The Long Branch resident’s suspicions were confirmed when he went to the Emergency Room at Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), where he was admitted and was hospitalized for four days.

When he was ready to be discharged, he was not ready to go home because of his limitations due to the effects of the stroke. He chose to be admitted to the Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls (RHTF).

After two weeks there, Abe Cohen left as a changed man.

“The progress I’ve made is amazing,” he says. “I was in a wheel chair just a few months ago, and today I’m walking about a mile a day, and I don’t even use a cane.”

The Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls will be commemorating National Rehabilitation Week (NRW) from September 18-24th to celebrate the powers of rehabilitation and the rehabilitation staff who made a difference in the patients’ lives. This week decrees the message that through rehab there is hope, achievement and success.

Some of the planned activities, open to the public, include: Disability Golf Clinic, Sept. 19; Fall Prevention Workshop, Sept. 20; National Backpack Day, Sept. 21; Patient Reunion Breakfast, Sept. 22.

“Most people have a fairly vague notion of what is meant by rehabilitation,” notes Josephine Douglas, PT, director of clinical services at RHTF. “So we’re happy there is one week a year to bring this important focus onto rehab.”

Douglas explains that rehabilitation is a medical specialty that helps restore the good health, function and productivity of people affected by disabling disease or traumatic injury. Rehabilitation helps to maximize human potential and minimize the effects of physical or cognitive disabilities.

The Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls helps rehabilitate patients with the following: stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurology, amputation, fractures, orthopedics, arthritis, multiple trauma, vascular, joint replacement, cardiac, and pulmonary disease.

The combination, intensity, frequency, and duration of treatment during rehab are determined by an individual's needs, ongoing evaluation by the treating therapists and the attending rehabilitation physician who coordinates the care, Douglas says.

The process of rehabilitation usually requires a cooperative team approach that brings together physiatrists (physicians specializing in rehabilitation); physical, occupational, respiratory and recreational therapists; speech and language pathologists; rehabilitation nurses, psychologists, rehabilitation counselors and other professionals who work with patients to restore the greatest level of function or independence.

The rehab team at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls helps clients overcome obstacles and accomplish normal tasks of daily living.

“Rehabilitation is an integral part of healthcare and an enormously valuable component in providing patients with positive outcomes,” Douglas stresses. “Rehabilitation is very individualized, so every patient can progress at his or her own ability level.”

Abe Cohen recalls that the staff at RHTF were all very eager to individualize his program and accommodate his personal needs.

“The people there are wonderful! They are always ready to find ways to help. They’d push you to get better and keep you going in a positive direction,” Cohen says.

According to Douglas, the staff is an essential component to successful rehabilitation.

“The patients here need a lot of TLC and our staff focuses on helping them, from the moment they come in and until even after they are discharged,” notes Douglas. “The best thing we do is listen to their needs, letting them know we’re there for them.”

Proper rehabilitation can also lengthen life, improve the quality of life and reduce subsequent illness, Douglas says.

Rehabilitation begins early, as nurses and other hospital personnel work to prevent such secondary problems like stiff joints, falls, bedsores and pneumonia, which can result from being in bed for a long time.

“We have nationally recognized superior clinical outcomes with our patients, who, on average, are going home earlier than patients in other rehab hospitals,” Douglas notes. “As a result, there is a high rate of patient satisfaction.”

Douglas also notes that a person's family has a key role in rehabilitation. “A caring and able spouse or partner can be one of the most important positive factors in rehabilitation,” she says.

The Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls has continuing education programs for stroke, amputee, orthopedic and heart patients and their families when they are inpatients, so there are no issues to face at home. There are also ongoing activities throughout the year at RHTF. The hospital also sponsors monthly support groups for persons with stroke, neuropathy, amputations, Parkinson’s disease and arthritis to help patients once they are home.

“Family members need to understand what the patient has been through and how disabilities can affect the person. It will be easier for them to handle the situation if they know what to expect and how to handle problems that arise after the person leaves the hospital,” Douglas states.

Abe Cohen’s wife was by his side throughout his recovery. Carol Cohen calls her husband “‘a walking miracle’, thanks to the efforts of all those involved in his care,” she says. “From the minute we brought him in, everybody was phenomenal. And they included the family in all the decision making.”

Abe hopes to return soon to his job as a warehouse supervisor, but in the meantime he continues with his recovery.

“It’s amazing that I got this far, this fast. Just a short while ago I couldn’t move my right foot or right arm,” he remembers. “But I wasn’t going to let it get the best of me. It’s mind over matter, so with the help of my doctors and therapists I’m a now a success story.”

For more information on the Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls, or for the NRW events, call (732) 460-5320. Or visit the website at www.rehabnj.com.

A partnership between HealthSouth and Monmouth Medical Center and an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, The Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls is a 60-bed acute rehabilitation hospital. It is a state-of-the-art facility using innovative technologies to address the needs of persons who have sustained stroke, spinal cord injuries, amputation, brain injuries, multiple trauma, cardiac surgery, and offers orthopedics and general neurological services. The Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls and its on-site comprehensive outpatient center served over 2,000 patients last year.

The broad range of services offered at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls include: internal medicine, speech/language pathology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, neuropsychology, case management, psychology, physiatry, orthotics and prosthetics, and therapeutic recreation. Services are offered to both inpatients and outpatients.

You have one chance at rehabilitation. It's your choice. Choose carefully. Click here to contact us or call 732-460-5320 (Tinton Falls) or 732-244-3100 (Toms River) for more information.