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How We Provide Care
At each of our facilities, we take a team approach to care. Our core team includes nurses and nursing assistants, rehab therapists, social workers, activities staff, a dietitian, and our medical director.
Our care is patient-centered, taking your strengths, needs, abilities—and your goals—into account. From all that information, we create a personalized care plan. The focus is on meeting your goals, accommodating your preferences, and providing top-notch service.
We offer a wide variety of care and services to meet many needs. Click on the care or service below to learn more about it:
Rehabilitation
Our rehab team consists of physical, occupational, and speech therapists—many with master’s degrees—and specially trained therapy assistants. They’re all licensed professionals dedicated to helping you regain strength, mobility, and independence; achieve the best possible outcome; and return to the activities you most enjoy. We offer therapy services up to six days a week, as ordered by your physician.
Our rehab therapists will design a rehab plan, in accordance with your physician’s orders, to help you reach your goals. And they’ll work as tirelessly as you do to help you achieve those goals.
Our rehabilitation program provides care to meet a wide range of needs:
• Orthopedic rehab for fractures, joint replacement, and degenerative joint diseases
• Stroke rehab
• Neurological rehab for progressive conditions like Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
• Cardiopulmonary rehab for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, and recovery after coronary bypass surgery
• Wound care
• Dysphasia management
Skilled Nursing
Many people come to The Commons to recuperate after a hospital stay or when a chronic condition flares up. For them, we offer a broad range of programs and services, including:
• Blood transfusions
• Cardiac recovery
• Complex medical care
• Diabetes management
• Enteral therapy, including TPN
• Hospice and palliative care
• IV therapy
• Pain management
• Stroke recovery
• Wound care
We also arrange for these services, as needed:
• Audiology
• Dental
• Dialysis
• Mental health
• Optometry
• Podiatry
• X-ray and lab
And for people nearing the end of life, we have a dedicated hospice room with cozy furnishings, a sofa bed for family members, a small fridge, and private bath. This homey room is a place where residents and their family members can spend private time together.
Long-Term Care
Our long-term residents are the heart and soul of our facility. For them, The Commons at Squirrel Hill is their home, and our staff become part of their family. We provide our residents with around-the-clock nursing care and supervision, help with activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, eating), and serve them nutritious meals and snacks. They also have access to rehab and the other specialized services we offer, as their condition requires.
We have several important goals for our long-term residents. First, we work to keep them as independent as possible for as long as possible. The more they can do for themselves, the better their quality of life. Second, we encourage them to be as active as possible, participating in as many activities and events as they’re interested in. And third, we help them stay as connected as possible to their community, family, and friends. Even well-behaved pets can visit.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care
We provide quality, compassionate care to people with Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia. We focus on maintaining dignity and independence, so that each resident has the best possible quality of life.
Respite Visits
We also welcome people living at home to stay at The Commons at Squirrel Hill for a respite visit—a brief stay in our facility when their family member or other at-home caregiver is temporarily unavailable. This allows the caregiver to go on vacation, travel for business, recuperate from an illness, or just get some extra support for a while.
A respite stay includes all the services and amenities available to our long-term residents: a safe, friendly place to stay; high-quality, 24-hour nursing care and supervision; assistance with activities of daily living; meals and snacks; and participation in any planned activities of interest to them. A respite stay not only gives the at-home caregiver peace of mind, it can be a nice change of pace for the loved one.
Ventilator Program
Our Ventilator program is geared toward increasing mobility for ventilator-dependent residents and weaning them from ventilators whenever possible. Our dedicated ventilator wing has piped-in oxygen. The program is directed by a board-certified pulmonologist. Our experienced care team also includes respiratory therapists who are on duty around the clock, and rehab and nursing staff.
Based on our experience, we have found that many residents can be stabilized enough to return to independent, ventilator-free living. We accomplish this through a comprehensive care plan that includes: adjusting medications, adjusting oxygen levels, breathing techniques, and exercise.
For residents who do require long-term ventilator care, our goal is to make their life as easy, enjoyable, and comfortable as possible. We use portable ventilators to enable these residents to enjoy a change of scenery and even attend activity programs.
Wound Care
Over the years, we’ve developed a track record in wound care. Part of our success results from having a staff nurse who is dedicated full-time to assessing, treating, and managing surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and related wound and skin conditions.
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