TIRR Memorial Hermann and The Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Network are leading the charge in the functional rehabilitation of individuals who had COVID-19 and are no longer testing positive. Due to the nature of the virus, many patients experience difficulty breathing, even after the virus has left the body. Patients that require ventilators are at an even higher risk of long-term effects.
Our evidence-based interventions allow patients to go beyond the clinical setting, providing them with the opportunity to participate in important life roles in the home, work, volunteer and community environments. Our goal is to help patients achieve and maintain a maximum level of independent functioning and improved quality of life, after COVID-19.
After being diagnosed with COVID-19 and spending 21 days on a ventilator, Phil Eaton's providers recommended customized rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center.
| PATIENT CHALLENGES FOLLOWING COVID-19 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Effect, Impairment | Limitations | |
| Long-term ventilator use | Cognitive impairments due to anoxia/hypoxia (reduced oxygen to the brain) | Decision-making, critical thinking, judgement |
| Positioning during ventilation management | Compromised skin integrity | Functional mobility which effects sitting, transferring and walking |
| Prolonged ICU stay | ICU acquired weakness or post intensive care syndrome | Functional activities such as dressing, bathing or walking |
| Prolonged ICU stay | ICU delirium causing cognitive impairments | Cognitive disfunction |
| Limited therapy in acute care setting | Patients are needing increased physical, occupational and speech language pathology therapies | Return safely home and back to the community |
Our highly trained rehabilitation teams are committed to seeing the potential in every person they work with, and to developing that potential to the fullest through customized goal setting and treatment planning. Team members of the network are among the most qualified and experienced rehabilitation professionals. We work to maximize independence, restore function and improve the quality of life for our patients. To achieve these goals, we put the individual patient and family at the center of the rehabilitation team and provide them with the information and skills they need to transition successfully to community settings. Simply put, we’re one of the best at getting you back to the life you love.
The customized care provided by the COVID-19 Rehabilitation Program may maximize patient outcomes by providing:
We have a dedicated multidisciplinary team that may include:
No specific precautions for COVID-19 are outlined for those with spinal cord injury. However, precautions may look different to someone who has had SCI.
TIRR provides rehabilitation to individuals with brain injuries of all levels of severity and our network of facilities are available for patients recovering after COVID-19.
Multiple Sclerosis itself does not increase the risk of getting COVID-19. However, certain factors associated with MS may increase the risk for complications.
Individuals who have had a stroke are considered part of a high-risk group of people who could be severely impacted if they contract COVID-19.
ILRU steps forward to help people with disabilities during the health crisis by training independent living centers and councils nationwide.
Most patients who survive COVID-19 after being treated in ICU, need to undergo rehabilitation to get their mobility back. TIRR Memorial Hermann has created a program specifically designed to help these patients.
Gerard Francisco, MD, is chief medical officer for TIRR Memorial Hermann rehabilitation hospital and chairman and professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at UTHealth’s McGovern Medical School. He spoke with TMC News on June 3, 2020. From what we heard about COVID...
Survivors of critical illness from acute respiratory syndrome and the prior SARS epidemic suggest that critically ill COVID-19 survivors may experience a wide range of sequelae, resulting in long-lasting physical, cognitive, and psychological dysfunction. Early rehabilitation can mitigate these c...
Lake Creek High School Principal Phil Eaton was unconscious and using a ventilator for nearly three weeks at Memorial Hermann-The Woodlands. "I shouldn't be alive," he says. After spending 21 days on a ventilator fighting for his life, Phil Eaton spent a month as a TIRR Memorial Hermann-The Woodl...
People with spinal cord injury (SCI) represent a unique diagnostic challenge as it relates to coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals with SCI develop a myriad of physiological changes that not only increase their risk of morbidity from COVID-19, but may also mask the presentation of a...
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For the 35th consecutive year, TIRR Memorial Hermann is recognized as the best rehabilitation hospital in Texas and No. 2 in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report's "Best Rehabilitation Hospitals" in America.
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