Bariatric Care
Bariatric Care Center
In America today, the adult rate of obesity is at an all-time high. Statistics show that one in three adults is obese. Considered a worldwide epidemic, obesity is a common, serious, and costly disease. Obesity is linked to a diversity of chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, osteoporosis, and stroke.
Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that addresses the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity. A bariatric care patient is defined as someone with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30.
HealthBridge Bariatric Care Facilities
Here at HealthBridge, we have an integrated team of medical professionals that can provide targeted services aimed to treat obesity and associated chronic illnesses and diseases. In developing an individualized treatment plan, our team will utilize patient assessment tools, determine medical and therapy equipment needs, and provide ongoing staff training and education to ensure the best possible bariatric care.
Nutritional counseling, education, and management are the most important components of an integrated bariatric care plan. Our medical/treatment team includes a full-time dietician who will work with each patient on a comprehensive weight loss program, outlining achievable health goals. Based on those goals, a diet will be established and patients will be taught a variety of ways to maintain those goals throughout their lifetime. While there may be some exceptions, we generally do not accept patients weighing more than 500 pounds.
Bariatric patients often suffer from significant mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) deficits, limiting independence and often leading to isolation. The combined role of physical and occupational therapy in bariatric care is integral to the individualized care plan. Our team of skilled therapists is accustomed to working with bariatric patients through treatments associated with maximizing function and independence. Some of the therapies offered at HealthBridge include:
- Assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, and toileting.
- Safe household and community mobility measures, including instruction in bed mobility, transfers on and off various surfaces, mobility with assistive devices, and stair management.
- Education in necessary home modifications and mobility aids to ensure safety and independence.
Finally, at HealthBridge we offer the right adaptive equipment to facilitate mobility and relevant physical and occupational therapy. This includes larger beds, appropriately designed doorways, hallways, bathrooms, and more – all with the augmented assistive devices necessary for the bariatric population.
Obesity is a significant health concern. At the HealthBridge bariatric care facilities, we are equipped to help your loved one navigate through required dietary and lifestyle changes and provide the necessary medical treatment and therapies to send them home safely.
HealthBridge…Where specialized care begins and hope never ends
Programs
Commonly Asked Questions
Bariatric medicine deals with obesity and addresses the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. Obesity is a chronic and progressive disease, typically associated with individuals weighing more than 350 pounds, or 20 percent or more higher than recommended.
If your doctor is concerned about your health and has classified you as medically obese and you are no longer able to manage the ordinary activities of daily life, you are probably in need of long-term bariatric care.
Obesity leads to a multitude of other health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, gout, lung disease, stroke, depression, colon cancer, osteoarthritis, gallstones, dementia, insomnia and endometrial cancer.
Upon admission to a post-acute care facility, a bariatric patient will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary treatment team including physicians, therapists, nutritionists and psychological counselors. At that point, an individualized plan will be developed with short- and long-term goals.
Bariatric residents often require specialized nursing services and equipment. Specialized nursing often arises from the many complications caused by obesity, such as breathing difficulties, a higher-than-average fall rate and more. Equipment for these patients must be able to manage a weight capacity of 500 pounds and will range from bariatric lifting equipment, a bariatric hospital bed, specialized toilet seats and physical therapy equipment.
OBESITY STATISTICS
- From 2017-2018, the prevalence of obesity in American was more than 40 percent.
- Severe obesity is highest among adults ages 40-59.
- Most illnesses and diseases caused by obesity, including heart disease and diabetes, are considered largely preventable by changing one’s diet and lifestyle.
- Americans with obesity generally have higher health care costs than others.
- One of the most significant side effects of obesity is depression.