The Blue Mountain eagle., February 13, 2019, Page 23, Image 39

Blue Mountain Hospital offers transitional care
Blue Mountain Hospital staff
T
he unthinkable happens. You have been
injured or have an illness that severely
affects your ability to be independent.
And you may fi nd yourself in your
own community or another community, far
away from what you consider home. And you
need time to recover. Now what? You wonder
what questions to ask. Well, once your doctor
has cleared you after your surgery or hospital
stay, you will need time to recover with a tran-
sitional care team. That may mean transitional
care or home health or maybe private care assis-
tance. It is usually advised that you have that
conversation with your physician or the attend-
ing physician.
Physician
Once in a transitional setting, your primary
physician continues to play an important role in
your rehabilitation, assisting in reviewing and
your treatment and support. If you do not have a
primary physician in the area, you can choose a
physician from Blue Mountain Hospital.
Physical therapy
A physical therapist will be the expert in
strengthening, balance training and teaching of
assistive devices.
We will work with you to recover from the
effects of the illness or surgery and also work
with your family or caregiver to make sure they
are ready to help when you go home.
and abilities to understand and express language,
including nonverbal communication. Speech
therapists and speech pathologists (SLP) are the
professionals providing those speech services.
Registered dietitian
A registered dietitian is your most credible
and reliable source for accurate nutrition infor-
mation, trained in the use of nutrition to prevent
and control disease.
Registered dietitians help people learn about
staying healthy and selecting the right foods.
Balance, variety and moderation are keys to
healthful eating. A registered dietitian can help
you fi nd a total eating plan that works for you
and your lifestyle.
What is transitional care?
Transitional care is provided to a patient
when they are well enough to leave a hospital
but not well enough to go home. In larger com-
munities, patients who have had surgery or an
extended illness would leave the hospital and go
to a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation.
The skilled nursing facility would be com-
prised of nursing, physical therapy, occupational
therapy, speech therapy and a dietitian. In rural
areas like Grant County, this service is provided
at Blue Mountain Hospital, a critical access hos-
pital, and is called transitional care.
Following our mission of providing qual-
ity care close to home, patients do not have to
rehabilitate away from their home town. Instead,
through this program, they can stay at Blue
Mountain Hospital during recovery. This makes
it easier on family and friends to visit and keep
the patient in or close to familiar surroundings.
Occupational therapy
Respiratory therapy
Our occupational therapist is trained in
strengthening, use of adaptive equipment and
works closely with the physical therapist and
other members of a multidisciplinary team.
Your occupational therapist will work with
you and your caregiver to learn ways of adapt-
ing to your illness or surgery to aid in bathing,
getting dressed and preparing meals.
Your respiratory therapist will assist the team
by giving breathing treatments, if necessary,
and monitoring your vitals to ensure a speedy
recovery. The respiratory therapist is not always
involved in all cases.
Registered nurse
Your registered nurse will monitor your
vitals, administer medications, follow the treat-
ment plan of the doctor and, if required, perform
wound care.
The RN will also be providing valuable edu-
cation (regarding medications, wounds, etc.) to
both the patient and caregivers to ensure a safe
return to home.
Speech therapist
Your speech therapist provides an interven-
tion that is focused on improving your speech
Discharge planning
Discharge planning is a process that aims to
improve the coordination of services from the
hospital, by considering the patients in the com-
munity. A trip to the hospital can be an intim-
idating event for the patient and their fam-
ily. Patients, family, caregivers and health care
providers plan roles in maintaining a patient’s
health after discharge.
If you or a loved one ever fi nd yourself out
of town for a surgery or illness, talk to the health
care provider and let them know you want to
recover close to home. We’d love to get you
back on your feet. For more information, call
or stop by and meet our Discharge Planner Bill
Hodgson, 541-575-1311, ext. 2331.
Contributed photo
Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day.
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