Interdisciplinary Team

Rehabilitation physicians

• Oversee your overall treatment
• Evaluate your physical ability
• Prescribe medication as necessary to manage things like mood, sleep and pain
• Work with other physicians, which may include primary care physicians, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and many others
• Board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), also known as a physiatrist

Nurses

• Provide you and your family education on medications
• Assess your bowel and bladder functions and address any wound care
• Administer medications to manage things like mood, sleep and pain
• Collaborate with your doctor on any medical needs or changes
• Coordinate nursing care activities in collaboration with other members of the interdisciplinary rehabilitation team and many more specialists

Patient care technicians (PCTs)

• Assist you throughout the day with your needs (including but not limited to: helping you to/from the bathroom, helping you into bed when you need to rest, helping you to bathe and dress)
• Check your vitals (your blood pressure, temperature and oxygen levels)
• Keep patient rooms clean and organized

Physical therapist (PT/PTA)

• Provide therapeutic exercise to regain strength, mobility, build endurance and improve balance
• Provide mobility training to regain independence with walking or using a wheelchair
• Work on transfer training to help with moving to and from surfaces (bed, car, wheelchair, etc.)
• Evaluates need for specialized equipment (wheelchair, seating, walker, braces, hospital bed, etc.)
• Provides education and training of family and caregivers on how best to assist you

Occupational therapist (OT/COTA)

• Provide training in activities of daily living (ADL)… grooming, dressing, bathing, toileting
• Work on skills such as improving upper extremity use/function, cognition, vision/perception, strength, balance and endurance
• Provide training on functional transfers
• Assist you to return to or adapt to your everyday life
• Adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training
• Guidance to family members and caregivers

Speech therapist (SLP)

• Evaluate and work with you on communication problems such as difficulty understanding what others say or expressing yourself clearly
• Evaluate your swallowing abilities if you have difficulty swallowing
• Assess skills such as memory, problem-solving, orientation, attention and judgment

Recreational therapist (TR)

• Assist you to improve or maintain your health and well-being
• Provide treatment services and recreation activities
• Take you on community outings
• Provide you and your family with education on stroke

Social Work Case Manager

• Assist in planning for your hospital discharge and return to the community
• Provide you and your family information about community resources
• Assist in determining your eligibility of health benefits

Neuropsychologist

• May provide counseling and education to you and your family members
• Assess and treat problems you may have with thinking, memory, mood and behavior

Treatment Assistant (TA)

• Assist the therapists during treatment times and provide an extra set of hands, if needed
• May assist with meal groups and feeding, if needed

Registered Dietician

• Design nutrition programs to improve or maintain the health of patients
• Assess patients’ nutritional needs, develop and implement nutrition programs and evaluate and report the results
• Work with doctors and other health care professionals in order to coordinate medical and dietary needs