Home > Services > Rehabilitation > Pediatric Rehab
Pediatric Rehabilitation
A child suffering a traumatic injury or disease
needs a loving and supportive atmosphere as well
as treatment by highly-trained specialists
practicing state-of-the-art medicine. Rancho
Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
furnishes both, helping young people and their
families heal emotionally as well as physically.
Serving the community for nearly 25 years, Rancho
came into prominence with its pioneering techniques
to treat young polio victims in the 1950's. Since then,
Rancho's reputation has steadily grown. Today
it is considered one of the premier rehabilitation
centers in the country. In fact, Rancho has consistently
been voted among the top rehabilitation hospitals in America by
U.S.News & World Report.
Pediatric Conditions Treated
Rancho treats children ranging in age from
infancy to 21 years of age suffering a variety of
catastrophic conditions, including:
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Ventilator-dependency
- Tracheostomy tubes
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Various birth defects
The Rehabilitation Team
Rancho's university affiliations and research centers help
bring together a world-renowned, comprehensive rehabilitation
team to provide young patients with specialized treatment,
using the most advanced methods available.
Every patient is assigned a team led by a physician specializing
in pediatric medicine. Each member of the team has been trained
to deal with the special needs of children, and remains involved
with the patient during the entire rehabilitation stay and
through outpatient follow-up clinics. These pediatric
rehab specialists take a long-term perspective of each
patient's condition, considering both growth
and development over the entire life course when
evaluating treatment options.
The team is comprised of: a pediatrician; a
registered nurse; speech, occupational, physical and
recreation therapists; social worker; nutritional
services; and a case manager. Medical and surgical specialists
are available for consultation. Psychological services
are provided on a case-by-case basis, including
sophisticated neuro-psychological testing.
Children's Orthopedic Surgery
Working in conjunction with the pediatric team, Children's
Orthopedic Surgery includes the treatment of cerebral palsy, and
participates with pediatrics in the muscle disease clinic,
a nationally recognized muscular dystrophy program which
serves adults as well as children. In addition, Rancho has been
recognized as a pioneer in children's orthopedic research
for more than 30 years.
Rehabilitation Treatment
Each day, six days a week, patients admitted to the
hospital for rehabilitation participate in at least three
hours of formalized therapy sessions which may include physical,
speech or occupational therapy. In addition, most children
also participate in recreation therapy activities. For the
remainder of the day, the rehabilitation nurse coordinates
the plan, schedules other activities and administers to
patient needs.
"I Can Do"
An upbeat atmosphere encourages children to take a
positive "I can do" attitude towards life. Psychologists
and social workers address the emotional and behavioral needs
of children requiring help to deal with their condition.
Evaluation Progress
Patient medical and rehabilitation progress is evaluated
on an ongoing basis. Neurologic studies including MRI, CT, SPECT,
EEG, and EMG assess disability and prognosis. Gait patterns and
deviations can be analyzed in the Pathokinesiology Laboratory to
help staff plan for surgery or adaptive bracing. Outcome
measures for rehabilitation progress are assessed by the
FIM for children 8 years of age or older and by the FRESNO
(Functional Rehabilitation Evaluation of Sensoy-Neurologic Outcomes)
for children under 8 years of age.
Family Participation
The family is an integral member of the rehabilitation team.
Family members are encouraged to participate in the care of the
hospitalized child. Information and staff support are provided
at family conferences. Relatives are offered the option of
staying in apartment-like housing on Rancho grounds during
treatment. Before discharge, the family is instructed by all
members of the rehabilitation team on how to assist patients
at home.
Academic Needs
The Downey Unified School District supplies bedside
teachers to work with the children during their inpatient stay
Recreation Therapy
- An accessible playground, a playroom, an activity center
and rehabilitation therapy space on the unit are filled with
toys and video games that are available for patient use.
- Charitable organizations hold frequent parties and
sponsor activities for pediatric patients.
- Recreation therapy staff take patients on trips to the
mall, movies, Disneyland or other outings to help them
build confidence and integrate into the community. Family
members are welcome.
Rancho's sports programs for inpatients and outpatients have
been recognized nationally for their excellence. Rancho fields
adolescent and adult sports teams in all competitive wheelchair
sports. Individual athletes as well as teams trained at Rancho
have excelled in tournaments throughout the country in wheelchair
basketball, tennis, hockey and baseball. All Rancho patients
are encouraged to participate free of charge. The programs
are funded by Las Floristas.
- Just for fun - Children of all ages with disabilities
are welcome to join in games and acquire athletic skill under
the supervision of a specially-trained adapted physical education
coach. Sports-related recreational activities also help build
a spirit of camaraderie among participants.
Outpatient Clinic
To help our young patients continue on their road to
recovery after discharge, follow-up care is provided in
outpatient clinic by the same pediatrician they had in the
hospital.
Other Outpatient Programs
- CART (Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology) -
introduces severely disabled patients to high tech
equipment that will assist them in performing daily
tasks in their everyday environment.
- Seating Center - assess the
patient's needs and offers specialized services to help the
patient function independently in a safe and comfortable
wheelchair position.
- Support groups - assist patients and their loved
ones in sessions led by social service professionals and
community organizations.
Admission Requirements
Rancho's Center of Excellence in Pediatric Rehabilitation
accepts referrals from hospitals, physicians, and medical groups,
health plans, healthcare and social service professionals and
family members. To determine eligibility for admission to our
program, contact our Centralized Admission and Referral Office
at (562) 401-6554. Our referral office will arrange for our
liaison nurse to conduct a clinical evaluation of the patient
prior to admission to Rancho.
Payment
We are authorized to accept California Children's Services,
Medicare, MediCal, Worker's Compensation, and direct payment
and most medical insurance plans.
For More Information
Please call the Rancho Los Amigos Centralized Admission
and Referral Office at:
1-877-RANCHO-1
Fax (562) 401-7590
E-Mail: Admission@rancho.org
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
7601 E. Imperial Highway
Downey, CA 90242
Page last updated December 12, 2012
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