Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit

To help our amputation patients move forward, we begin working with them as soon as medically possible after the amputation. We strive to help them regain lost abilities, prevent pain complications, improve wound healing and prepare them to return home independently or with assistance from family members or other care providers.

Pre-prosthetic Rehabilitation
Our pre-prosthetic rehabilitation programs focus on strengthening the muscles necessary to support and be successful with the prosthetic device and training patients about stump care.

Post-prosthetic Rehabilitation
Once a prosthesis has been fitted, our therapists work with patients to learn to use the prosthesis and how to incorporate it into their activities of daily living.

Read more about our Amputation Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Just as no two people are alike, no two brain injuries are alike. Treatment and rehabilitation vary from individual to individual. Mercy's IRU uses standardized improvement measures to track our patient outcomes and ensure that we are providing the best specialized care to assist in recovery.

Read more about our Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Patients with cancer are a diverse group, facing a variety of challenges that can affect functions, including weakness and fatigue, nerve dysfunction, difficulty speaking and bladder and/or bowel incontinence.

Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language therapy, in close collaboration with the medical professionals overseeing patient care, can address some of those functional impairments and allow patients to regain independence and improve quality of life.

Read more about our Cancer Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

For both cardiac and pulmonary conditions, specialized cardiopulmonary rehabilitation helps patients improve their physical health and quality of life and avoid returning to the hospital or emergency department. Cardiopulmonary rehab incorporates guided exercise and education to help patients cope with daily activities and make lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking or losing weight to help improve their overall health.

Read more about our Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Rehabilitation therapy programs for people on dialysis focus on restoring functional independence and improving the capacity for exercise. Therapy helps patients build muscle strength and stamina, and recover maximum physical function.

Areas of focus in Dialysis Rehabilitation include:

• Exercises that are clinically designed to increase balance, strength and mobility
• Education to help patients understand how rehab works and what part they play in their success
• Ongoing maintenance programs customized for each patient that include a comprehensive plan of continued home exercises

Read more about our Dialysis Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Whether it’s due to surgery or an illness, general debility is a condition in which one feels weak and sapped of energy, making it hard to handle even typical daily activities. These feelings can start a cycle that leads people to do less and less, and their bodies to continue to lose strength.

Read more about our General Debility Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Mercy's IRU focuses on the needs of all injuries, and incorporating the right types of therapies and specialists to help the person recover as fully as possible and learn any adaptive strategies needed to manage daily tasks.

Read more about our Multiple Trauma Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Musculoskeletal disorders and injuries can affect your daily life and ability to do the things you love. Our orthopedic rehabilitation is a doctor-supervised program designed to help your recovery with impairments or disabilities due to disease, trauma or other issues related to muscles, bones, joints and nerves.

Common musculoskeletal disorders and injuries include:

• Bone fractures
• Joint replacements
• Spinal injuries
• Arthritis

Read more about our Hip Fracture Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Because Parkinson’s affects movement, including stiffness or slowing of movement, our rehabilitation team focuses on interventions to lessen the effects and strengthen patients to manage the progression of the disease. Mercy's physical therapists work hand-in-hand with doctors and nurses who specialize in rehabilitation. Members of the team may include physical, occupational and speech therapists, as well as social workers and nutritional counselors.

Read more about our Parkinson's Disease Rehabilitation Program (pdf)

Our spinal cord injury rehabilitation program is an intense program that provides ongoing care for patients. The goal is to prepare them for a return home independently or with assistance from family members or other care providers. Rehabilitation that is initiated soon after a spinal cord injury helps improve skills and helps patients move forward.

Read more about our Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program (pdf).

Our inpatient rehabilitation programs have been designed by experienced stroke-recovery experts to specifically help your improvement in all of these areas. Our team of medical experts is trained in stroke recovery, helping you achieve the best recovery possible so that you can get back to a more normal daily routine as soon as possible.

Depending on your needs and goals, your recovery plan may consist of rehabilitation nursing and physical, occupational and speech therapy, as well as ancillary services that may include pastoral care, pet therapy, recreational therapy, psychological therapy, pain management and orthotic/prosthetic management.

• Rehabilitation nursing equips both you and your family with the proper skills and education for returning home.
• Physical therapy involves specialized exercises and equipment designed to help you build physical strength and endurance, retrain muscles, and improve balance and coordination.
• Occupational therapy works on increasing your independence and safety in activities of daily life, like getting dressed, taking a shower or cooking a meal.
• Speech therapy helps you improve communication through speech clarity, language, comprehension and expression. It can also assist you with safe swallowing.

You’ll receive three hours of therapy per day. A schedule will be posted in your room, so you’ll easily know which therapy will visit and when.

Bring five sets of exercise-appropriate clothing, including socks, underwear, supportive shoes, orthotics or prosthetics, and any assistive device you use.

Mercy’s Medical Director of Inpatient Rehabilitation — Carla Schulz, MD will oversee your progress during your stay. You will be seen daily by a physician for your medical care, which will be your primary care provider (if he or she sees patients in the hospital) or a hospital physician.

Dr. Schulz has been a fixture within the community as a family practice provider for nearly 30 years. In addition to her work in Inpatient Rehabilitation, she is Medical Director for Medical Affairs at Mercy and is an urgent care physician at MercyCare North as needed.

Your interdisciplinary rehabilitation team will meet with you and your loved ones consistently to ensure everyone is working toward a common goal — your successful recovery. The meetings are interactive and input on your care from you and your loved ones is essential and welcomed.

Also see our Rehab Viewer, to discover why inpatient rehabilitation at Mercy Medical Center Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit might be the right choice for the next phase in your recovery.

Prior to going home, your case manager/discharge planner will meet with you and your loved ones to discuss any discharge needs. Your dietitian will also meet and discuss approaches for continued healthy eating at home.