Other Therapies & Services
What other therapies & services does ACUTE provide?
Speech therapy
ACUTE regularly works with speech language pathologists (SLPs) to provide care for those with eating disorders and malnutrition when appropriate. SLPs are trained to assess and provide therapeutic intervention for communication difficulties and can assess and treat patients with swallowing disorders.
The importance of speech therapy
Speech therapy helps improve the everyday communicative functioning and participation of patients, their loved ones and their environment.
Communication is an essential skill that’s incorporated into every aspect of life, including mental health assessments and interventions that are delivered through language or as part of psychotherapy. Inadequate language skills can greatly impact an individual’s mental health, and studies suggest that those with eating disorders often suffer from poor relationships and interpersonal problems as well as experience social communication differences – all of which are associated with poorer outcomes.
Speech language pathologists can also investigate when a swallowing disorder is suspected, and provide guidance about ensuring meals are safe and provide patients with swallow therapy exercises to strengthen the muscles of the tongue and throat.
Child life services
While ACUTE only takes patients 15 years old and older, we still enlist the help of child life specialists. Child life specialists are responsible for supporting the emotional and physical wellbeing of teens during their stay at ACUTE.
How does child life services help teenagers?
Child life specialists help:
- Prepare patients for medical tests and procedures
- Teenagers feel calm during their procedures
- Engage pediatric patients with activities in their rooms and activity centers to continue normal growth and development
- Educate teens and families on how the hospital operates
- Encourage patients to stay positive and calm while receiving care
Chaplain services
For many patients, spiritual wellbeing is as important to their health and recovery as medical and behavioral treatment. Because of that, our chaplain is available to be a part of your care.
ACUTE’s dedicated chaplain works alongside medical and behavioral providers to meet a patient’s spiritual and religious needs, supporting patients through prayer, meditation, music, poetry or scripture reading. Our chaplain understands the complex clinical nature of eating disorders and severe malnutrition and how living with an eating disorder or chronic illness can impact a person spiritually.
A chaplain can help discover meaning, purpose and direction by actively listening and providing a non-judgmental empathetic presence that can provide hope and encouragement during stressful and challenging situations like eating disorder recovery.
What do chaplains provide?
The services chaplains provide are interfaith and always respectful of a person’s beliefs and values whether they are people of faith or no faith. Chaplains can also arrange to have a community faith representative of the patient’s choice come and visit the hospital.
Chaplains can provide a variety of services, including -
- Spiritual assessment
- Compassionate presence and emotional support
- Bedside rituals, prayers and sacraments
- Pastoral Crisis Intervention
- Community clergy of your choice
- Patient/family support for adjustments to illness, injury or significant life change
Pet therapy
Coping with an eating disorder, medical complications and/or a chronic condition can cause a significant amount of stress, making it difficult for patients to emotionally heal. ACUTE utilizes animal therapy, delivered by therapy dog Remy and his handler, to bring patients comfort. Remy’s presence gives a much-needed distraction from room-based treatment.
The benefits of pet therapy
Pet therapy has many proven benefits, including improvements in mental health, physical health and skill building. Being in proximity to an animal, like Remy, causes the brain to release oxytocin, serotonin and prolactin, which helps to reduce anxiety.
There are physical benefits for patients too, with regular therapy animal visits linked to improved cardiovascular health and lower amounts of medication.
Therapy animals can also help patients improve skills in therapy. For example, interacting with a therapy animal during physical therapy can help boost patient motivation.
Specialty consults
ACUTE has access to a variety of specialist consults through Denver Health, including:
- Rheumatology
- Endocrinology
- Oncology
- Pulmonary
- Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
- Neurology
- Infectious Disease
- Nephrology
- Ophthalmology
- Dermatology
- Toxicology
- General surgery
- Neurosurgery
- ENT surgery
- Urology
- Orthopedics
- Dental care
- Obstetrics/gynecology
- LGBTQ+ Health services
- Addiction medicine