed Physical Therapy staff works with each resident to develop a personalized treatment plan that will restore, maintain and promote function, strength, endurance, balance, and mobility, while preventing or limiting the permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease.  The staff works in concert to insure that the best possible therapy plan is followed at every step of the patient’s recovery.  In addition, on-site, full-time physiatrists are available, at all times, to monitor treatments and help with pain management.

When developing personalized therapy plans, our therapists examine medical histories, and test and measure each patient’s strength, range of motion, balance and coordination, posture, muscle performance, respiration and motor function.  They also determine each patient’s ability to be independent and reintegrate into the community or workplace after injury or illness.

Treatment often begins with exercises, in which patients use their own muscles to increase flexibility, strength or endurance, before moving on to machines and weights.  Therapy may also include electrical stimulation, hot packs, cold compresses, ultrasound, traction or deep tissue massages to relieve pain and reduce swelling.  When necessary, therapists teach patients how to use assistive and adaptive devices including crutches, prostheses and wheelchairs.  Therapists also give patients homework – exercises they can do on their own to expedite their recovery.

PT treatments may include:

• Muscle stimulation and reeducation
  
• Pain management through the use of exercise, manual therapy and modalities
  
• Gait and stair training with devices to aid in walking
  
• Hands-on training with prosthetic and adaptive devices
  
• Balance, coordination and postural retraining
  
• Therapeutic exercises to stretch and strengthen muscles and increase endurance
  
• Electrical stimulation
  
• Hot packs
  
• Cold compresses
  
• Ultrasound
  
• Traction
  
• Deep tissue massage
  
• Development of comprehensive exercise programs for the home environment

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM
Like that of our Physical Therapy Department, Medford Care Center’s Occupational Therapy program is top notch.  Our caring, patient and enthusiastic staff of fully licensed occupational therapists provides extraordinary care in a stimulating, therapeutic, and progressive environment.  We know that recovery is difficult, therefore, we do everything possible to ensure that the best possible treatment plan is developed and followed.  We really take the time to get to know every patient and to consider all nuances of trepidation, pain and discontent, when providing care.  Our goal is to help each patient achieve his or her optimal level of recuperation and live independent, rewarding, and fulfilling lives.

Our Occupational Therapy staff works with the multidisciplinary staff to develop comprehensive therapy plans that focus on increasing independence for performing activities for daily living and working environments, such as:  bathing, dressing, cooking, driving and using computers.  The department uses a hands-on retraining apartment that contains a refrigerator and stove to reach this goal.  The staff not only helps people improve basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also works to compensate for permanent loss of function.

Patients work on exercises that increase strength, dexterity, visual acuity and coordination, as well as, improve decision making, reasoning, problem solving and memory.  When appropriate, therapists teach patients how to use adaptive equipment, orthotics and aids for dressing and feeding.  They also design or make special equipment for home and/or office use, such as computer-aided adaptive equipment, which allows patients with severe limitations to communicate better and control certain aspects of their environment.  In addition, our therapists assess the home or work environment for hazards including carpet and concrete flooring, which may contribute to falls.  They teach patients how to adapt in order to avoid injuries.

• Assistance in achieving the highest level of independence possible
  
• Therapeutic exercises to increase upper body strength and fine motor coordination
  
• Retraining on skills such as: laundry, cooking, bed making, grooming, hygiene and dressing 
  
• Compensation strategies for visual and perceptual deficits
  
• Strategies to improve memory and problem solving
  
• Education on how to protect arthritic joints and conserve energy
  
• Assessment of needs for adaptive equipment and home modifications
  
• Home management and community reintegration activities
  
  

SPEECH THERAPY PROGRAM
Just like physical and occupational therapy, many patients at Medford Care Center require speech therapy during their recovery.  We recognize the importance of speech therapy in the recovery process, and our fully licensed speech pathology staff works with patients using the latest techniques and modalities.  Through our expertise and experience, our compassionate therapists work tirelessly to achieve our objective of restoring patient’s speech to the best degree possible.

Our speech language pathologists and speech therapists assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing, fluency, and other related disorders.  They work in conjunction with the staff and specialists and to develop tailored plans.  In doing so, they are able to pinpoint problems and track progress.  Speech therapists also counsel individuals and their families concerning communication disorders and how to cope with the stress and that often accompanies them.  In addition, they work with family members to recognize and change behavior patterns that impede communication and treatment and show them techniques to use upon discharge.

At Medford Care Center, speech, language, and swallowing difficulties usually occur from the following causes: stroke, brain injury or deterioration, developmental delays or disorders, cerebral palsy, cleft palate, voice pathology, or hearing loss.  Speech language pathologists use qualitative and quantitative assessment methods, including standardized tests, as well as special instruments, to analyze and diagnose the nature and extent of speech, language, and swallowing impairments.

For individuals with little or no speech capability, speech-language pathologists may select augmentative or alternative communication methods, including automated devices and sign language, and teach their use.  In these instances, they teach individuals how to make sounds, improve their voices, or increase their oral or written language skills to communicate more effectively. They also teach individuals how to strengthen muscles or use compensatory strategies to swallow without choking or inhaling food or liquid. Speech-language pathologists help patients develop, or recover, reliable communication and swallowing skills, so patients can reintegrate into the workplace or function outside of the rehabilitation facility.

Speech Therapy treatments may include:

• Exercise and training techniques to improve swallowing
  
• Voice therapy and production of speech sounds
  
• Improving language, communication and comprehension skills
  
• VitalStim Therapy

OUTPATIENT THERAPY
Our Outpatient Program is designed for patients who have been discharged from the facility, people with functional limitations resulting from illness or an accident, and is open to members of the public requiring therapy.  The program provides a more extensive and aggressive rehabilitation program than can be provided at home.

For those patients who have recently been discharged from our facility, the program continues the high quality care that was received as an inpatient.  In fact, many of the same therapists will be involved in your ongoing rehabilitation, which will make your transition even smoother.