Oncology Rehabilitation Program

The Oncology Program at New England Rehabilitation Hospital employs a specialized interdisciplinary rehabilitation team. The program provides comprehensive acute rehabilitation services for the multifaceted medical, psychological and functional needs of individuals with cancer related disabilities and their families in a community milieu. The mission of the Oncology Program is to maximize functional independence through functional restoration and adaptive strategies training, family teaching, pain and symptom management.

Program Goals

Our Oncology Rehabilitation Program is designed to help patients:

• Maximize functional independence
• Maximize emotional/psycho-social well-being
• Provide therapeutic exercise for functional restoration
• Teach adaptive strategies
• Maximize family teaching
• Provide pain/symptom management

The Oncology Rehabilitation Team Consists of:

• An interdisciplinary treatment team of medical and rehabilitation specialist co-lead by an Internist and a Physiatrist (a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation)
• Psychiatrist
• Other medical specialities to include;
  • Neurologist
  • Neuropsychologist
  • Oncologist
  • Pulmonologist
  • Infectious Disease Specialist
  • Wound Specialist
• Nurses specializing in 24-Hour Rehabilitation Nursing
• Occupational Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Speech Language Pathologist
• Case Manager
• Benefits specialist
• Dietician

The Program Components and Special features:

• 24-Hour Rehabilitation nursing to address wound management, pain management, reinforce acquired functional skills, to assist with education of the patient and family
• Intensive and Individualized, goal-oriented treatment plans
• Functional Approach to Activities of Daily Living and Community Re-entry
• Specialized insurance benefits coordination and management
• Family conferences, education and support
• Comprehensive case management discharge planning
• Nutritional management
• Therapeutic Pool (Woburn only, 96 degrees)
• Availability of our network of outpatient rehabilitation centers for continued continuity of care following discharge

Benefits Management and Coordination

An illness or injury may affect a person's capacity for returning to work. If one of our patients is likely to be unable to return to work for a short or extended period, New England Rehabilitation Hospital offers the services of a Benefits Specialist to help the patient and family with practical matters of income replacement and health insurance concerns. The Benefits Specialist addresses such matters as: filing for Family and Medical Leave, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Social Security Disability, MassHealth and COBRA assistance. The Benefits Specialist is also able to address social concerns of emergency aid for those persons who may not have worked prior to the injury or illness.

New England Rehabilitation Hospital recognizes the importance of assisting patients back to their homes, communities and places of work. The benefits service is dedicated to achieving those goals by helping patients and families navigate through disability benefits systems and by providing support to patients and families as they go through this often difficult and confusing process. Many patients have commented that they would not have known "where to begin" and that this service completes their overall rehabilitation.

New England Rehab Offers Elder Assist Clinic

New England Rehabilitation Hospital in conjunction with the Senior Resource Center (SRC) now offers complimentary, weekly Elder Assist Clinics in Woburn. These pre-registered private appointments with SRC's Eldercare Nurse Attorneys help patients and their families with important issues, to include:

• How to pay for current and long term health care needs
• How to protect your home and your hard assets
• Advice on estate planning

These clinics serve as a bridge in helping New England Rehabilitation Hospital patients and their families deal with transition needs for a safe and timely discharge home, to a skilled nursing facility, or an assisted living facility.

Senior Resource Center, Inc. is a full-service eldercare planning advisory group, supporting seniors and their families throughout Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire.

Oncology Program Brochure .pdf