Rehabilitation Services

The Rehabilitation Services Department has been providing quality care to the people of the Fort Defiance community and beyond. We aim to improve the overall health, mobility and communication of community members of all ages through Physical therapy, Speech Language-Pathology, Occupational therapy, and Audiology services.

In order to access these services, please obtain a referral from your primary care provider.

Services

Physical Therapy

Focus on promoting mobility and function to improve patient quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis, and physical intervention. PT’s specialize in movement-related impairments from a biomechanical /kinesiology standpoint through various techniques including manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, modalities, Functional Dry Needling, Neuromuscular Re-education, gait analysis, patient education and use of a home exercise program. Impairments addressed include:

General orthopedic/overuse injuries.
Athletic injuries such as concussion, ACL tear and hip labral tear.
Pre/Post-Surgical (total knee/hip replacement, ORIF).
Neurological conditions such as Guillan Barré, Myasthenia Gravis, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord
Injury and Cerebrovascular Accident (stroke).
Pediatric conditions such as Spastic Diplegia, developmental delay, Muscular Dystrophy.
Vestibular dysfunction including Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, Vestibular hyperfunction or
hypofunction and Ménière’s disease.
Chronic pain.

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Focus on improving a patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). OT’s facilitate building skills that enable a person to participate in meaningful occupations such as feeding, playing, socializing, and attending school. The approach includes wellness promotion, rehabilitation, and habilitation. Areas of practice include:

Health and Wellness – prevention of disease and injury, promotion of healthy living practices, social
participation, promotion of well-being.
Mental health.
Adult Rehabilitation – such Increasing the quality of life for an individual with cancer by engaging them
in occupations that are meaningful, providing anxiety and stress reduction methods, and suggesting fatigue management strategies.

Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)

Specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of communication disorders (speech disorders and language disorders), cognitive-communication disorders, voice disorders, and swallowing disorders, and play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (often with pediatricians).

Word-finding and other semantic issues, either as a result of a specific language impairment (SLI) such
as a language delay or as a secondary characteristic of a more general issue such as dementia.
Social communication difficulties involving how people communicate or interact with others
(pragmatics).
Structural language impairments, including difficulties creating sentences that are grammatical (syntax)
and modifying word meaning (morphology).
Literacy impairments (reading and writing) related to the letter-to-sound relationship (phonics), the
word-to-meaning relationship (semantics), and understanding the ideas presented in a text (reading comprehension).
Voice difficulties, such as a raspy voice, a voice that is too soft, or other voice difficulties that negatively
impact a person's social or professional performance.
Cognitive impairments (e.g., attention, memory, executive function) to the extent that they interfere
with communication.

Audiology

Specialize in identifying, diagnosing, treating and monitoring disorders of the auditory and vestibular system portions of the ear. Audiologists are trained to diagnose, manage and/or treat hearing, tinnitus, or balance problems. They dispense, manage, and rehabilitate hearing aids and assess candidacy for and map cochlear implants.

Counsel families through a new diagnosis of hearing loss in infants.
Help teach coping and compensation skills to late-deafened adults.
Help design and implement personal and industrial hearing safety programs.
Newborn hearing screening programs.
School hearing screening programs.
Provide special fitting ear plugs and other hearing protection devices to help prevent hearing loss.

TMC Specialty clinics (not provided at NHDC, however referral can be placed to TMC)

Brace [&] Amputee – Carmelita Upshaw, PT, DPT.
Traumatic Brain Injury Group – Leslie Dietz, OT.
Wheelchair Clinic – Leslie Dietz, OT.
Inpatient therapist – Carmelita Upshaw, PT, DPT.

Rehabilitation Department Policies

Appointments

If you think you are going to be more than 10 minutes late, please call (928 729-8810). You may or may not be asked to reschedule. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late without calling to inform the department, you will be asked to reschedule or have a shortened appointment.
- Miss two appointments without calling to cancel, you will be required to obtain a new consult/referral
  from your primary provider. If you need to cancel, please do so 24 hour in advance.
- Have not been seen by a therapist in over 30 days, you will be discharged from therapy, unless otherwise
  determined by your therapist.
- Have a major health change or are admitted to the inpatient facility, you will be required to obtain a new
  consult/referral stating that it is safe for you to return to therapy once you are well enough.

Thank you for choosing TMC Rehabilitation Services!