St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital Rehabilitative Services

Sacred Heart Hospital’s Rehabilitative Services is committed to improving quality of life by reducing pain and maximizing the functionality of patients with disabilities or injuries through comprehensive, individualized care.

Sacred Heart practices a comprehensive team approach to therapy. We use education for patients and caregivers, paired with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology and cardiac rehabilitation. Sacred Heart’s highly trained rehabilitative staff works with patients to evaluate pain levels and create, implement and track progress of personalized therapy plans.

Typical diagnoses and/or treatments referred to St. Mary’s Rehabilitative Services include:

Physical Therapy

Sacred Heart’s physical therapy team will help any patient, adolescent to older adult, with functional mobility and/or soft tissue pain limitation. This department, which abides by American Physical Therapy Association standards, offers modalities including manual therapy and therapeutic exercise to reduce pain and improve functionality.

Your pain or physical limitations do not have to become your way of life. Our philosophy is to assess your limitations, evaluate your abilities and work with you to reach your maximum potential.

Sacred Heart’s licensed physical therapists use special programs to help patients progress, including vestibular rehabilitation to regain balance. Each physical therapist on staff has a minimum of the following qualifications:

• Degree in Physical Therapy from an accredited university
• Continuing education courses
• Georgia state licensure

Physical therapy is often used in conjunction with occupational therapy and speech therapy to treat gross motor skills along with fine motor skills and oral motor movements. Our therapists will work with you to determine the most appropriate rehabilitation plan. A physician’s referral is required for rehabilitative treatment. Please call Sacred Heart Outpatient Rehab for more information at (706) 356-7450.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is most commonly seen as treatment for activities of daily living involving dexterity, cognition and achievement of life skills appropriate for each patient. Therapists work closely with patients to educate, maximize independence, maintain health and obtain adaptive equipment necessary to help with everyday skills.

Each Occupational Therapist on staff at Sacred Heart has the following credentials:

• A Degree in Occupational Therapy from an accredited university
• Continuing education (modalities certification)
• Georgia State licensure

Patients from adolescent to adult experiencing delays in fine motor, perceptual, or visual skills, attention, motor planning, organization, activities of daily living and or other physical impairments may benefit from working with an occupational therapist. Physical therapists, occupational therapists and the Sacred Heart Wellness Center are located on site to ensure a complete continuum of rehabilitative care.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac Rehabilitation Phase II

St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital offers a Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation outpatient exercise program at our hospital’s Wellness Center. Our cardiac rehab program helps patients rebuild their strength and independence while boosting their confidence and overall quality of life.

Patients who participate in cardiac rehabilitation can greatly reduce their risk of future cardiac events.

What is the goal of Cardiac Rehab?

Our overall goal is to improve independence and quality of life by strengthening each patient’s cardiac function. In addition, many patients also increase their muscular strength, flexibility, balance, and confidence. Patients learn how a heart-healthy diet and regular exercise can help them feel better, live more fully and possibly prevent or delay future heart trouble.

What happens in Cardiac Rehab classes?

Over the course of 36 supervised exercise sessions, our medical professionals monitor each patient’s blood pressure, heart rate and heart rhythm using wireless EKG monitoring. Our staff members guide patients carefully through progressively more challenging exercise routines to help them achieve maximum recovery. Participants also receive extensive education on heart-healthy eating, as well as the importance of diabetes and cholesterol management, smoking cessation and taking prescribed medication correctly.

Where do classes take place?

In our clean and well-equipped Wellness Center at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital we offer numerous cardiovascular machines and resistance training options. Each program can be customized to each patient’s individual abilities and needs throughout the program.

How often do classes meet?

We encourage patients to attend two to three times per week to maximize results. Our goal is to help each patient reach a level where they feel comfortable exercising on their own and carrying on day-to-day activities.

What is the benefit of group classes?

Training in a group atmosphere aids in building each patient’s morale and confidence, which are often disrupted by a life-threatening cardiac incident or diagnosis. Many patients find the camaraderie of a group environment to be supportive and reassuring.

Who is eligible?

Medicare and most commercial insurance plans cover the following diagnoses with a physician’s order:

• Heart attack within the last 12 months
• Open-heart surgery
• Coronary angioplasty and/or stenting
• Stable chest pain
• Heart valve replacement or repair
• Heart or heart/lung transplant
• Stable chronic heart failure with an ejection fraction less than 35%

Call for more information: (706) 356-7454