Coronavirus Rehabilitation

COVID-19 is an illness caused by the coronavirus. It is a new disease that we don’t know everything about. We know that COVID-19 can affect many parts of our body. Our muscles, brain, heart and lungs can all be impacted by COVID-19. A long hospital stay and COVID-19 treatment can cause problems that can affect someone’s return to normal life. A person can have trouble walking, eating, breathing or getting dressed. Using the latest research, the rehabilitation team at Upstate is ready to help. Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists can assist you with problems you may be experiencing due to COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our rehabilitation professionals have worked hard with colleagues throughout the country to establish a specialized COVID-19 program that involves multiple levels of care available at Upstate University Hospital Regional Rehabilitation Center.

Rehabilitation will help people improve their quality of life through strengthening, endurance training, breathing techniques, cognitive/language therapy, and education on the disease and recovery. You will learn how to monitor your activity and symptoms and to apply cognitive techniques to assist with functional activities while progressing through therapy to maximize your abilities after COVID-19

• Shortness of Breath, fatigue, weakness
• Confusion, difficulty concentrating, memory deficits, word finding problems, headaches
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Anxiety
• An overall feeling of being unwell

Acute Care

The goal of Upstate University Hospital Regional Rehabilitation Center is to help patients become as independent as possible following COVID-19 infection. Early rehabilitation is important to assist in the recovery process through improving energy conservation and breathing techniques, rebuilding strength and endurance, and working to increase each person’s functional independence.

Early rehabilitation can also help prevent potential negative effects of decreased activity while being in the hospital. This process is essential throughout the recovery period even beyond the hospital stay.

Upstate Medical University is a large academic hospital serving the entirety of Central New York. You will receive excellent medical care at one of our two Campuses (University Hospital and Community Hospital).

• The above therapy providers can/may be consulted by your medical provider (MD, NP, PA) during your stay in the hospital.
• There are therapy providers from all three disciplines here 7 days a week to provide evaluation and treatment as needed.
• You may receive all of the above services, or only require 1 or 2 services during your stay.
• Therapists are focused on evaluating and treating you during your stay, making patient centered goals, and making appropriate discharge recommendations with you and your family.
• Therapists can also make recommendations regarding equipment needs for discharge home.
  
  

Inpatient Acute Rehabilitation

The goal of inpatient rehabilitation following Covid-19 is to help maximize each patient’s functioning so that they can safely return home as independent as possible and return to participating in daily activities.

Covid-19 can impact the heart, lungs, and brain resulting in a systemic impact on the body. Our team of rehabilitation specialists will help you overcome barriers and functional limitations in mobility, self-care, swallowing, and cognition that are due to the complex and multi-system involvement of Covid-19.

All patients receive specialized care from a highly skilled and trained team including therapists, nurses, physicians, case managers, social workers, rehabilitation counselor and psychologists. Each patient will have their care managed by a medical team while receiving three hours of therapy per day from a multidisciplinary team including physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists.

During your rehabilitation stay your therapists will focus on:

• Increasing and regaining functional strength and endurance
• Balance retraining
• Assistive device assessment and training
• Energy conservation and pacing strategies
• Adaptations to maximize safety and independence
• Objective swallowing assessments as indicated
• Strategies to improve swallowing, cognition, communication, and voice
  
  

Outpatient Therapy

While we don’t know why some people have prolonged symptoms or “Long-COVID,” the rehabilitation team can help patients learn more about their symptoms and the triggers that make them feel worse. Overworking and overstimulation during recovery from COVID-19 can be detrimental to returning to your prior level of function. Activity pacing, including “Stop, Rest and Pace” can make a difference in how you feel.

Outpatient Rehabilitation will help people improve their quality of life through strengthening, endurance training, activity pacing, breathing techniques, cognitive/language therapy, and education on the disease and recovery.

The therapists will help problem solve your symptoms and determine the best way to help control them. The therapists will monitor your vital signs with exercise to determine if the responses are contributing to your symptoms. You will learn how to monitor your activity and symptoms and to apply cognitive techniques to assist with functional activities while progressing through therapy to maximize your abilities after COVID-19.

Following illness with COVID-19, people may experience trouble returning to previous function, including getting around the house, walking outside, and getting up and down stairs. Some may feel tired, weakness and pain and may have difficulty breathing. 

At any stage of your recovery you may find yourself in need of services from our skilled therapy staff that include the following professionals:

• Occupational Therapists
• Speech and Language Pathologists
• Physical Therapists
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
• Speech Language Program
• Occupational Therapy Program
• Upstate's Coronovirus Program

Providers on Healthlink OnAir:

• Some COVID-19 Survivors Require Physical Therapy While They Recover - Zachary Boswell
• Some Recovering from COVID-19 may Benefit from Pulmonary Rehabilitation - Matthew Bowman

Websites and Contacts:

• physio
• Survivor Corps
• A One of a Kind Program - News Channel 9 Twitter

Online Support Groups

• Body Politic Support Group via Slack 
• COVID-19 Recovery Awareness Group 
• Long COVID Facebook Support Group
• COVID-19 Support Group (have it/had it) 
• COVID-19 Long-Haulers Discussion 
• Survivor Corps Facebook
• COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project 
• Young COVID Survivors Facebook 
• Reddit COVID Support