Avera St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Team
Working With Patients and Their Families
Contact Jill Hanley, Rehabilitation Services Director: 605-622-5857 or 605-622-5089
Our team at Avera St. Luke’s is dedicated to providing individualized, goal-directed care to patients and their families. Our team works with patients and their families to give them the necessary tools, skills and opportunity to set and reach realistic goals — helping them adapt and adjust to the changes in their lives.
Family
A supportive and understanding family is a vital component of rehabilitation. Family will be encouraged to attend team conferences and participate in the planning and delivery of care.
Physicians
A physiatrist is a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and oversees your rehabilitation program.
Your primary care physician will be kept well-informed of your rehabilitation progress and treatment plan and will confer with your physiatrist on your medical care while you are at Avera St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Unit.
Consulting physicians may be called in to consult on a specific aspect of your care. Avera St. Luke’s has many consulting physicians who offer a broad spectrum of support services for the patient's medical management.
Rehabilitation Nursing
The rehabilitation unit is staffed 24 hours-a-day by nurses who have chosen rehabilitation as their specialty. Many of our nurses are certified as Rehabilitation Nurses by the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. Our rehab nurses continually evaluate the patient's rehabilitation care, progress, and other medical, educational and emotional needs.
Physical Therapists
Our physical therapists will help you regain the fullest possible functional potential by designing an individualized exercise program to help increase:
- Balance
- Coordination
- Endurance
- Mobility
- Strength
The physical therapist also teaches wheelchair skills and will evaluate and recommend appropriate seating for optimal function.
Occupational Therapists
Our occupational therapists evaluate your ability to do physical movements and plan a program of activities and exercises to help you prepare for returning to work or home. Patients will be able to practice familiar tasks, such as eating, dressing and household/work tasks. The occupational therapist will determine what changes in the home will assist independence.
Speech and Language Pathologists
Our speech/language pathologists evaluate your ability to understand others and express yourself when communicating. This includes skills such as:
- Memory
- The thought process
- Problem solving
- Organizing written
- Verbal
- Gestural information
- Speech production
- Use of alternate communication devices
Our professionals will also evaluate the strength and coordination of the patient's face, mouth and throat to determine how the facial muscles work during speech, eating and swallowing.
Social Workers
Our social workers are specially trained to assist patients and families with social, emotional, financial and vocational concerns they may experience after an illness or injury. Our social worker provides supportive counseling for planning your future and dealing with lifestyle changes. They are a resource for information about the full range of community resources available in planning your discharge.
As your case manager, the social worker also acts as a link to the treatment team by focusing on your goals and planning your discharge to meet your specific needs. The case manager assures close communication with your payer source.
Recreational Therapists
Our recreational therapists work with the patient and family to develop a program of enjoyable and appropriate leisure activities.
Some of our recreation programs include:
- Painting
- Ceramics
- Woodworking
- Video games
- Leather work
Supervised outings to many locations are provided:
- Movies
- Shopping centers
- Community events
- Restaurants
Dietitians
Our dietitians assess the nutritional and dietary requirements during your stay and can help you and your family learn about restrictions or modifications that may be needed in your diet.
Chaplaincy Services
A member of the Chaplaincy staff visits with patients upon request and is on call at all times to offer support, understanding and spiritual guidance.
Our Facilities
Avera St. Luke’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Center opened in September 1988 and is the only facility of its kind in our region. Our center is located on the Fourth Floor of the hospital. We feature a Transitional Apartment, which enables patients and their caregiver an opportunity to practice and explore new skills in a safe environment. Our center also features a warm, inviting Activity/Dining Room where patients dine together, gather for social activities, and visit with family and friends in our living room area.
For more information
Jill Hanley, Rehabilitation Services Director, at 605-622-5857 or 605-622-5089
Alma Sahli, Rehab Unit RN Coordinator – 4th Floor (Rehab Unit) 605-622-5976
Midland Campus Administration, 605-622-5857
