Acute Rehabilitation Unit at Cherry Hill
The Acute Rehabilitation Unit at Swedish Cherry Hill serves adult patients who are medically stable, but who still need intensive therapy before leaving the hospital after an inpatient stay for a variety of illnesses, injuries and surgeries. Patients are referred to the rehab unit by their physician or health care provider.
Our interdisciplinary team includes specially trained nurses, physiatrists (rehab physicians), physical therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, social workers and speech-language pathologists. The approach at the Swedish Acute Rehabilitation Unit is highly personalized and tailored to match each patient’s condition, rehabilitation needs and individual progress.
Individual rehabilitation plans are created with specific goals for each patient and functional measures of independence are used to determine progress. The length of stay for a patient at the Swedish Acute Rehabilitation Unit is dependent on their condition and progress, which typically ranges from five days to five weeks, with an average length of stay of around 14 days. Patients generally receive three hours of therapy per day, six to seven days per week. Family members are considered an important part of the team and are encouraged to participate in therapy sessions for caregiver training prior to going home.
The Acute Rehabilitation Unit is geared to help patients regain as much mobility and independence as possible after a life changing medical event. Inpatient rehabilitation is often needed for patients who have disabling illnesses or injuries, such as:
- Stroke
- Closed head injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Neuropathy or myopathy
- Multiple trauma
- Amputations
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Cardiac arrest with anoxic brain injury
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Degenerative and progressive neurological disorders
- Deconditioning after a complicated hospitalization
Common functional problems or challenges include:
- Mobility, balance and coordination impairments due to weakness and altered sensation
- Difficulty moving in bed, or from one place to another
- Difficulty performing daily living activities, such as eating, grooming, toileting, showering, etc.
- Difficulty swallowing
- Bowel and bladder incontinence
- Memory deficits and judgment impairment
- Speech or language problems in conjunction with physical limitations
- Inability to work or function due to physical impairment
Preparing for discharge
When it is time for a patient to go home, the Acute Rehabilitation Unit team strives to make the patient’s transition as smooth as possible, which includes ongoing rehabilitation with either home health or outpatient therapies.
In 2019, we served 512 patients. Of those, 88 percent were discharged to a community setting and 97 percent would recommend our unit to their family or friends.