Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit

Cancer Specialty Program

Cancer and cancer treatment can affect a person’s physical, cognitive and social development, causing problems in many areas of life. Sometimes, these problems are related to the specific type of cancer a person has. For instance, a brain tumor may press against the frontal lobe, affecting motor skills or learning skills. A tumor in the lung may affect breathing, and sarcoma located in the joints may affect a person’s ability to walk. Leukemia and lymphoma often cause long-term problems with fatigue.

Cancer therapy itself is often a factor. For example, chemotherapy with certain types of drugs can cause neuropathy, a condition that damages nerves and causes weakness, numbness and pain. A bone marrow transplant can lead to problems such a fatigue and organ damage.

Cancer specialists at Cincinnati Children’s have the training and expertise to recognize these problems. They work closely with their colleagues in the Pediatric Cancer Rehabilitation Specialty Program to identify patients who will benefit from inpatient cancer rehabilitation.

The inpatient cancer rehabilitation program is designed for children, adolescents and young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, as well as for older adults who are experiencing late effects from a childhood cancer. Most of our patients have had:

• Tumors of the brain or spinal cord
• Sarcoma affecting the bone and/or soft tissue (osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma)
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma

At Cincinnati Children’s, there is no “stop sign” when it comes to helping people overcome the effects of cancer and cancer treatment. Inpatient rehabilitation can take place while a person is receiving cancer care. But it also can be helpful in the months and years after treatment, when “late effects” of cancer and cancer treatment may appear. These can include stroke, chronic fatigue, nerve damage and many other concerns.

The core care team will include:

• Physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Also known as “physiatrists,” these doctors help patients whose independence is being limited by pain, weakness or disability.
• Nurses
• Rehabilitation therapists, including those from:
  • Occupational therapy, which is designed to help people regain or learn skills of everyday life, such as dressing, bathing and writing by hand
  • Physical therapy, which is designed to help people reduce pain, increase flexibility, range of motion, and function, build strength and correct posture
  • Recreational therapy, which uses recreational activities to help patients improve their physical health and well-being
  • Speech and language therapy, which assists with swallowing difficulties, communication impairments and memory issues
  • Social workers
  • Behavioral medicine specialists

These specialists take a team approach to rehabilitation therapy, with the goal of helping patients regain function, be safe and enjoy the best quality of life possible.

The rehabilitation medicine physician works with a team of other specialists to create a personalized care plan for each patient. This plan can include occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech language therapy, recreational therapy and behavioral medicine.

Depending on a person’s needs, the care plan also may include:

• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Neuropsychology
• Nutritional therapy
• Orthopaedic surgery
• Integrative services, which can include holistic therapies
• Child life services
• Music therapy
• School intervention

The inpatient rehabilitation unit, located on the hospital’s fourth floor, features specialized equipment and technology to help patients regain their functional skills. We offer several gyms, including a new “robotic” gym with computerized devices that build independence. There is a room dedicated to speech and language therapy, a therapeutic kitchen where patients learn or re-learn cooking skills, and state-of-the-art equipment for mobility training and visual spatial re-orientation. We sometimes help patients practice skills in a real-world setting by taking them on an outing to a store, the zoo or other destination.

Parents play a very important role throughout their child’s inpatient stay. Every morning, we hold family-centered rounds and encourage parents to attend. This meeting is a good opportunity for the physician, rehab team, patient and family to talk about how therapy is going and if any changes to the treatment plan are needed. Parents can share their impressions, ideas and concerns at this meeting, which may take place in the patient’s room or in one of our gyms.

Throughout the inpatient stay, our team will work with parents to help them prepare for their child’s return home. This can involve teaching them new skills, such as safely transferring their child into a car. It can also involve finding ways to overcome potential problems in the home, such as steep stairs or narrow doorways. Our goal is to help you and your child return home with new skills and greater confidence about the future.