Rehabilitation Team
The rehab team at Avera McKennan is prepared to help you recover from injury, surgery or debilitating condition. Here is a brief introduction to many of the experts that can help you.
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.
Physiatrist
A physiatrist is a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and oversees your rehabilitation program.
Primary Care Physician
A primary care physician is responsible for your medical management on a 24-hour basis and may participate in team conferences to discuss your progress.
Consulting Physicians
Consulting physicians may be called in to consult on a specific aspect of your care. Avera McKennan has more than 400 consulting physicians who offer a broad spectrum of support services for the patient's medical management.
Patient Care Coordinator
A patient care coordinator (RN) works with you and your family while with us by coordinating care and education needs and assisting in identifying the best plan to meet your needs after discharge.
Rehabilitation Nursing
The rehabilitation unit is staffed 24-hours a day by nurses who have chosen rehabilitation as their specialty. They continually evaluate the patient's care, progress and other medical, educational and emotional needs.
Physical Therapist
Our physical therapist will help you regain the fullest possible functional potential by designing an individualized exercise program to help increase mobility, strength, endurance, coordination and balance. The physical therapist also teaches wheelchair skills and will evaluate and recommend appropriate seating for optimal function.
Occupational Therapist
The occupational therapist evaluates your ability to do physical movements and plans 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, on Easy Street. The occupational therapist will determine what changes in the home will assist independence.
Speech & Language Pathologist
The speech/language pathologist evaluates your ability to understand others and express yourself when communicating. This includes skills such as memory, thought process, problem solving, organization of written, verbal, and gestural information, speech production and use of alternate communication devices. This professional 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.
Audiologist
The audiologist evaluates your hearing ability to identify any significant hearing loss. Determining the type and severity of hearing loss will help the audiologist determine the type of rehabilitation program that is most appropriate.
Social Worker
The social worker helps patient's and families from arrival to discharge with any social, emotional, financial and vocational concerns they may experience after an illness or injury. The social workers also assist with the transition from hospital to community.
Psychologist/Psychiatrist
One of our mental health professionals may be contacted to help the patient and family understand and learn to cope with disability.
Recreational Therapist
The recreational therapist works with the patient and family to develop a program of enjoyable and appropriate leisure activities. Some of our recreation programs include: painting, ceramics, wood-working, video games and leather work. Supervised outings to movies, shopping centers, sporting events and restaurants are also provided.
Dietitian
The dietitian assesses the nutritional and dietary requirements during your stay and can even help you choose the proper items from a menu.
Chaplaincy Services
A member of the chaplaincy services staff visits with patients upon request and is on call at all times to offer support, understanding and spiritual guidance.