Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit
The 5 West inpatient rehabilitation unit at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center provides acute rehabilitation services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The rehabilitation unit provides intensive, interdisciplinary, team-based services for qualified Veterans who are enrolled in the VA system with physically and/or cognitively disabling conditions. These conditions may be recent initial occurrences or acute exacerbations of progressive chronic diseases.
Referrals are received for any qualified Veteran from VA and non-VA facilities and providers.
Admission Criteria
Services are provided to all Veterans who meet admission criteria for the comprehensive inpatient rehab program and who consent to admission. While impaired cognition and behavior will not deny admission, the patient must demonstrate sufficient arousal, attention, and willingness to participate in a rehabilitation program, with the expectation of improved function with rehabilitation.
Patients must meet all of the following criteria to be considered for admission:
- Patient must be medically stable.
2. Patient must be alert and cooperative, as to be managed on a rehabilitation nursing service, and require 24-hour nursing care.
3. Patient must be capable of active participation in a rehabilitation program (minimally 3 hours of therapy daily).
4. Patient should be motivated to improve function and be able to retain learned information.
5. Patient should have demonstrated impairments or functional loss in self-care skills and have the potential for improvement with an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program involvement.
6. Patient must have a physical or cognitive disability in which medical condition and functional performance can be realistically improved through intensive rehabilitative measures.
Reasons for Non-Admission
Patients will not be considered for admission if they have medical conditions that are uncontrolled or that if controlled would negate a vigorous rehabilitation program. Patients will not be considered for admission if they are unable to learn, retain and apply new information.
The following conditions will not be accepted:
1. Patients who are ventilator dependent
2. Patients on PCA pump
3. Patients receiving TPN
4. Patients with traumatic brain injury and a Rancho score below V
5. Patients requiring significant burn care, wound care, or pressure ulcers as primary diagnosis
6. The need for restraints or seclusions
Planning for the patient’s discharge from the rehabilitation program begins upon admission and continues throughout the patient’s stay. While many of our patients go directly home after discharge, some are unable to return home immediately.
Alternative resources for the patient’s continued therapy will be recommended by the rehab team. Outcome and length of stay information for specific diagnosis is available upon request.
Questions
For questions or to discuss possible referrals, please contact an inpatient rehab social worker at