Length of Stay

How long you’ll stay depends on your goals and progress, and is determined by your doctor and rehab team. Generally, your length of stay will be longer if you are less independent at admission. The average length of stay for most patients is 10 to 14 days. Your case manager will communicate the expected discharge dates initially and provide ongoing updates.

Admission Process
During the first two days of your stay, you’ll undergo evaluations by nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapists and the rehabilitation physician.

Week One
You and your family are encouraged to watch the orientation video before or once you have arrived at Sutter Rehabilitation Institute. The orientation video can be seen on the television (Channel 39) in your room. The team will then work with you to develop your individual care plan based on the goals you want to achieve before discharge.

During Your Stay
Our primary focus is helping you become as independent as possible so that you can continue your rehabilitation in the community. To ensure you make the best progress possible, you'll have three hours of therapy at least five days a week. You'll be able to have a more normal routine while in the Rehabilitation Institute, getting dressed in your own clothing and enjoying your meals at regular times.

There will be a team conference once a week that reviews progress toward goals and barriers to your discharge. Your case manager will review that meeting with you and go over any changes to goals or adjustment to the discharge date. We may schedule a family meeting to share your plan of care and updates, along with your expected discharge date. We’ll also go over any equipment and services you’ll need at discharge and discuss how and where you prefer to obtain them.

We’ll also provide your caregivers with ongoing education and training and help them or you with paperwork for disability, family medical leave and other forms.

Final Week of Your Stay

Any equipment ordered for your home will be delivered and installed. We’ll call your pharmacy for medications prior to your 11:00 AM discharge. We’ll provide you with referrals for home health or outpatient services.

Visiting hours vary. Please call 916-878-2588 to confirm current visiting hours.

At Sutter Rehabilitation Institute, we ask that you bring some personal items with you when you come to stay with us, including the following suggested items:

• Dentures
• Glasses
• Hearing aids
• Night clothes
• Pants/trousers (six pairs)
• Robe
• Socks
• Shirts or blouses (seven)
• Shoes with rubber soles
• Sweater or sweatshirt
• Undergarments (seven)

You may wish to place your name on all your clothing to prevent items from getting lost. If you like, the nurse will be happy to take care of that for you once you arrive.

We can’t provide laundry services for your clothes, so your family may need to wash your clothes during your stay. If appropriate, we'll work with you to wash your clothes as part of your therapy.

We recommend that you do not bring any cash, credit cards, jewelry, computers or other valuables. If you don’t bring these items, you won’t be worried about them getting lost or misplaced during your stay.

Every member of your rehabilitation team is here to help you understand your condition, care routines and ways to adapt to limitations. We offer education and support groups for patients and family members; if we do not offer a support group onsite, we will let you know about other local groups and encourage you to attend those.

Ongoing Education

New Patient Orientation (For patients and family)

View our patient orientation video.

You can also view the orientation video on Channel 37 at the Sutter Rehabilitation Institute.

Stroke Education Group (Inpatient)
Held every Wednesday from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Sutter Rehabilitation Institute, 6 Medical Plaza, Roseville – Dining Room (First Floor)

Spinal Cord Injury Support Group (Open to the Community)
There are several support groups in the area that meet via Zoom. A complete listing can be found at www.norcalsci.org/support-groups or by calling 408-458-9863. Your therapy team can assist you in identifying a support group to best meet your needs.

Stroke Support Group (Open to the Community)
Held the second Tuesday of each month from 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM.
Sutter Rehabilitation Institute, 6 Medical Plaza, Roseville – Dining Room (First Floor)
Contact Dana Ittner at 916-878-2666.

Brain Injury Support Group (Open to the Community)
Meets the first Wednesday of each month from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Sutter Rehabilitation Institute, 6 Medical Plaza, Roseville – Dining Room (First Floor)
Contact Alyssa Rose at 916-878-2573.

Amputee Support Group (Open to the Community)
Gold Country Amputee Support Group
Mets every other Thursday 5:00 PM - 7:00 pm
Mels Diner – 1730 Grass Valley Hwy, Auburn
Call 530-830-1877 or info@goldcountryamputees.com

We also take part in community events and provide continuing education opportunities to professionals.

We know that pets are a very important part of a family and can help your recovery. We do allow pets to visit with a “pet pass” that you or your family can get at the administration office. With a pet pass, you can visit with your pet in designated areas. Pets are not allowed in patient rooms or treatment areas at any time. Please talk to administration for more information.

To ensure your safety and health, all outside food and drink brought into the hospital for you must be cleared with the nurse. This is because you may have special dietary needs or functional restrictions. The physician, dietician and speech therapist will assess your swallowing capabilities and any dietary needs or restrictions you may have.

To become a patient at Sutter Rehabilitation Institute, you must:

• Be at least 17 years old. Adolescents between 15 and 17 are considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Be able to tolerate a relatively intense therapy program, consisting of at least three hours of therapy per day, five days a week. An individualized schedule will be created for you and will include frequent rest breaks throughout the day.
• Have the ability to achieve rehabilitation goals in a reasonable time period.
• Need at least two types of therapy.
• Require 24-hour rehabilitation nursing.
• Require frequent access to a rehabilitation physician, who will oversee your medical needs and functional plan of care.

If you meet these requirements, call 916-878-2588 or 877-870-2588 (toll free) to set up an assessment.

Following a hospital stay for a serious illness or injury, you and your family may face a decision on where to continue your recovery — an inpatient rehabilitation facility or a skilled nursing facility. Many people don’t realize there are big differences between the two, or how those differences could affect your long-term recovery.

A two-year study by Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC, looked at patient outcomes data for the different recovery paths and found that patients treated in rehabilitation hospitals and units have better outcomes, go home earlier and live longer than those treated in skilled nursing facilities. The 2014 study also noted, “The focused, intense and standardized rehabilitation led by physicians in inpatient rehabilitation facilities is consistent with patients achieving significantly better outcomes in a shorter amount of time than patients treated in skilled nursing facilities.” The study found that:

• Similar patients treated in rehabilitation hospitals returned home 14 days sooner than those in skilled nursing facilities.
• Rehabilitation hospital patients were able to be at home longer and had fewer hospital readmissions.

Below are links to the report summary and full report PDFs for you to download and read.

Read the study summary

Read the full study report