Getting off a ventilator or learning to cope with one can be unsettling. There are physical challenges, of course. But emotional and social aspects can seem daunting as well. After all, most patients admitted to a facility come directly from hospitals where they haven’t been out of their hospital rooms or even their beds for an extended period of time.

Whitehall Boca understands all of that. In fact, our commitment to pulmonary rehabilitation, particularly for ventilator-dependent patients, spans 19 years and we’ve learned to overlook nothing. Our approach includes a holistic, multidisciplinary program to accomplish each patient’s individual goals. It’s an approach that starts before the patient even arrives at Whitehall.

First, a member of our respiratory therapy team reviews the patient's history and speaks with the patient and the patient’s family to ensure continuity of care between the hospital and Whitehall. Family tours of our facility are encouraged prior to admission.

Second, once a patient is admitted, he or she is cared for by ACLS-certified respiratory therapists on staff around the clock. Each respiratory therapy staff member at Whitehall has more than 20 years of experience in ventilator weaning in an acute care and rehabilitation setting. Along with the respiratory therapy team, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and recreational therapists evaluate patients. Together, they design plans to return patients to their prior level of independence or optimal function. Patients who may have a diagnosis that deter their weaning from mechanical ventilation are offered classes and family support to optimize their independence.

But Whitehall doesn’t stop there. Each unit has a designated social worker and patient care advocate to ensure an all-encompassing recovery. For instance, portable equipment is used to integrate ventilator-dependent patients into the gyms and additional areas of the facility with other patients receiving rehabilitation. Even dining is special. Our Restorative Dining Program offers a restaurant-style dining experience supervised by speech therapists and restorative technicians.

Our interest in patients goes beyond their stay at Whitehall. Special programs, such as our "Breath Easy" program, offer classes to caregivers and patients who may be going home with tracheotomy tubes. We think the program is so important we offer it to the public as well.

In the end, our efforts are intended to make certain that patients on mechanical ventilators are not bed-bound or confined to their rooms, but are included in all the programs and recreational experiences we offer.

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Whitehall Boca Raton, 7300 Del Prado South, Boca Raton, FL 33433
Phone: (561) 392-3000; Fax: (561) 392-6031