The Best Healing Happens Near Home

After suffering a serious compound fracture to her femur, Carol underwent surgery at a major hospital. Her leg would remain extended in a brace for the next eight weeks while she healed, and while she was ready to be discharged from the hospital, she wasn’t ready to go back home.

Carol needed intensive therapy to help rebuild her strength and stamina. When asked where she wanted to go for rehab, Carol chose the swing bed program at her hometown hospital.

Swing bed care for recovery close to home

Allen County Regional Hospital in Iola and Anderson County Hospital in Garnett offer a skilled nursing and short-term inpatient rehabilitation program, commonly known as swing bed. A patient can transition to swing bed care if they have been in the hospital at least three days and continue to have a qualifying skilled need, such as a debilitating weakness, wound care, respiratory therapy, or IV therapy.

Coming back home was important to Carol. As a hairdresser and active volunteer, being close to home allowed her family and friends to visit often, helping Carol stay focused on her recovery goals. 

“We continued daily therapy, and I was very determined that it was going to work,” Carol said. “You’ve just got to keep on going.”

Thanks to the progress made during her swing bed stay, Carol can stand with confidence and is back to doing what she loves, including working and volunteering.

“I got the care and therapy that helped me get my strength back,” said Carol. “Tell your care team you want to go back home for your recovery.”

Swing bed care at your hometown hospital

If you or a loved one is ready to be discharged from the hospital but not quite well enough to return home, a transitional stay at your hometown hospital may be just what you need to help rebuild strength, function, and confidence.

A patient can transition to swing bed care if they have been in the hospital for at least three consecutive days and continue to have a qualifying skilled-level need. For patients who’ve been in a hospital miles away, a swing bed transfer close to home—near friends and family—can provide added convenience and even help speed the healing process.

Our swing bed program serves patients who are:

• Recovering from joint replacement, fractures, or other surgeries
• Continuing or completing IV therapy
• Recovering from a stroke, heart failure, injury, serious illness, or infection

Skilled nursing and rehab care help you recover quickly

We work closely with the patient’s doctors and family members to develop a recovery plan focused on rebuilding strength and function. For most patients, the goal of this program is to return to living independently. Services offered include:

• 24/7 skilled nursing care
• Weekly (or more frequent) visits with a physician
• Physical, speech, and occupational therapies
• Laboratory testing and monitoring
• IV medication therapy
• Tube feeding and nutritional stabilization
• Wound management
• Bowel and bladder care
• Respiratory therapy, including bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP)
• Consultation with a certified, licensed dietitian
• Coordination with specialty providers
• Case management and social services support
• Patient and family education
• Emotional and spiritual support
• Advanced directives education and assistance
• Terminal care

If you’ve been hospitalized for at least three consecutive days, ask your care team for a skilled swing bed evaluation and tell them you want to continue recovery close to home.

To learn more about swing bed care in Iola or Garnett, call our case manager at 620-365-1144.