Mercy Rehabilitation Services

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy helps patients achieve their maximum independence while effectively coping with the limitations imposed by their illness or injury. Addressing a patient’s psychological and physical deficits, therapists use goal-directed therapeutic exercises, special adaptive equipment and compensatory techniques, and tasks that help patients learn to safely perform the activities of daily living.

Speech/Language Pathology

Speech/Language therapy helps patients maximize functional and appropriate communication and safe swallowing through the treatment of speech and language disorders, complicated swallowing disorders and the language aspects of cognition. Goals vary depending on cause and factors involved and may range from improving speech clarity; to finding and retraining a new method of communication; or advancing a person from ‘tube-feeding’ back to a safe oral diet.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is the treatment of injury and disease by mechanical means such as heat, light, exercise and massage. It involves physical movement to relieve pain, restore function and prevent disability following disease, injury or loss of limb. Mercy’s physical therapists help patients increase strength and mobility to the extent that they can function on their own, with or without special equipment.

*Recreational Therapy

Recreational therapy provides opportunities for socialization, develops coping skills and teaches relaxation techniques. Recreational therapy helps patients to improve their cognition, hand-eye coordination, motor skills, social skills and community reintegration through rehabilitation, leisure education and recreation participation. During the reintegration process, the patient practices newly acquired functional skills in the community. The recreational therapist also helps patients maintain their leisure involvement through adaptive means of leisure participation.

Respiratory Therapy

Respiratory therapy is provided at Mercy Medical on an inpatient basis only. Respiratory therapy increases the endurance and strength of respiratory muscles. Breathing retraining and cough techniques are incorporated into the teaching needed to develop each patient’s unique home therapy regimen. Weaning tracheostomies, under supervision of a physician, may be possible. Mercy’s respiratory therapists also train family members to care for tracheostomies at home. As patients progress in their interdisciplinary rehabilitation program, the need for supplemental oxygen frequently decreases and often is eliminated by the discharge date.

*Service only available in Mercy Acute Rehabilitation Hospital, Subacute/Skilled Nursing Rehabilitation and Home Health.