Many patients who no longer need around-the-clock hospital care are not ready to return home upon discharge. St. Luke’s University Health Network works with rehabilitation and skilled facilities, including three of its own, to ensure a safe recovery.

Alex D’Antonio, director of nursing at St. Luke’s Summit Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, says many patients, especially older adults, recover quicker and more fully if they receive rehabilitation services in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) before returning home. SNFs offer an intense level of services that cannot be easily replicated at home. Usually, patients receiving short-term rehabilitation stay seven to 10 days, but that varies based on the patient’s needs. The Summit also offers long-term services; many patients have been residents for years.

St. Luke’s operates three SNFs in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding area, offering short-term rehabilitation:

• St. Luke’s Summit Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at our Lehighton Campus
• Sacred Heart Campus Transitional Care Facility in Allentown
• St. Luke’s Miners Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Coaldale

The units provide a seamless transition for patients who experienced illness or injury. A team of physicians, therapists, nurses, and social workers coaches patients through various therapies that enable them to recover skills and live as independently as possible.

“The nice thing about St. Luke’s SNFs is that we provide the same standard of care that the patient received in the hospital, just in a different setting,” D’Antonio said. “We can schedule tests and appointments with their St. Luke’s physicians here. Also, if they need to go to the physician’s office or somewhere else, we can set up transport for them. We keep the patient as close to home or their community as we can.”

The facilities admit patients with various conditions—among the most common are patients who had an elective hip and knee replacement, a traumatic brain injury, a stroke, or injuries resulting from a fall. In winter, the number of patients with congestive heart failure and respiratory diseases, like congestive obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and asthma, increases.

A fall led to Bruce Miller’s admission to The Summit. Miller, 65, of West Penn Township, was carrying a heavy box down a pull-down attic ladder when he fell off. He broke his hip, left wrist, and a rib, and scraped his hand on the railing as he attempted to reach for it, tearing the skin open. His wife, Karen, took him to St. Luke’s Care Now in Lehighton. The staff there sent him to the emergency room at St. Luke’s Carbon Hospital. After nine days, he was well enough to leave but was not ready to return home.

The discharge planning staff told him he qualified for short-term rehab. After reviewing the options, they chose The Summit because it was close to home and had high patient satisfaction scores.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to care for him at home,” Karen said. “He was totally incapacitated. He had 11 stitches in his right hand and a cast on his left hand. He was a hot mess. He had to be fed and needed help with everything else. I couldn’t have done what the staff did for him.”

Miller had physical and occupational therapy sessions in the morning and exercised on his own in the afternoon. He said he enjoyed the experience and credits the staff with helping him get well enough to return home.

Because patients are in a nursing and rehab unit, they receive more intensive and frequent services than they would receive at home with home health services. For example, a home health nurse or therapist might see the patient two or three times a week, depending on their schedule.

“At our skilled nursing facility, you receive rehab nearly every day, at least five or six times a week,” D’Antonio said. “Additionally, we manage pain. We provide medication management and cognitive therapy, along with your physical and occupational therapies. Another advantage is we can order equipment that the patient might not have had at home prior to their hospitalization. So, if they need walkers, commodes—you name it—we can get it for them and they can take it home,” he said.
Miller said he received little gadgets to help him do small things, like one he still uses to put on his shoes and socks. By the time he left, he was able to do most things on his own, which gave him and his wife peace of mind.

“I would strongly recommend The Summit to anyone needing short-term rehabilitation,” Miller said.
After his discharge from the facility, he continued to receive St. Luke’s services to help him fully recover. St. Luke’s VNA provided in-home nursing and therapy visits, and he received outpatient physical therapy at Physical Therapy at St. Luke’s.

Throughout his recovery, Miller had a little extra incentive to work harder to speed his recovery. On July 2, Bruce and Karen enjoyed a two-week land and sea cruise in Alaska.

For information, contact The Summit at 610-377-7260, St. Luke’s Miners Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at 570-645-8208, or St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus Transitional Care Facility at 610-776-4910.