Inpatient Rehabilitation Services

• Focus on treatment in the early stages of recovery from TBI.
• Typically recommended if there is evidence of notable physical, cognitive and/or behavioral difficulties after moderate to severe TBI.
• Treatment includes supervision of medical needs by a medical doctor and 24 hour nursing care.
• Rehabilitation therapies are provided by a multi-disciplinary team of health care providers.
• Patient, family and treatment team typically work together to identify specific goals of rehabilitation.
  • Overall goal is to help improve person's functioning so they can be discharged to the least restrictive setting, typically home.
• Inpatient rehabilitation facilities provide 3+ hours of therapy per day.
• The median length of hospitalization is 18 days.¹

Outpatient Rehabilitation Services

• Individuals can be referred for outpatient rehabilitation therapies directly from the hospital or when they are discharged from inpatient rehabilitation.
• Outpatient services may be offered by Rehabilitation Hospitals or in community-based clinics.
• Outpatient services may include all or some of the following therapies, depending on the needs of the individual:
  • Physical therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Speech therapy
  • Psychological services
• Outpatient therapies may be offered for many months after the injury, as a continuation of the rehabilitation services provided in other settings (e.g., Inpatient Rehabilitation).
• Outpatient therapies may also be recommended after a period of no treatment, if specific goals are identified that may be achieved with therapy (e.g., use of assistive technologies to improve functioning).

Nursing Homes and Skilled Nursing Facilities

• Referral to nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities may occur for individuals with severe TBI when:
• Persons no longer need the high level of medical care provided at the acute hospital, but they are not yet able to participate in inpatient rehabilitation.
• Persons have made progress in inpatient rehabilitation, but their progress has slowed and they are not yet able to be discharged to their home.
• Often these facilities do not provide brain injury specific rehabilitation.
• However, typical therapies may include physical, occupational and/or speech therapy.

Because functioning may change over time, persons with TBI benefit from ongoing monitoring of functioning after rehabilitation.