Rehabilitation Services

Our Physical, Occupational, and Speech Language Therapists assist with all stages of health. Our team specializes in return to work, work site evaluations, and sports medicine, in addition to the wide range of services offered, including:

Outpatient Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy restores functional mobility, enabling people to perform activities of daily living. Together the physical therapist, referring physician, and patient set goals to improve range of motion, strength, balance, coordination, endurance, and safety, thus creating greater independence. The following services are available:

• Rehabilitation of orthopedic and neurological diagnoses
• Pain management
• Sports medicine
• Back and neck school
• Isokinetic testing
• Wound care

Several Specialty Services are available as well:

• Osteoporosis protocol
• Aquatic therapy
• Work capacity services
• Incontinence program

Outpatient Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy helps maximize cognitive, perceptual and physical skills. As one regains former abilities and masters new ones, functional independence returns often with an improved sense of self-confidence. The following services are available:

• Rehabilitation of orthopedic and neurological diagnoses
• Instruction in activities of daily living in the home, work and community
• Visual-perceptual evaluation and training
• Video-fluoroscopic dysphagia (swallowing) assessment and training
• Splint fabrication

These Specialty Services are available as well:

• Work site evaluation
• Education on upper extremity injury prevention with cumulative trauma disorders
• Post mastectomy program
• Work capacity services with new ErgoScience Functional Capacity Evaluation system.

Outpatient Speech Language Pathology
A Speech Language Pathologist evaluates and treats patients with voice, articulation, and language disorders including speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. They also evaluate and treat cognitive disorders and swallowing dysfunction. Individual programs are designed to help the patient achieve optimal levels of function. The following services are available:

• Evaluation of speech, language, and voice disorders
• Language rehabilitation
• Voice Rehabilitation
• Articulation disorders
• Dysphagia (swallowing) evaluations including video voice analysis
• Cognitive evaluation and treatment
• Pediatric language development and articulation
• Education to patients and families regarding communication disorders

Rehabilitation Specialty Services
Wellness Program
The human body is designed for motion and requires regular exercise to stay functional and minimize the risk of disease. The Mercy Wellness Program was designed to provide Mercy employees, their families, former patients, and phase III cardiac rehab patients the opportunity to improve the quality of their health and well-being by providing an opportunity to exercise.

Aqua Therapy Program
This is a physical therapy program staffed by trained Mercy Rehab personnel. Any person who does not tolerate land exercise, is generally not in good condition, has had multiple injuries, or has acute and chronic pain is a sure candidate for this program. Entrance into the program is by physician referral only. If you feel this program might benefit you, contact your physician.

Therapy for People with Parkinson's Disease
Physical Therapists at Mercy Rehab Services are certified in the LSVT BIG and LSVT Loud programs.

LSVT BIG
The LSVT Big principles address the unique movement impairments for people with Parkinson's disease. Therapists work with individuals to improve major motor skills, like walking, arm and leg movement and balance.

The BIG program is used to improve major motor skills to improve things like walking, limb movement and balance. This is based on the philosophy that exercise may slow, halt or reverse the progression of Parkinson's. It is felt that intensity matters and continuous exercise is necessary to regain function.

LSVT Loud
Speech-language pathologists improve vocal loudness by stimulating the muscles of the voice box (larynx) and speech mechanism through a series of Loud exercises. Therapy does not train people to shout or yell – rather it trains a healthy louder voice with no strain.

These programs consists of 60 minute sessions, four times per week for four weeks. This combined with doing a home exercise program one to two times a day, helps clients with Parkinson’s improve their skills. The goal is for patients to use their "bigger" movements and voices automatically in everyday living and for long-term carryover of increased amplitude.

For more information on these or any other program that Mercy Rehabilitation Services offers, please call 231-876-7443.

If you have any unresolved concerns about patient care and safety at Mercy Hospital Cadillac, please contact our Patient Relations Office at (231) 876-7473.

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