Today’s reduced hospital stay often means that further recovery and rehabilitation must continue after an individual is discharged from the acute hospital environment. Often, that post-acute phase needs to take place in an environment where skilled care is available daily. Memorial Hospital provides post-acute skilled care in its Swing Bed Program.
Skilled Care
Memorial’s Swing Bed Program provides a wide range of interdisciplinary rehabilitation services to patients with short term rehabilitation and medical needs. The Swing Bed Program is designed to provide short-term “skilled care” to patients recovering from an acute illness, injury, or surgery. Skilled care includes post-surgical or medical care requiring special dressing changes, instruction of new treatments or physical, occupational, or speech therapy. Patients may need nutritional services or intravenous medication. There are many things that may qualify a patient for care in the Swing Bed Program.
Referrals
Patients may be referred by physicians, acute care hospitals or other health care professionals, for admission to swing bed status. Patients may be admitted to swing bed if they are medically ready to be discharged from acute care and they have a qualified skilled need. Patients must be able to follow instructions, be non-violent and cooperative and willing to participate in the Swing Bed Program.
Family Involvement and Interdisciplinary Team
Our Swing Bed team meets with the patient to evaluate their condition and level of function. The team assesses the patient’s needs, treatment plan, and establishes an estimated time frame to meet the team’s goals. Family members are an integral part of the treatment team. They are involved in decision making, made aware of daily progress, and are also invited to participate in the tri-weekly interdisciplinary patient care meetings. Three times a week the interdisciplinary care conference takes place with the healthcare team, patient, and family, where plans, progress, and goals of the swing bed patient are reviewed.
Length of Stay
Memorial Hospital’s Swing Bed Program is a short-term program. The average length of stay is 5-10 days. During Swing Bed, the nursing staff continues to assist the patient with their care, but as part of their rehabilitation, they are encouraged to increase their level of independence by doing what they can for themselves first then staff will assist them.
The Swing Bed Program allows you to bring your family members and loved ones close to home to complete their recovery, so you don’t have to travel away from home to see them. “My family member received excellent care while in the Swing Bed Program,” stated a former family member.
“The one-on-one care they received from physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing was top notch…much better care than in the larger hospitals in the city.”
Ask your physician, discharge planner, care coordinator or contact us directly about the Swing Bed Program and whether your loved one qualifies.