More about our team

Our team works with every patient to create a plan of care to meet your goals and concerns. Our focus is to assist you in skill areas which may include:

• Highest level of medical and nursing care with physician experts in rehabilitation and rehabilitation  nurses
• Improve your strength and ability to move safely
• Reteach you self-care/activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and grooming to help you resume your normal quality of life
• Help you regain independence by teaching you new ways to do self-supportive tasks such as laundry, cooking and cleaning
• Improve your ability to transfer to/from varied surfaces and walking with or without assisted devices
• Fall prevention, balance training and safety awareness
• Swallowing safely
• Communication and thinking skills
• Arthritic pain management/join protection
• Community re-entry activities as appropriate
• Home evaluation as necessary to evaluate home setting and make recommendations
• Orthotics/prosthetics through referral to independent practitioners
• Patient and family education, counseling and training early in the rehab process to make sure you are comfortable before leaving the hospital

Therapy

As a patient, you will be required to complete three hours of therapy daily on our unit. This can be divided up across three disciplines, depending on your specific needs. You will be assigned a team of therapists to help you reach your goals.

• Physical therapy helps you regain strength, balance and coordination to restore mobility
• Occupation therapy teaches you new ways to perform daily activities such as grooming, bathing and dressing
• Speech/language therapy helps you regain speaking, swallowing and cognitive abilities

What to bring

It is important to our program/staff that you feel at home while on our unit. We ask that patients and their families bring the following personal items to participate in therapies and daily care:

• Loose-fitting, comfortable clothing such as pants, shirts, socks, underwear, etc.
• Sturdy and comfortable shoes with non-skid bottoms
• Sweater or jacket (with zippers or buttons as this is helpful to work on dressing goals)
• Personal care items and cosmetics
• Eyeglasses or contact lens and supplies
• Sleepwear and robe
• Hearing aids in labeled container with your name
• Dentures in labeled container with your name
• Assistive or adaptive equipment that you may have used at home. This will help staff members get a better idea of your prior level of function.

We discourage you bringing valuables to the hospital.

Family and/or support person

While on the rehab unit, your family and/or support person is welcome and encouraged to attend therapy sessions on a regular basis. There will be times when a family/support person will be required to attend therapy sessions, as determined by the rehab team. Your social worker will let you and your family know when they need to attend therapies so that they can be adequately trained in how to help you when you leave the hospital.

Discharge planning

Discharge planning begins the day you are admitted to the rehab unit. Your physician and rehab team will meet with you and your family to plan appropriate discharge arrangements. Discharge from the rehab unit does not necessarily mean that rehab stops. Your continued recovery may include the services of home care nurses and aides, therapists or other outpatient services.

Upon discharge from the hospital, most patients will still initially require 24-hour assistance from family member or support person.

Pet Therapy

Since 2001, the Pet Therapy program has been providing encouragement and comfort to our patients on the Rehabilitation and Sub-Acute Units at St. Joseph/Candler. Each dog is certified and is accompanied by their owner during the hospital visit. Each patient visit lasts between one to 10 minutes based on the individual patient needs.

Locations

St. Joseph’s/Candler has Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Units at both hospitals.

St. Joseph’s Hospital
11705 Mercy Blvd., Savannah, Ga. 31419
912-819-3343

Candler Hospital
5353 Reynolds Street, Savannah, Ga. 31405
912-819-6511

Nursing care is provided for a multitude of conditions and diagnoses. The Candler Hospital Sub-Acute Unit provides short-term skilled care for patients not medically or functionally ready to return home. Patients must meet admission criteria and demonstrate continued need until discharge.
 
Our team of professionals includes physicians, nurses, social services staff, dietitians, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and activity coordinators.
 
Criteria for Inpatient Skilled Nursing Unit Care:

• Prior hospital stay of more than 72 hours in the past 30 days and
• Therapy services provided five days a week with functional improvement or
• Sterile wound care or
• IV medication administration