Parkinson's Disease Rehabilitation Program

New England Rehabilitation Hospital takes great care to ease the transition from the patient's acute care hospital or their home to our inpatient rehabilitation hospital and eventually back into their community.

Individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD) may experience challenges with physical mobility, swallowing, speech and cognition related to their disease. This may result in a decline in their quality of life and difficulty carrying out their daily routine. Recent research indicates that individuals with PD have the potential for regaining independence through participation in a rehabilitation program.

New England Rehabilitation Hospital has a specialized inpatient rehabilitation program to address the needs of patients with PD and other Movement Disorders. This program allows the Movement Disorders Team to monitor each patient's functional status and progress through direct observation, performance on standardized measures, and patient/ family report. A Board Certified physiatrist, with input from the patient's primary neurologist or consulting neurologist utilizes this information to make adjustments to optimize the patient's individual medication regimen. This close monitoring and quick response to adjust medications allows for optimal outcomes.

The Movement Disorders Team Consists of:

• Board Certified Physiatrist who specializes in movement disorders
• Internist
• Psychiatrist
• 24-Hour Rehabilitation Nurses
• Occupational Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Speech Language Pathologist
• Dietician
• Case Manager
• Benefits specialists and
• Other medical specialities to include;
  • Neurologist
  • Neuropsychologist
  • Oncologist
  • Pulmonologist
  • Infectious Disease Specialist
  • Wound Specialist

The patient and family are an integral part of the treatment team.

The Parkinson's Disease Rehabilitation Program includes:

• A Multidisciplinary Treatment Team of medical and rehabilitation specialist co-lead by Internal Medicine and Physiatry
• Consulting Medical Specialties that may include Psychiatry, Neurology and Neuropsychology.
• 24-Hour Rehabilitation nursing to reinforce acquired functional skills, to assist with education of the patient and family
• Intensive and Individualized, goal-oriented treatment plans
• Functional Approach to Activities of Daily Living and Community Re-entry
• Family conferences, education and support
• Comprehensive Case Management discharge planning
• Specialized insurance benefits management and coordination
• Driving Evaluation Clinic
• Therapeutic Pool as needed
• Availablilty of our network of Outpatient Rehabilitation Centers for continued continuity of care following discharge.

Therapeutic Objectives:

• Facilitate medical progress 24-hours a day and optimize medication management.
• Improve mood/behavior and provide emotional support for patient around disease and disability.
• Improve balance, flexibility and coordination of movements, strength and endurance.
• Increase functional mobility status & ability to perform self-care tasks. Enhance functional communication skills.
• Evaluate swallowing and manage swallowing function, with latest videofluroscopy technology (as appropriate), diet modifications, initiate strategies such as compensatory techniques, diet modification and education to improve function and safety.
• Achieve a greater understanding of the disease process through various educational materials.
• Facilitate a self-management approach to maximize independence.

New England Rehabilitation Hospital offers a Parkinson's Disease Group which discusses a variety of topics to include:

• Communication,
• Education on Parkinson's Disease
• Symptom Recognition
• Medications

Benefits Management and Coordination

An illness or injury may affect a person's capacity for returning to work. If one of our patients is likely to be unable to return to work for a short or extended period, New England Rehabilitation Hospital offers the services of a Benefits Specialist to help the patient and family with practical matters of income replacement and health insurance concerns. The Benefits Specialist addresses such matters as: filing for Family and Medical Leave, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Social Security Disability, MassHealth and COBRA assistance. The Benefits Specialist is also able to address social concerns of emergency aid for those persons who may not have worked prior to the injury or illness.

New England Rehabilitation Hospital recognizes the importance of assisting patients back to their homes, communities and places of work. The benefits service is dedicated to achieving those goals by helping patients and families navigate through disability benefits systems and by providing support to patients and families as they go through this often difficult and confusing process. Many patients have commented that they would not have known "where to begin" and that this service completes their overall rehabilitation.

New England Rehab Offers Elder Assist Clinic

New England Rehabilitation Hospital in conjunction with the Senior Resource Center (SRC) now offers complimentary, weekly Elder Assist Clinics in Woburn. These pre-registered private appointments with SRC's Eldercare Nurse Attorneys help patients and their families with important issues, to include:

• How to pay for current and long term health care needs
• How to protect your home and your hard assets
• Advice on estate planning

These clinics serve as a bridge in helping New England Rehabilitation Hospital patients and their families deal with transition needs for a safe and timely discharge home, to a skilled nursing facility, or an assisted living facility.

Senior Resource Center, Inc. is a full-service eldercare planning advisory group, supporting seniors and their families throughout Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire.