It Works. So You Can, Too.
I just want to get back to work... If only I could be with my friends at school again... I hope I can live alone in my home again...

After suffering a head trauma, stroke or other neurological disorder, most patients want one thing more than anything - for life to be like it used to be - or, at least, close to it. They want to work at their same jobs, attend their same schools, live in their same homes, go to the mall with their friends, play golf with their buddies, and go to the park with their kids. They want to be the best that they can be.

That's just what Lancaster General Hospital's F.A.S.T. Track Neurological Day Treatment Program can do.

How It Works...
This highly progressive, five day a week, full day outpatient rehabilitation program is designed to help people who have experienced head injury, stroke or other neurological disorders reach their full potential. Whether that means returning to work or school or living independently at home, the program emphasizes finding ways to manage the real-life barriers that prohibit people from rapidly reaching their full potential. The F.A.S.T. Track Neurological Day Treatment Program is an interdisciplinary, goal-directed approach that evaluates, treats and educates patients in the clinic and also provides interventions that allow safe and successful integration into the environment in which the person must function and work.

Why It Works...
The rehabilitation plan is structured, compre-hensive, flexible, individualized and progressive and addresses specific functional goals, such as:

• Safety and independence in activities of daily living
• A plan to return to work, school, home and community
• Improved communication
• Cognitive improvement
• Increased mobility and accessibility to environment
• Emotional and social adjustment
• Stress management
• Return to recreational and leisure activities
• Maximize work related physical abilities
• Patient and family education
• Management of visual perception and sensory functioning
• Family support
• Follow-up support and referrals

Get Back To Work...
The primary goal of the Day Treatment Program is to enable patients to return to their lives - be it school, work or independence at home.

RETURN TO SCHOOL
For students, the case manager will contact the patient's school to obtain records, determine needs and coordinate the care to make going back to school a reality. In the interim, the case manager may arrange for teachers to tutor patients. The team will work with patients and schools to modify the school environment and program and will employ time-tested strategies to ease the transition.

RETURN TO WORK
For employees, the patient, team, physician, and employer work together to complete an assessment and develop recommendations about returning to the patient's previous position. When the patient is ready, the team will work with the employer to perform on-site visits and job trials if necessary and will advise of any adaptations that may be needed at the job site. If it is not possible to return to the same position, the vocational counselor will assist the patient in finding the appropriate position or alternative.

RETURN TO HOME
For patients whose goal is to live independently at home or stay alone while a caregiver works, the team will work with the patient and family to make adaptations to the home. The team will also educate the patient and family about effective strategies to use at home and about community resources that can help the patient function at the highest possible level.

Who Makes It Work...
The F.A.S.T. Track Day Treatment Program takes a team approach to recovery. The team of professionals works with the patient and family to develop a program schedule and plan of care. The team meets bimonthly to coordinate the patient's care and evaluate progress, and works closely with the Medical Director, who is a Board Certified Neurologist.

The interdisciplinary team includes:

• Program Coordinator
• Case Manager/Registered Nurse
• Neuropsychologist
• Physical Therapist
• Occupational Therapist (O.T.) and Certified O.T. Assistant
• Speech-Language Pathologist
• Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Representative

In addition to the ongoing therapies, individ-uals have access to other services to enhance their return to independence, such as:

• Aquatic therapy
• On site job evaluations
• Job trials and work simulator work conditioning equipment
• Pre-driving assessment with pre-driving equipment
• Caregiver support groups
• Home evaluation
• Videofluoroscopy (allows patient to be internally radiographically examined while in motion)
• Neuropsychological evaluation
• Functional capacity evaluation
• Driving evaluation
• Work hardening/work conditioning

Plus the F.A.S.T. Track Neurological Day Treatment Program offers significant advantages not found in other outpatient programs, including:

• Multiple hours of treatment per day and flexible scheduling
• Nursing care
• Interdisciplinary treatment by a specialized team
• Community, home, school and work environments in addition to clinic
• Coordinated care with physicians, patients, families, employers, schools, Vocational Rehabilitation and payers through the case manager
• Therapeutic groups for patient and family education and practice of physical, behavioral, social and cognitive skills

Let It Work For You...
For more information about the F.A.S.T. Track Neurological Day Treatment Program or to schedule an appointment to visit, contact:

Lancaster General Neuro Center
717-544-3170