Kidney Disease and Medical Rehabilitation at Shreveport Rehab Hospital

One out of every 7 adults will be affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD)—an estimated 37 million Americans. The two most common causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure. People with heart disease can also be at higher risk for kidney disease. People who are in the early stages of kidney disease typically don’t have any symptoms and therefore may not even know they have it until it is advanced. Kidney disease can lead to kidney failure, stroke or heart attack. Kidney failure is treated with either a kidney transplant or dialysis, depending on the person and their disease state.  

Patients who have been diagnosed with kidney disease may first have a critical kidney or renal failure episode, or, as we mentioned, a stroke or heart attack. These events require immediate medical treatment at a general acute care hospital. Once the patient is stable enough to leave the primary hospital but not well enough to go home, they may come to a rehab hospital for medical rehabilitation to improve their physical strength, improve any communication issues and learn tools to help them function at the highest possible level in their daily lives.

For patients who require dialysis, their treatments will not be disrupted during their rehabilitation at our hospital. Our hospital can provide dialysis services for our patients. Our rehab team works closely with the dialysis team to coordinate the patient’s dialysis sessions with patient’s individual rehabilitation plan of care. 

Medical Rehabilitation

Our medical rehab team will assess the patient’s current health status and review the goals of the patient with the patient and the family. An individualized plan of care will be developed with specific rehab treatments geared to achieve the goals desired. The rehab plan involves a minimum of 15 hours of rehab therapy each week. The progress is reviewed daily by the rehab team and then reviewed with the patient and family and adjusted accordingly. Some common conditions our rehab team may focus on, depending on the patient’s needs and goals and using different treatments, techniques, and advanced technology, include:

• Diabetes management including diet and medication management

• Wound care especially for dialysis access sites

• Mobility such as walking and navigating stairs

• Coordination and balance

• Speech and language problems

• Self-care activities such as bathing, dressing, cooking, etc.

Living with kidney disease can be challenging and overwhelming. Our rehab team at Shreveport Rehabilitation Hospital is here to help you live your best possible life! Contact us today to learn more about our rehab services.