Inpatient rehabilitation at Salem Health

Salem Health’s comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program is the only one of its kind in the Mid-Willamette Valley—serving Marion, Polk, Linn, Benton, Lincoln counties and beyond.

Our program is designed for people who require short-term (one to three weeks), comprehensive rehabilitative care following hospitalization.

Most of our patients are recovering from disabling illnesses or injuries such as:

• Strokes
• Brain injuries
• Cancer
• Spinal cord injuries
• Progressive neurological conditions
• Complex orthopedic injuries
• Loss of limb
• Trauma injuries

We help patients achieve the maximum level of independence. We provide around-the-clock nursing care with a minimum of three hours a day of rehabilitative therapy. That is two to three times more therapy than provided in a typical skilled nursing facility.

The benefits of our approach

We know people experiencing disabling conditions or injuries are often anxious and fearful about what the future holds. So our team takes a holistic approach to care and treatment by addressing both physical and emotional well-being.

Features of our comprehensive rehabilitation program include:

• 24-hour rehabilitation nursing care and pain management.
• Low patient-to-nurse ratio.
• Supervision by a physiatrist, a physician with specialty training and medical board certification in rehabilitation medicine.
• Intensive rehabilitation, Monday through Saturday, from physical, occupational and speech therapists.
• Care Managers to assist with individualized discharge planning (helping patients and families answer “What comes next?” when they leave the hospital).
• Psychology services for emotional support.
• Individual rooms with nursing observation cameras.
• State-of-the art rehabilitative equipment including a body-weight support treadmill.
• Additional expertise as needed in the areas of incontinence, balance, driving, nutrition, diabetes, assistive devices and more.
• Ongoing therapy available in an outpatient setting at the nearby Salem Health Rehabilitation Center.

Real-life therapy environments

Practice apartment

The goal of inpatient rehabilitation is to prepare patients to live independently, even with long-term disabilities. To help patients adjust and practice in a realistic setting, our inpatient rehabilitation program has designed home-style rooms, including a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room.

Therapists demonstrate–and patients practice–many common activities of daily living, such as:

• Getting in and out of a tub, safely.
• Reaching high kitchen cupboards from a wheelchair.
• Getting up from a soft sofa.
• Using a washer and dryer from a wheelchair
• Cooking safety

The practice apartment provides a realistic environment for our doctors and therapists to assess a patient’s readiness to return home.

Dining

Our focus on independent living includes our approach to meals. Before COVID-19, we offered group dining to encourage shared experiences and help patients become more comfortable in group environments.

We are hopeful to return to community dining once it is safe. We work to ensure meal times are a safe, supervised and structured activity where our trained staff can model and observe swallowing, if necessary.

In addition, we provide an opportunity for patients to practice ordering meals and learn swallowing precautions. We also train family members to help the patient in a safe environment. Our staff strive to provide support to reduce anxiety, increase independence and facilitate a safe transition home.

Therapy courtyard

To further assist in patients’ recovery, the outdoor therapy courtyard includes slopes, stairs, outdoor furniture (including a built-in bench), pea gravel, lawn, and planting tables. The courtyard is a safe, private place for patients to learn to adjust to different surfaces, improve large and small motor skills and work with new equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers or canes.

Contact us

To make a referral or contact our inpatient rehabilitation unit, please call 503-814-9211.