Quality Of Life

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new inpatient rehab unit took place last November.

Aiken Regional Medical Centers is excited to announce the opening of a 14-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit on the second floor of the hospital. This means patients no longer need to travel out of the community if they need specialized care and can recover safely and confidently—closer to the ones they love.

Who Can Benefit?

Inpatient rehab helps patients regain their independence after a stroke, traumatic brain injury, neurological illness, amputation or major surgery. Among the admission criteria, patients must be able to tolerate and benefit from three hours of therapy at least five days a week, explains Heather Raynack, OTR/L, director of rehabilitation services.

Physical, occupational and speech therapy are provided in a supportive setting, with hospital services and nursing care available 24/7. “We get to know our patients and their families very well,” Raynack says. Patients have one-on-one contact with therapists, who push them to safely achieve their goals. “That’s how we’re able to have really good outcomes,” Raynack says. The goal is to help patients achieve the highest level of independence possible.

Incorporating the Comforts and Challenges of Home

During inpatient rehab, patients have their own private bedroom and bathroom, and have meals together. A specially designed gym provides equipment such as treadmills with body weight supports to help build strength and confidence, explains Lottie Jones, RN, BSN, clinical nurse manager. Also, a fully furnished kitchen and other common areas provide a place to practice activities of daily living, such as cooking and laundry. It’s not just about assisting with the physical aspects of recovery, but also providing emotional support, Jones says.

The progress patients make during inpatient rehab is awesome, Jones notes. “We’re happy to be able to provide this service to the community,” she says.

Outpatient Rehab From a Familiar Name

Through outpatient care, patients attend therapy sessions in accordance with their individualized plans, and then return to the comfort of their homes as they work toward their goals. In some cases, patients who are transitioning out of inpatient care may enroll in outpatient rehab to continue their recovery.

A rehab space especially for children is located on the hospital’s medical campus at 690 Medical Park Drive in Aiken. Also, a Southside location for adults is at 110 High Gate Loop in Aiken.

Saying Goodbye to Pain: How Rehab Helped this Active Volunteer Get Back to Her Busy Life

Sadie Davis is feeling better now, thanks to rehab.

“I could not get out of bed in the morning without holding onto something, and the pain was so bad I could barely walk,” recalls Sadie L. Davis. She’d been diagnosed with arthritis in her back, but her physician did not feel she was a strong candidate for surgery and recommended physical therapy instead.

In her first six to eight weeks of outpatient rehabilitation through Hitchcock Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Center (previously Hitchcock Healthcare), her therapist, Paula Bolton, PT, worked with her on exercises that helped overall, but she continued to have debilitating pain in one spot of her hip.

“Paula was so persistent,” Davis recalls. “She was determined to end the cause of my hip pain.” Soon after, Bolton identified that Davis had sacral dysfunction, a problem associated with the lower part of her spine, and she immediately began administering treatment.

Davis describes what happened next as “a miracle.” “I woke up and was able to get out of bed and walk without pain and without holding onto something,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it. I am now pain free as long as I do my ‘bridge’ exercise every morning that Paula instructed me to do.”

Thanks to the care she received and the work she has done through rehab, she is now able to enjoy everyday activities again. “I volunteer with children and I now have the ability to get down on the floor with the three- and four-year-olds and play with them,” she says. “I read stories to the children, as well as sit in small preschool chairs that are low,” she adds, happy to be able to do these activities without pain or limitations.

“I knew the first time I met Paula it would be a good relationship,” Davis says. “Hitchcock rehabilitation at Aiken Regional Medical Centers put the joy back in my life.”

Independence-Bound: Ryleigh Makes Great Strides with Caring Therapy Support

Ryleigh Snead continues to make strides thanks to hard work and her supportive rehab team.

Learning to be independent is a natural part of growing up. For six-year-old Ryleigh Snead, doing new things on her own—like going to school by herself—is possible with hard work and support from her rehab team.

Since suffering from a spinal cord injury at age 3, she has been attending rehab regularly through Hitchcock Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Center, where her family has also learned how to help support her progress. “As a mother, you want to fix everything for your child,” says her mom, Shantell Snead. She says the therapy team has worked with her to allow her daughter to do as much on her own as she can. The care provided is also very nurturing, she says, remarking on how Kathy Cothran, PT, cares for Ryleigh “like she was her own.”

“It’s really important for us to involve the family in every aspect of care,” says Heather Raynack, OTR/L, director of rehabilitation services. “We have to be very patient-driven,” she adds, noting that they approach challenges and goals from each patient’s perspective. “When you make a difference, especially a long-term difference, it’s very rewarding,” she says.

For the Snead family, rehab has been transformative. Ryleigh has transitioned from an electronic wheelchair to a manual wheelchair, and she is now able to go to school independently. Also, her strength has improved so that she can now do pushups and lift more weight on her own. The team has been “amazing” and “so open-minded to learning new things to help Ryleigh,” says her mom. “Hitchcock is a wonderful rehab center with caring people,” she says.