Rehabilitation Services | Bermuda Hospitals Board

Limb & Brace Clinic

Ground Floor, General Wing, KEMH

Tel: (441) 239-2055 ext 1408

A team of experienced prosthetists (artificial limb specialists) hold a clinic every six weeks for measuring, fitting and adjusting prosthetic limbs. The prosthetists and physiotherapists work together with our patients to ensure that those individuals with a new amputation as well as those who have been living for years with their amputation achieve the best outcome based on comfort, function and lifestyle.

The brace part of the clinic is designed to meet the needs of patients who require body or extremity bracing. It serves newly disabled patients and those who need repairs and/or new braces by providing fittings to improve mobility, daily function abilities, independence and control, education on proper use of devices, and follow-up modifications and adjustments.

Please call for the schedule.

Mood and Memory Clinic

Chief of Staff Office, 5th Floor, General Wing, KEMH

9am to 12pm Thursday

Tel: (441) 239-1180 Fax: (441) 239-2173

The Mood and Memory Clinic is designed for people who may be showing signs of dementia. You and your family members will meet one-on-one with our consultant geriatrician and clinical psychologist, who will advise on appropriate investigations, provide treatment options and discuss all aspects of the illness.

A referral from your physician is required, with a description of medical diagnosis, medication list, blood test results and imaging studies.

Dementia Factsheets

• BHB Dementia Factsheet – Advice on Bathing
• BHB Dementia Factsheet – Alzheimer Disease Brain
• BHB Dementia Factsheet – Caring for the Caregiver
• BHB Dementia Factsheet – Home Modification Checklist
• BHB Dementia Factsheet – Living at Home with Dementia
• BHB Dementia Factsheet – Normal Aging vs Not Normal Aging
• BHB Dementia Factsheet – Tips for Managing Difficult Behaviours
• BHB Dementia Factsheet – What is Dementia

Neurological Therapy (Stroke Rehabilitation)

Tel: (441) 239-3121 or (441) 334-8487

Neurological therapy (stroke rehabilitation) assessment usually begins the day a stroke patient is admitted to the hospital. A vital aspect of stroke treatment, rehabilitation is provided by a team of physical, occupational and speech therapists. Therapy is tailored to the individual needs of the patient and can involve re-learning skills as basic as walking and talking.

The Bermuda Stroke and Family Support Association holds a support group meeting in the 1st Floor Conference Room, General Wing, KEMH, at 7pm on the third Wednesday of each month. Inpatients, former patients and family members are all encouraged to attend.

Occupational Therapy

1st Floor, General Wing, KEMH

8am to 4pm Monday to Friday

Tel: (441) 239-1200

Our occupational therapists help patients work to increase their ability to perform everyday activities, such as bathing, eating, dressing and personal care, creative activities, specific work-related tasks, activities involving social and interpersonal relationships and recreational pursuits, and to learn to use adaptive equipment such as walkers.

We have a holistic approach, in which the occupational therapist works closely with the patient, relatives or significant others and other members of the healthcare team to achieve the best possible outcome for the patient. Essentially, the occupational therapists’ skills lie in the ability to match the demands and challenges of a person’s functional needs or disability within an appropriate environment.

The occupational therapists at BHB are dedicated to helping you overcome limitations caused by injury, illness, psychological or emotional difficulties, developmental delay or the effects of ageing.

Our goal is to support each individual moving from dependence to independence, maximising personal productivity, wellbeing and quality of life.

Physiotherapy (Physical Therapy)

Ground Floor, General Wing, KEMH

8am to 4pm Monday to Friday
School students: 4pm to 5pm Tuesday, Thursday

Tel: (441) 239-2034

The BHB Physiotherapy Department provides evaluation and individualised treatment for our patients through inpatient and outpatient services. Our department is staffed by an experienced team of professionals who work with all members of the healthcare team, including family members, to provide the best possible care to each patient.

Treatment programmes are based on thorough evaluations to determine muscle strength, joint motion, balance, coordination and ability to perform typical activities of daily living, such as walking, standing and rolling. Programmes are always individualised to meet the needs of each patient.

BHB physiotherapists treat ankle sprains and low back mechanical pain. We provide treatment for relief of orthopaedic pain and swelling, and gross motor issues such as walking. We work to restore range, strength and function for many orthopaedic conditions. We work closely with your physician for your post arthroscopy and arthroplasty rehabilitation (eg knee surgery and total hip replacement).

We also provide:

• Crutches and canes
• Gait training and safety advice
• A Pulmonary Function Lab offering lung function tests
• Treatment of neurological conditions that may occur after stroke or with Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, and quadriplegia
• Decongestive therapy and massage for lymphedema

Recreational Therapy

BHB recreational therapists support our clients’ goal to improve health and quality of life through a variety of recreational activities, including individual and group opportunities.

We have a wide range of activities to offer our clients, including parades, exercise/walks, cooking and laundry lessons, arts and crafts, church services, luncheons, cruises, shows, gardening and our Snoezelen Room. Our staff of caring professionals are dedicated to restore, remediate or rehabilitate our clients in order to improve functioning and independence as well as reduce or eliminate the effects of illness or disability.

Goals of Recreational Therapy

• Promoting social interaction among patients to improve quality of life
• Increasing activity tolerance
• Providing cognitive stimulation
• Providing opportunities to learn new skills and maintain current level of functioning
• Offering leisure education opportunities
• Functional interventions
• Community resource planning for patients being discharged home
• Community involvement opportunities while in hospital (eg trips to a coffee shop, a park or a grocery store)
• Opportunities for self-expression

Successful Recreational Therapy

• Reduces anxiety and stress
• Promotes adjustment to disability and/or hospitalisation
• Promotes community integration
• Reduces depression
• Allows the acquisition of knowledge and skills
• Reduces healthcare costs
• Prevents decline in health status
• Increases independence
• Decreases social isolation
• Decreases focus on pain and increases focus on control
• Reduces hospital stays
• Increases motivation to participate with care plan goals

Speech & Language Pathology

1st Floor, General Wing, KEMH

8am to 4pm Monday to Friday

Tel: (441) 239-1667

Our speech language pathologists (SLPs) are specialists in communication, swallowing and cognitive problems. They assess, diagnose and develop programmes of care to maximise the communication, cognitive and swallowing potential of people referred to us by their physicians. This work also involves direct contact with caregivers, family members and other members of the multidisciplinary team.

What we do

We offer a comprehensive range of services for inpatients and outpatients with medically related problems, including:

• acquired language impairment (aphasia, apraxia and dysarthria)
• communication problems, eg following stroke, head injury, surgery or other medical diseases
• cognitive impairments, including memory, problem solving and other thinking skills
• swallowing problems, including children with dysphagia
• modified barium swallow (MBS) tests
• voice disorders
• advice on supported communication
• education for caregivers and family

Treatment programmes are provided throughout BHB, including the acute and general wards, Diagnostic Imaging (MBS), single-service outpatient SLP services, Day Hospital Rehabilitation Services, Agape House and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

Staying Steady Group

Day Hospital, 1st Floor, General Wing, KEMH

1pm to 3pm Thursdays

Tel: (441) 239-2179 Fax: (441) 236-2173 Email: dayhospital@bhb.bm

Falls can cause serious problems, especially for seniors. If you are concerned about being unsteady on your feet or have perhaps already had a fall or two, your doctor can refer you to this upbeat, confidence-building six-week exercise and training programme run by the KEMH Day Hospital Rehabilitation Service.

When you start the Staying Steady programme you will be assessed by a physiotherapist, occupational therapist and a registered nurse, who will determine any causes of unsteadiness and provide you with specific advice relevant to each situation. This will include a home visit. The physiotherapist will tailor an exercise programme for you that will be completed in the group with supervision.

Group content includes:

• Reducing risks in your home
• How physical activity helps you stay steady
• Understanding the medical reasons for falling
• Managing the emotional impacts of feeling unsteady/falling and improving your confidence
• Nutrition and falls
• What to do if you have a fall
• How to get more out of life!

The group comes together on Thursday afternoons from 1pm to 3pm. If the time and day do not suit you, please contact the Day Hospital to see what other options are available.

Staying Steady Brochure