3 Ways To Motivate Your Loved One During A Short-Term Rehab Stint
Do you have a loved one that is going to be heading to short-term rehabilitation after a hospital stay or for physical therapy? If so, throughout the recovery process, there is the possibility that he or she will become discouraged at some point in time. It takes long enough for the body to heal on its own, but when a person becomes depressed due to losing his or her independence and freedom, the body's overall healing process often slows down even more—resulting in the recovery process taking longer than normal. To help ensure that your loved one remains motivated throughout his or her short-term rehab stint, here are three tips.
Visit Your Loved One Frequently
One of the easiest and best ways to keep your loved one motivated while in short-term rehabilitation is to make sure to visit him or her on a regular basis. While it can be difficult to visit frequently with your own work schedule and things going on in your life, it is important to make time for this. While you are there, request reports of your loved one's progress and show your loved one how excited you are about every milestone that he or she reaches. If you are excited for him or her, he or she will have more reason to do well in his or her rehabilitation program.
Participate in the Therapy/Learn Therapy Exercises
When you visit your loved one in short-term rehab, consider trying to schedule your visits during the time that he or she is at therapy. This will allow you to see your loved one performing his or her exercises, and if allowed, you may be able to participate in the therapy session with your loved one. This can be very encouraging for your loved one. If the therapist won't allow you to participate during the therapy sessions, your loved one may be interested in teaching you the exercises on his or her own time. If he or she is, let your loved one do this and show an interest in learning them.
Create a Light at the End of the Tunnel
For many people that enter into rehab, even if it is short-term, they don't realize that they will get to leave rehabilitation. Therefore, it is important that your loved one realizes that he or she will indeed leave the rehab facility and that the grass is greener on the other side. One way to help your loved one remain motivated in this sense is to let him or her know there is something waiting for them when he or she leaves rehab like a weekend getaway, a spa day, or some other type of fun activity that he or she enjoys.