Phone: (978) 249-1201
The Rehabilitation Department at Athol Memorial Hospital includes three disciplines:

• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Speech/Language Pathology

All departments work through a referral system……a physician must send a written referral for therapy begin. This is a requirement for insurance coverage. A referral is acceptable from any physician other than chiropractors and dentists.

Patients are seen for an initial evaluation to determine areas of impairment, and a subsequent plan of care is then developed. This includes treatment interventions, frequency of treatments and duration of treatment for the episode of care. Education is a major aspect of care provided to all patients in the Rehab Department.

Occupational Therapy – Provides services for individuals with varying disabilities. Some of the areas the therapist may help the individual regain function are self feeding, oral hygiene, upper body strengthening, dressing/bathing skills, visual/perceptual coordination, splinting and adaptive equipment. Skilled treatment is provided that helps people return to ordinary tasks around home and at work by maximizing physical potential through lifestyle adaptations and possible use of assistive devices.

Physical Therapy - Provides services for individuals to regain functional abilities in walking, getting in/out of bed, strength, balance, gross motor skills, endurance and the improvement of safety skills. Therapy is aimed at recovery from weakness, loss of coordination, or limited endurance. Skilled treatment includes the use of exercises and physical activities to help condition muscles and restore strength and movement, as well as the use of physical agents to reduce muscle spasms, pain and edema in soft tissues. In addition to general treatments provided, specialty programs include Aquatics and Vestibular therapy. There is also a wheelchair clinic held the first Wednesday of each month.

Speech/Language Pathology – Provides services to evaluate and treat communication disorders and swallowing problems, including evaluation in collaboration with the radiologist for Modified Barium studies. Skilled treatments are provided to children, teens and adults, related to neurological impairments, or muscular impairments in oral motor functioning. Cognitive training/retraining is also provided.

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