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Program Profile:
Joint Replacement Therapy
As the demand for joint replacement rehabilitation therapy services continues to increase, today’s typically shorter in-patient stays are making homecare rehabilitation services more important. VNSW now provides a comprehensive rehabilitation approach to the treatment of Total Knee and Hip Replacements, including pre-surgical interventions and post-operative treatment. This includes the coordinated services of physical and occupational therapists, and may include pain management, wound care, home health aide and social work services, all services provided under the Physician’s orders.
 Director of Rehabilitation Services David Jagoda |
Managing this program at VNSW is David Jagoda, MA, CCC-SLP, VNSW’s Director of Rehabilitation Services, who explains that “a primary mission of our joint replacement program is to look at the patient before surgery, as well as after, for the rehabilitative component. Goals are to provide a home safety evaluation, so once they’ve completed their surgery, we can see assess how they’re doing in the home, see what modifications need to be made, project any exercises that the person might need, and then get back to the physician if we feel that the individual might need some strengthening after surgery.” Based on conversations with patients, David finds that this approach gives the patient “a nice comfort zone, that VNSW is there for them both pre- and post-op, and helps them on a very humanistic level.”
On both hip and knee cases, post–op, prior to discharge, during the initial 24-hour period, the patient receives immediate care. Then, according to David, “The Physical Therapist comes back in, assesses the situation and the patient’s ability, and determines the amount of therapy and other services that the patient might need. The Occupational Therapist will also visit, to determine how patients are doing with their activities of daily living: can they get in and out of a bathtub, can they help themselves in a kitchen, do they need any adaptive equipment, how are they doing with dressing, etc.”
Total knee and hip replacements are a growing trend today, primarily, according to David, for a few reasons: “People are living longer. There is a greater recognition of taking care of one’s body, of being more youthful, of regularly working out, and as we get older, this does tend to wear down the joints.”
“Also,” David explains, “The good thing is that orthopedic medicine has come a long way in the past two decades, to make surgery must quicker, much easier, using new technologies, better joint replacement equipment, better hardware. This makes it so much more possible to seek a viable independent lifestyle with less pain.”
Further, one of the primary goals is pain reduction. “While surgery might create some discomfort initially,” says David, “post-surgical rewards certainly are far greater!” Recent studies have shown that people who have home care as compared to recovering in a sub-acute or assisted living environment, immediately post-op, tend to do better at home. ”So”, David offers, “why not get the rehab at home?”
The most rewarding aspect of all, David says, is “that people look forward to seeing us in their homes, want us to be there, not only the patient but also the family!”
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