Communicating with Reluctant Patients in Rehabilitation

By on 12/12/16 Physical Therapy

As a therapist engaging in person-centered rehabilitation, having commonly shared treatment goals with patients is the overall objective. Occasionally though, you come across a stubborn, reluctant, or uncooperative patient that doesn’t want to adhere to your proposed treatment of care. Ethically, you have two choices: Accept the patient’s right to decide Use other strategies to […] Continue Reading

Role of Physical Therapists in Reducing Hospital Readmissions

By on 12/8/16 Physical Therapy

Reducing the number of hospital readmissions that occur within 30 days of discharge is a major quality improvement goal. Recently we wrote about the issues physical therapists face in acute hospital settings, namely, that roles are not well defined and the skills and involvement of PTs aren’t being used to their fullest potential. According to […] Continue Reading

Is Occupational Therapy A Good Career?

By on 12/5/16 occupational therapy

In life, accidents happen and we get older with time. As a result, people get illnesses and disabilities that have to be treated and managed. This is where occupational therapists play a major role. Through use of everyday therapeutic exercises and activities, occupational therapists assist people to recover, get back to living normal lives, or […] Continue Reading

Experiences of Physical Therapists in Acute Hospital Settings

By on 11/28/16 Physical Therapy

The acute hospital setting is characterized by short patient stays that demand efficiency and effectiveness in patient care. Physical therapists need in depth knowledge, the ability to read medical charts, understand differing and often complex conditions, communication skills to engage with multidisciplinary teams, assessment skills, evaluation skills, and various other abilities. But how do physical […] Continue Reading

Evidence Based Practice in Speech Language Pathology

By on 11/21/16 Speech Language Pathology

Evidence based practice (EBP) in any profession is very important, including speech language pathology. Yet, like many other professions, the specification of evidence based speech therapy treatments is too general. For instance, while stuttering therapy is designed to improve stuttering, this in itself does not guide EBP as there is no definition of how the […] Continue Reading

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Exercises for Patients

By on 11/17/16 Physical Therapy

Despite commonly held assumptions, pelvic floor exercises are not just for women. In fact, according to Jessica Powley, Physical Therapist, pelvic floor exercises are required for treating all age brackets of patients and for many types of conditions, including “urinary incontinence, difficulties in urination, bowel incontinence, constipation, abdominal pain, low back/SI pain, sexual dysfunction, pelvic […] Continue Reading

20+ Free Resources to Inspire your Occupational Therapy Activities for Children

By on 11/10/16 occupational therapy

As an occupational therapist working with children, you play an important role in helping improve their skills of daily living, play, self-care and schooling. When it comes to occupational therapy activities for children, there are a wide variety of options available. Activity areas include: Fine motor activities Scissor skills activities Hand dominance activities Gross motor […] Continue Reading

Occupational Therapy Stroke Rehabilitation Research and Resources

By on 10/31/16 Occupational Therapy Assistant

As an occupational therapist, your role in helping patients restore or adapt to loss of function after a stroke is critically important. Yet, a recent study, published in Disability and Rehabilitation, found that although therapists know evidence based practice is important in achieving quality stroke rehabilitation outcomes, very few of them actually use and apply […] Continue Reading

Continuing Education for Occupational Therapists

By on 10/24/16 occupational therapy

As an occupational therapist (OT) or occupational therapy assistant (OTA), you are required to maintain your level of continued education units (CEUs) every year to keep your professional licensing effective. Attending conferences, and events can provide great networking opportunities. But, the Internet provides many online OT and OTA continuing education courses that make it far […] Continue Reading

Yoga and Meditation Decrease Biomarkers of Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease

By on 10/20/16 Health

Recently we covered a story about how thinking can alter the nervous and immune systems. Another recent study, published in Scientific Reports, shows an integrative medicine program of yoga, meditation and massage alters blood-based biomarkers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease in as little as 6 days. The Role of Integrative Medicine on Health Integrative medicine […] Continue Reading

One on One With Dr. Jeffrey Ngeow

By on 9/26/16 Blog

Dr. Jeffrey Ngeow, MD, has been working in Anesthesiology and Pain Management for over 40 years.  During his long and impressive career, Dr. Ngeow launched the Pain Management Program at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York back in 1987.  Rehab Alternatives recently had the pleasure of sitting with Dr. Ngeow while he shared with […] Continue Reading

Physical Therapy Job Expectations

By on 9/22/16 Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a rewarding career. You get to help people with their physical injuries and rehabilitation. There’s nothing quite like seeing people recover from their condition, feel better and improve their quality of life. But, when it comes to physical therapy job expectations, what do employers want? Licensure In New York, if you intend […] Continue Reading

One on One with Luis Del Caprio, PT

By on 9/19/16 Blog

Luis Del Carpio, PT,  has been on the Rehab Alternatives team for over a year working throughout NYC. He provides contract therapy services in SNFs and Outpatient Centers in between his travels to China, where he teaches physical therapy and educational best-practices to up-and-coming clinicians.  Check out the full interview below.   Continue Reading

The Importance of Person-Centered Rehabilitation

By on 9/19/16 SNF

The concept of person-centered care is not uncommon in the healthcare industry. Though, while the concept is widely acknowledged, according to researchers the concept frequently lacks detail and clarification. Exploring more about person-centered care is important for both clinicians and organizations alike, as it assists in applying evidence based principles to practice, in achieving quality […] Continue Reading