Tag: skilled nursing

Accelerating Chronic Wound Healing with Shortwave Diathermy

Accelerating Chronic Wound Healing with Shortwave Diathermy

A patient with quadriplegia (paralysis of the arms and legs) from a motor vehicle accident six years prior became a long-term skilled nursing facility resident due to chronic, non-healing stage IV (full-thickness tissue loss) pressure ulcers. These ulcers were present on the sacrum and left buttocks for more than ten months. Due to the location of the wounds, he couldn’t sit in his power wheelchair, significantly limiting his functional mobility and ability to attend social events and appointments outside his home. Before the wounds, he was independent with wheelchair mobility throughout his family home and the community but was dependent (100% assistance) for transfers and self-care. 

Therapy Protocol

Physical Therapy

  • 3x/week x 23 weeks in total, with two short hospitalizations 

OmniSWD® Shortwave Diathermy System

  • Subthermal diathermy with OmniSWD® over the sacrum and buttocks to increase local blood circulation and promote tissue healing. 

Additional Interventions

  • Therapeutic activity, bed mobility, and pressure relief techniques with gradual progression of sitting time.

OmniSWD®

Shortwave Diathermy System

This patient is thrilled to be able to use his motorized chair for community mobility, which will allow him to attend outings with his family and medical appointments. His therapist reports that he has improved quality of life and participates in social activities in the facility due to his return to independent mobility as a result of his healed wounds. 

Improve Patient Outcomes with OmniSWD®

With ACP’s integrated, evidence-based clinical protocols, on-screen tuning, and a high efficiency output, the OmniSWD saves therapists valuable time to focus on what matters most – achieving the best outcomes for their patients.

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A patient with quadriplegia (paralysis of the arms and legs) from a motor vehicle accident six years prior became a long-term skilled nursing facility resident due to chronic, non-healing stage IV (full-thickness tissue loss) pressure ulcers. Due to the location of the wounds, he couldn’t sit in his power wheelchair, limiting his functional mobility. Learn how his care team used OmniSWD® to heal his chronic wounds and improve his quality of life.

Patient Outcome Testimonial - Mr. Maya

Patient Testimonial – Mr. Maya

Mr. Maya had a stage 4 (full thickness tissue loss) pressure injury on his sacrum (base of spine) affecting his ability to sit and lie in bed comfortably. He received treatment with OmniSWD® for wound healing as part of therapy, and in only six weeks the injury was completely healed!

I’m happiest to now be able to sit in my wheelchair and visit with family on the front porch. I am also more comfortable in bed.

Mr. Maya

Improve Patient Outcomes with OmniSWD®

Increase local blood flow, reduce pain and inflammation, decrease joint stiffness, and relieve muscle spasms with electromagnetic energy.

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Transform Respiratory Outcomes with ACPlus Respiratory Assessment

Transform Respiratory Outcomes with ACPlus Respiratory Assessment (ARA)

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our newest product, ACPlus® Respiratory Assessment, or ARA. ARA is an innovative software enabling skilled nursing operators to proactively identify patients with pulmonary dysfunction and provide them with the care they need. ARA’s objective data helps clinicians build an effective treatment plan while providing robust documentation needed to justify respiratory care and support reimbursement. 

ARA Features & Results

ARA makes respiratory assessment easier than ever. Here are just a few of the key features that make it a powerful tool to enhance your respiratory care: 

  • Data-Driven Care: ARA identifies patients with pulmonary dysfunction and automatically suggests possible lung disease patterns and severity levels to deliver the precise data needed to build an individualized treatment plan.  
  • Early Patient Identification: ARA helps capture potential respiratory concerns during the initial assessment, which is more critical than ever with higher acuity patient populations and today’s PDPM requirements. 
  • Robust Documentation: ARA’s objective data provides documentation required to justify respiratory care, helping you get reimbursed for the true complexity of your patient population. 

Don’t just take our word for it – we implemented ARA in skilled nursing facilities and found that ARA helped operators:1 

  • Conduct efficient, standardized respiratory assessment 
  • Identify undiagnosed respiratory deficits 
  • Establish baseline respiratory deficits upon admission 
  • Eliminate external spirometry Pulmonary Function Test wait time 
  • Justify respiratory services  
  • Enhance treatment planning  

Explore our study to learn how inpatient, outpatient, and contract rehab providers within skilled nursing have used ARA and see their results.

How ARA Works

ARA is designed to be simple and easy to use, seamlessly integrating respiratory assessment into clinical workflows. 

  1. Using an iPad and Bluetooth spirometer, a clinician can select a patient in the app, enter their demographics, and conduct breathing tests that capture baseline metrics.  
  1. ARA interprets the data to suggest possible lung disease patterns and severity levels the clinical team can use to tailor the best treatment plan for that patient.  
  1. If a re-assessment is needed, the clinician can access the patient’s record and easily conduct a follow-up. 

Unlock Efficiencies with EHR Integration

You can get even more out of ARA through EHR integration with PointClickCare. By enabling EHR integration, ACPlus can instantly sync ARA results, reports, and notes with your EHR at the point of service, proactively identifying patients who may benefit from respiratory therapy upon admission.  

Transform Your Respiratory Care with ARA

We believe that ARA has the potential to help SNFs tap into the power of respiratory care, provide more targeted interventions, and ultimately achieve better patient outcomes. Are you ready to bring the power of ARA to your facility? Contact your CPC or request a free demo to get started.

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  1. Based on ACPlus Respiratory Assessment Pilot Study data.  ↩︎

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Elevating Dysphagia Treatment Through Biofeedback

The highlights:

  • Dysphagia has an outsized impact on older adults within nursing homes, with 75% experiencing some degree of dysphagia symptoms. 
  • Biofeedback could play a role in helping elevate dysphagia treatment. 
  • ACP’s Synchrony Dysphagia Solutions offers powerful sEMG biofeedback for effectively treating and managing dysphagia in older adults. 

June is National Dysphagia Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness around a swallowing disorder that impacts up to 33% of older adults and 75% of nursing home residents.1 Widely defined as “swallowing difficulties,” dysphagia is a serious condition that can increase the risk for other illnesses, malnutrition, and mortality. Despite the prevalence and impact of dysphagia, particularly among older adults, broader discussions have been happening around the need for standardization and unification around the definition, screening, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of this common disorder. Biofeedback could play a role in helping elevate dysphagia treatment.   

Exploring the Benefits of Biofeedback in Dysphagia Care

Elevating Dysphagia Treatment Through Biofeedback

In conjunction with traditional Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) therapy techniques such as diet modification, compensation strategies, and direct swallowing exercises, biofeedback provided by technologies like Synchrony Dysphagia Solutions becomes an asset in treating dysphagia in older adults. Using real-time data about swallowing function, clinicians can improve the effectiveness of treatment. 

Generally speaking, biofeedback in dysphagia treatment can help with: 

  1. Objective Measurement: Biofeedback can provide objective measurements of swallowing function, such as timing of swallow events, and coordination of swallow movements. This objective data can help SLPs track progress over time.
  2. Customized Therapy: With biofeedback, clinicians can better tailor dysphagia therapy to each patient’s specific needs. By identifying areas of swallowing impairment through instrumental assessments, SLPs can implement targeted exercises to improve swallowing strength and efficiency.
  3. Immediate Feedback: Real-time feedback during swallowing exercises enables patients to adjust their swallowing patterns in response to visual or auditory cues. This immediate feedback helps patients understand their swallowing function and learn to adapt accordingly.
  4. Motivation and Engagement: Biofeedback, especially when gamified through virtual reality, can enhance patient engagement in their therapy. Seeing improvements in swallowing function on a biofeedback display can be highly motivating for patients, encouraging them to continue with their therapy regimen.
  5. Standardized Protocols: Biofeedback can help standardize treatment protocols for dysphagia by providing a common framework for assessment and intervention. By using standardized measurement techniques and protocols, SLPs can ensure consistency in the evaluation and treatment of their patients with dysphagia. This ultimately enhances the quality of care provided to patients and promotes evidence-based practice in dysphagia management.

Leverage Biofeedback with Synchrony Dysphagia Solutions by ACP®

Designed specifically for SLPs and their patients, ACP’s Synchrony Dysphagia Solutions combines surface electromyography (sEMG) biofeedback and patterned electrical stimulation (PENS) with a virtual environment to engage patients in fun, interactive swallowing and speech exercises. It enables therapists and patients to visualize swallowing and speech activity with instant biofeedback that can help improve the accuracy and effectiveness of dysphagia treatment, drive behavioral changes, and lead to better patient outcomes.  

Synchrony

Dysphagia Solutions by ACP

Unlock Advanced Dysphagia Care with Synchrony

Are you interested in incorporating biofeedback technologies into your dysphagia program? Learn how Synchrony can help.

explore synchrony

  1. Thiyagalingam, S., Kulinski, A., Thorsteinsdottir, K., Shindelar, K., & Takahashi, P. (2021). Dysphagia in Older Adults. Thematic Review on Aging. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 96(2), 488-497. Retrieved [2024, June 5] from https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(20)30902-2/pdf  ↩︎

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June is National Dysphagia Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness around a swallowing disorder that impacts up to 33% of older adults and 75% of nursing home residents. Widely defined as “swallowing difficulties,” dysphagia is a serious condition that can increase the risk for other illnesses, malnutrition, and mortality. Despite the prevalence and impact of dysphagia, particularly among older adults, broader discussions have been happening around the need for standardization and unification around the definition, screening, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of this common disorder. Learn how biofeedback could play a role in elevating dysphagia treatment.   

Restoring Strength and Self-Care with Dynamic Balance and Virtual Rehab Technologies

Restoring Strength and Self-Care with Dynamic Balance and Virtual Rehab Technologies

A 75-year-old woman was admitted to a skilled nursing facility with weakness and inability to perform self-care following hospitalization for spinal abscess and resulting C7-L2 laminectomy (spinal surgery). Prior to hospitalization, she lived in a one-story home, used a rollator walker, and performed self-care tasks independently.

Therapy Protocol

Occupational Therapy

  • 5x/week x 9 weeks

OmniVR® Virtual Rehabilitation System

  • OmniVR® virtual reality exercise performed using Bingo, Carnival, and Picnic activities to increase strength and endurance.

OmniStand® Dynamic Balance System

  • Static and dynamic balance training with OmniStand® for improved control during self-care activities.

Additional Interventions

  • Training for strength, balance, and transfers; self-care management.

OmniVR®

Virtual Rehabilitation

OmniStand®

Dynamic Balance System

The therapist reports that this woman performed OmniVR® activities with a high level of engagement and enjoyment:

During the picnic activity, she kept requesting to repeat the exercise in order to achieve zero errors. She met all her goals, allowing her to return home!

Explore ACP Technologies

With unmatched reliability, maximum treatment efficacy, and built-in safety features, you can trust ACP’s technologies to help your therapy team deliver the best possible patient outcomes.

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A 75-year-old woman was admitted to a skilled nursing facility with weakness and inability to perform self-care following hospitalization for spinal abscess and resulting C7-L2 laminectomy (spinal surgery). Prior to hospitalization, she lived in a one-story home, used a rollator walker, and performed self-care tasks independently. Discover how her care team used OmniVR and OmniStand to help her regain her strength and return home.

Patient Testimonial – James M.

James had his left lower leg amputated due to a history of diabetes. During prosthetic training, he developed a blood-filled blister (wound) on his residual limb and was unable to continue wearing the prosthesis. He was treated with OmniSWD® for wound healing as part of therapy, and in only four days, his blister was completely healed!

Diathermy helped heal the wound on my limb and allowed me to get back into my prosthesis in a short amount of time!

James M.

Improve Patient Outcomes with OmniSWD®

Increase local blood flow, reduce pain and inflammation, decrease joint stiffness, and relieve muscle spasms with electromagnetic energy.

Learn More

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