HERITAGE HEALTH - MINONK

(1) A skilled nursing facility is a facility or distinct part of an institution whose primary function is to provide medical, continuous nursing, and other health and social services to patients who are not in an acute phase of illness requiring services in a hospital, but who require primary restorative or skilled nursing services on an inpatient basis above the level of intermediate or custodial care in order to reach a degree of body functioning to permit self care in essential daily living. It meets any licensing or certification standards et forth by the jurisdiction where it is located. A skilled nursing facility may be a freestanding facility or part of a hospital that has been certified by Medicare to admit patients requiring subacute care and rehabilitation; (2) Provides non-acute medical and skilled nursing care services, therapy and social services under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse on a 24-hour basis.

The speech-language pathologist is the professional who engages in clinical services, prevention, advocacy, education, administration, and research in the areas of communication and swallowing across the life span from infancy through geriatrics. Speech-language pathologists address typical and atypical impairments and disorders related to communication and swallowing in the areas of speech sound production, resonance, voice, fluency, language (comprehension and expression), cognition, and feeding and swallowing.

(1)Physical therapist assistants are skilled health care providers who are graduates of a physical therapist assistant associate degree program accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education or Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, who assists the physical therapist in providing physical therapy. The supervising physical therapist is directly responsible for the actions of the physical therapist assistant. The PTA performs physical therapy procedures and related tasks that have been selected and delegated by the supervising physical therapist. Duties of the PTA include assisting the physical therapist in implementing treatment programs, training patients in exercised and activities of daily living, conducting treatments, and reporting to the physical therapist on the patient's responses. In addition to direct patient care, the PTA may also perform such functions as patient transport, and clinic or equipment preparation and maintenance. Currently more than half of all states require PTAs to be licensed, registered or certified. (2) An individual who works under the supervision of a physical therapist to assist him or her in providing physical therapy services. A physical therapy assistant may, for instance, help patients follow an appropriate exercise program that will increase their strength, endurance, coordination, and range of motion and train patients to perform activities of daily life.

An occupational therapy assistant is a person who has graduated from an occupational therapy assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or predecessor organizations, has successfully completed a period of supervised fieldwork experience required by the accredited occupational therapy assistant program, has passed a nationally recognized entry-level examination for occupational therapy assistants, and fulfills state requirements for licensure, certification, or registration. An occupational therapy assistant provides interventions under the supervision of an occupational therapist which emphasize the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (i.e., occupations) with individuals or groups for the purpose of facilitating participation in roles and situations and in home, school, workplace, community and other settings. Occupational therapy services are provided for the purpose of promoting health and wellness and are provided to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. Occupational therapy assistants address the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of occupational performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.

A licensed physical therapist, including but not limited to an individual who is a Board Certified Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy, who has demonstrated specialized knowledge and skill in the comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment and evidence-based management of movement in aging adults. This includes, but is not limited to, specialized knowledge in and consideration of normal age-related changes and pathological manifestations across all systems; cognition and mental health; polypharmacy; fall risk mitigation; bone health; healthy and active aging, and socioeconomic and health policy issues affecting aging adults. The geriatric physical therapist is an integral part of the interdisciplinary geriatric team and serves as an advocate for the highest level of well-being for the older adult.

Occupational therapists are experts at helping people lead as independent a life as possible. Occupational therapists bring an understanding of the physical and psychological implications of illness and injury and their effects on peoples' ability to perform the tasks of daily living. Occupational therapists provide interventions that can aide a person in completing ADL and IADL tasks, such as dressing, bathing, preparing meals, and driving. They also may fabricate custom orthotics to improve function, evaluate the environment for safety hazards and recommend adaptations to remove those hazards, help a person compensate for cognitive changes, and build a persons' physical endurance and strength. Occupational therapists' knowledge of adapting tasks and modifying the environment to compensate for functional limitations is used to increase the involvement of clients and to promote safety and success.

Source: NUCC, CMS