Cancer Rehabilitation
Today’s life-saving cancer treatments sometimes bring about side effects that require rehabilitative care for patients to regain ability, manage pain and reclaim their quality of life. With so much at stake, it is vital to choose a rehabilitation care provider that offers the expertise and quality of care that can help you achieve the best life possible. At the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, we do.
A Team of Experts and a Range of Treatments
The expert team at the RIC Cancer Rehabilitation Program includes physicians, nurses, therapists and other clinical specialists who understand the unique needs of people undergoing treatment for and recovering from cancer, including many of the most common forms of the disease:
- Breast Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Brain Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Spinal Tumors
- Leukemia
- Multiple Myeloma
- Ovarian/Uterine Cancer
- Renal Cancer
Our team treats a wide range of short- and long-term impairments that may result from the disease and its treatments such as weakness, fatigue, lymph edema or the loss of physical or cognitive function, including the ability to walk, speak or think. RIC offers an equally wide range of treatments, therapies and other specialized services to meet those needs.
Inpatient Care for Intensive Therapies
People who may benefit from daily physician care and multiple intensive therapies may receive inpatient care at RIC's flagship hospital, recognized worldwide for the depth and breadth of services we provide. Inpatient units are focused around patients’ needs, to provide both the benefits of our specialized expertise and the encouragement and support of those with similar conditions.
In addition to a physiatrist (a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation) and rehabilitation nurses, your care team also may include physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, a nutritionist, psychologist or psychiatrist and others according to your specific needs. Your team will work with you to tailor your care and help you reclaim ability and achieve your goals. For example, physical therapy can help a person regain strength, range of motion and flexibility and manage cancer-related fatigue. Speech therapy can help to regain cognitive skills to support attention, memory, orientation and problem-solving. Occupational therapy also can help a person regain the abilities of daily living such as dressing, eating and daily self-care.
In addition, these specialized services are available at RIC:
Palliative Care to Relieve Pain and Stress
At RIC, we know that pain and the resulting stress it causes can slow a patient’s progress. That’s why we work in collaboration with specialists at the renowned Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern University (opens new window) to take a proactive approach to managing these conditions so you can concentrate on reaching your goals. We offer a spectrum of traditional and alternative therapies to ensure we have the approach that’s right for you.
We Welcome Family Involvement
A central goal of inpatient care at RIC is to provide patients and family members with the information and education they need to help make choices, manage their care and return safely and comfortably to their home or community. Therefore, families are encouraged to take an active part in their loved one’s care and to benefit from the wealth of resources available for guidance and support.
When You Go Home, Our Expertise Goes with You
For patients who no longer require daily physician visits but who may continue to benefit from multiple, intensive therapies, RIC DayRehabCenters, located in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, provide continuity of care at the same high level of quality of our flagship hospital. Other patients with less intensive needs may continue their care at one of the many RIC Outpatient Centers located throughout the Chicago area.
RIC’s wealth of informational and educational resources is also available through the LIFE Center. Part library and part virtual network, the LIFE Center offers a multimedia collection of books, videos and periodicals, access to seminars and much more to help you become informed, get connected and be inspired. You can visit in person or online at lifecenter.ric.org (opens new window).
For more information, call our Toll Free Referral and Information Line: 1-800-354-REHAB (7342) or visit the locations page of our Web site.