Informed Rehab Options
Begin with Advance Planning

Joanne Hastings

Can you imagine going on a trip to an unfamiliar destination and not having your flight information or hotel reservations, an itinerary, and a pretty good idea how you’ll get home? Such risky travel planning leaves no room for error.

Very few people are willing to leave their travel plans to fate. But, when it comes to healthcare, that is exactly what many people do. Picture this: You have a sudden illness and need to be hospitalized. Your physician makes the arrangements for you and tells you when to arrive at the hospital and about how long you’ll stay. Your recovery is normal, but on the discharge day, you aren’t quite ready to go home. Do you know what your rehabilitation options are?

Shorter Hospital Stays

In the past, if you had an illness or surgery that required hospitalization, there was no rush to discharge you, and after your stay in the hospital, you were sent home to recuperate.

Today, patients are discharged from hospitals much more quickly, which increases the need to spend time in a “rehab” center. An extra week or two of therapy and strengthening can dramatically reduce the time it takes to return to your baseline activities and can prevent a host of potential problems. If you know your options and are prepared, chaos can be averted when a medical need arises.

Rehabilitation centers, once commonly called “nursing homes,” are also valuable when a patient has no caregiver or if a caregiver isn’t able to provide the kinds of care a patient needs at home. In such cases, rehab centers can provide both short and long-term solutions.

The term “nursing home” is passé. These days, facilities that provide both short- and long-term care are called rehabilitation centers because that’s what they specialize in. Whether the stay is for a week or a year, patients receive a full range of care, from bed rest to physical therapy, from medication management to emotional support – whatever the doctor orders.

The Importance of Advance Planning

Because many illnesses are sudden and many surgeries are urgent rather than elective, how is it possible to plan in advance for post-hospitalization care?

Most rehab facilities offer tours (hospitals do also, by the way), which gives you an opportunity to preview facilities and decide which would be best for you or for a parent or other family member. Make arrangements to tour several and compare them before the need arises to use one. When you find a facility you like, request an application for admission and discuss admission options with the facility’s admissions director.

Usually patients who come to a rehab center for a short-term stay arrive from a hospital. Discharge planners in the hospitals often assist in this transfer, and they’ll ask patients what facility they prefer. Most people won’t have an answer, but you will because you will have done your homework and you’ll be able to exercise your right to choose the facility that will meet your needs best.

At both the hospitals and the rehab facilities you tour, make careful observations and ask questions. Use the checklist we’ve provided so you’ll know what to look for and ask about. Be sure to ask staff members about insurance coverage! Part of your advance planning should include consulting with outside resources, such as Medicare or Medicaid offices, insurance company representatives, hospital admission staff members, and others, including an attorney or legal advisor. Don’t forget to make yourself familiar in advance with the coverage provided by your own insurance provider. Information generated from your facility visits and consultations with those listed above will help assure you that you’re well covered financially for the care you or a family member may need.

By the way, many rehab facilities offer seminars in estate planning and long-term care insurance to help people understand their financial options. Call several facilities and request information about scheduled seminars and information sessions.

A good rehabilitation facility should strive to keep you as independent as possible while enabling you to meet your goals physically, socially, and culturally and to maintain your dignity and the quality of your life. But if you wait until you need rehabilitation care, it may be too late to make an informed decision. The alternative? Plan now.

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