Acute Rehabilitation Medicine at St. Mary's Medical Center
Working together to get you home

Acute Rehabilitation at St. Mary's is a comprehensive program for people with disabling injuries or illnesses, specializing in the most complex cases. Our caring and dedicated team works together with one common goal in mind: to help patients achieve the highest level of independence possible before you go home.

Rehabilitation medicine relies heavily on the human touch, and on the strong partnership that forms between patient and caregiver. At St. Mary's, patients have the confidence of knowing that a dedicated rehabilitation team is focused on caring for them. A physiatrist, a board-certified physician of physical medicine and rehabilitation, directs patients' medical care, meets with patients daily and coordinates St. Mary's of dedicated professionals that include:  Physiatrists, Social workers, Rehabilitation nurses, Recreational therapists, Occupational, physical and speech therapists, Chaplains, Neuropsychologists, Peer volunteers, and Respiratory therapists.

Our rehabilitation program is located within St. Mary's Medical Center, an acute care hospital with 24-hour nursing and medical care. Because our program is based in a hospital, we specialize in handling the most complex cases, with special emphasis on the following programs:

• Stroke Rehabilitation - Our stroke rehabilitation program is structured to help patients regain as much independence as possible, prevent medical complications and return to community life. Our therapy team focuses on the cognitive, physical, communicative and psychosocial consequences of stroke. With the support and reinforcement of our nursing, therapy and medical staff, patients work toward personalized, attainable goals as they rebuild lost skills and functions.
  
  
• Spinal Cord Injury - Our rehabilitation professionals have extensive experience in managing the physical, psychological, social and vocational challenges patients may be facing. Our therapists teach patients how to use specialized adaptive equipment to enhance their self-sufficiency in the home, workplace and community. To ensure a smooth return to community life, we also offer follow-up in home visits, outpatient therapy and referrals to appropriate resources.

• Head Injury - After experiencing a traumatic brain injury, many people need to relearn tasks of daily living. Our comprehensive treatment program strongly emphasizes cognitive retraining. That is, our therapy team works with patients to improve their memory, attention, concentration and problem solving. The team also deals with mobility and coordination problems. Call (415) 665-4100 for more information.
  
  
• General Rehabilitation - Our rehabilitation team also has extensive experience treating other complex rehabilitation illnesses or injuries, including: amputation, multiple complex orthopedic trauma, degenerative neurological disorders (including multiple sclerosis (MS), polyneuropathy, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, Guillain Barrè, and other progressive neurological impairments). Also treated under general rehabilitation are post-polio, joint replacements complicated by diagnoses such as stroke or rheumatoid arthritis, polyarthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis).
  
  
• Nintendo Wii - Acute Rehabilitation Unit adds Wii-habilitation—a physical therapy technique using the Nintendo Wii video gaming system to help patients meet rehabilitation goals. SMMC is one of the first Bay Area hospitals to take advantage of the Nintendo Wii’s unusual game controls to strengthen muscles and coordinate motions in physical and occupational rehabilitation therapies. For more information see press release (click).