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Rehabilitation following any traumatic event, orthopedic surgery or disease has traditionally been pretty much the same-a one-size-fits-most experience. Physicians, nurses and therapists work with patients, help them achieve their best results in a pre-set rehab environment, then send them home.
For many patients, leaving the hospital means facing challenges they're not prepared to cope with. But programs at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) and at the California Pacific Regional Rehabilitation Center on the Davies Campus of California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), San Francisco, have added real-world challenges to prepare patients to get back to real-world living.
LLUMC's rehab team of physicians, nurses and therapists used evidence-based research that showed patients are affected by their surroundings to design a rehab park adjacent to the outpatient rehabilitation center on the LLUMC East Campus.
Opened in June 2006, the center of the park is a playground with 26 play features designed for kids of all ability levels. Gardens and a water sculpture sit on one side of the playground, offering a soothing area for adults.
Click through these photos to see how the programs have added real-world challenges to prepare patients for real-world living.
To read more about LLUMC's rehab park, click here.
Photos by Dennis Voeltner
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