T.J. Samson | Destination Health | April 2019

2 DESTINATION HEALTH Wellness I f you’ve had surgery, you may need a little help getting back on your feet. Or you may need help getting stronger and healthier again after a recent illness. In both situations, a good solution might be a short stay in T.J. Samson Community Hospital’s 16-bed Skilled Nursing Unit. Think of the Skilled Nursing Unit as a kind of short-term rehab facility, says Director Jim Reid. A typical stay is 10 to 14 days, though some are shorter or longer. You might need skilled nursing for a variety of reasons. For instance: ●  ● You’re recovering from a hip or knee replace- ment surgery and have no one to help you at home. ●  ● You’re recovering from a stroke or a bad bone fracture and need rehab therapy. ●  ● You’ve recently been in a hospital for a flare-up of heart failure or COPD and need to return for some therapy. During your stay, the care you receive will de- pend on your needs and condition. For instance, if you’ve had a stroke, occupational therapists might help you with daily living skills. Or you might need speech therapy. You might need physical therapy after a knee replacement. NOT JUST FOR SURGERY PATIENTS You don’t have to have had surgery at T.J. Samson to stay in the Skilled Nursing Unit. You could be admitted from another hospital. Let’s say you’ll be having surgery in another town, but you’d like to come back to Glasgow to have your rehab in the Skilled Nursing Unit. Or maybe your older par- ent was in a hospital in another town because of a COPD flare-up and you’d both like for your loved one to be nearer to you. “Let us know, and we’ll walk you through the steps,” Reid says. You could also be admitted to T.J. Samson’s Skilled Nursing Unit from home or a home health situation. Under Medicare rules, you generally have to have had a qualifying three-day stay in a hospital within the last 30 days. Here’s an example: Maybe you were hospital- ized recently because of pneumonia and then you went home. But after a few days, your symptoms flared up again, and you and your health team de- termined that you need skilled nursing and short- term therapy. “It gets you in a setting where you can work on getting stronger and getting better,” Reid says. A VARIETY OF BENEFITS Other good reasons to choose skilled nursing at T.J. Samson include: The great people. Many staff members have been working on the unit for 20 or more years. “We are really blessed and fortunate to have this group,” Reid says. Close-by support. Because it is part of the hospital, the nursing unit is close to other services and specialists, which can have a positive effect on your care, Reid says. For example, heart and lung experts are nearby, should they need to provide care. “We’re all under one roof,” Reid says. After I had double knee replacement at T.J. Sam- son Community Hospital, I spent two weeks in their Skilled Nursing Unit. The care I received was excel- lent. Everyone treated me like royalty. I must also thank the therapists for me being able to get around as well as I do. Yes, it was painful but now I understand the meaning of the old saying, “No pain—no gain.” They were always positive even when I couldn’t do all they asked. They were consid- erate and compassionate. Overall, I feel I got the best care possible and have often recommended the Skilled Nursing Unit at T.J. Samson Community Hospital to others. —Harry W. Spillman I t ’s h i dden i n p l aces that mi ght surpr i se you When you have heart failure, there’s at least one aspect of manag- ing your care you might find sur- prising: playing detective. It involves sleuthing for sodium— or salt. It’s found in a lot of foods and can make your condition worse by causing fluid buildup and forcing your heart to work harder. KEY SOURCES About 75 percent of the sodium we consume comes from processed and restaurant foods—and not just things you might expect, like potato chips or french fries. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), top food sources of sodium include bread and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, poultry, soup and sandwiches. Other foods may contain sodium too. You might not know unless you go looking. READ LABELS It’s a good idea to ask restaurants about low-sodium items on their menus. And reading labels will help you find and choose the prepared and packaged foods that are likely to be healthiest at home. Specific terms you might see on labels, and their meanings, include: ●  ● Sodium-free or salt-free—which means less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving. ●  ● Very low sodium—which means 35 milligrams of sodium or less per serving. ●  ● Low sodium—which means 140 milligrams of sodium or less per serving. ●  ● Reduced or less sodium—a prod- uct’s usual sodium content has been reduced by 25 percent per serving. ●  ● Light in sodium—the sodium has been reduced by 50 percent or more per serving. Many people think sea salt is a healthier option than other types of salt. However, its sodium content is really no different. Generally, the AHA recommends limiting sodium consumption to less than 1,500 milligrams per day. How may we help? Do you need skilled nursing for yourself or a loved one? To learn more or arrange a stay, call 270-651-4783. Getting you back to full strength Sk i l l ed nur s i ng a t T. J . Samson Where’s the sodium?