Optimal Nutrition is Key to Recovery
The Nutrition Department at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital believes that optimal nutrition is vital to recovery, and the Registered Dietitians at Burke strive to make that belief a reality for all patients.
“Nutrition services at Burke Rehabilitation® go far beyond providing meals - they are an essential clinical component of the recovery process,” said, Patricia Coar, MPH, RD, CDN, a Registered Dietitian (RD) and Clinical Nutrition Manager at Burke. “Through assessment, intervention, and education, our dietitians help ensure patients receive the nutritional support needed to heal, regain strength, and transition successfully back to their daily lives.”
Proper nutrition is foundational for healing, energy, and functional recovery, making nutrition services a key pillar in comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation care.
The Importance of Nutrition in Rehabilitation
Recovery from injury or illness increases the body's energy and nutrient demands. Patients at Burke may be healing from surgery, managing chronic diseases, dealing with muscle wasting, or overcoming malnutrition. Without proper nutritional support, these patients may experience delayed healing and recovery, and even setbacks in therapy.
To prevent these complications, dietitians ensure patients receive individualized, evidence-based nutrition care as part of our multidisciplinary patient-centered care approach, tailored to each individual’s unique medical needs and functional goals.
Nutrition Services at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
- Comprehensive Nutritional Assessment
Our Registered Dietitians (RDs) evaluate each patient upon admission to determine their nutritional status. This includes assessing weight history, dietary intake, medical conditions, lab values, gastrointestinal function, and physical capabilities (e.g., self-feeding ability). The goal is to identify any nutritional deficits or risks that may impact rehabilitation progress.
- Personalized Nutrition Care Plans
Based on assessments, dietitians create customized nutrition care plans. These plans address the patient’s caloric needs, protein and fluid requirements and specific medical diets including diabetic, renal, low-sodium, texture-modified, and total parenteral nutrition (TPN).
- Support for Swallowing and Chewing Difficulties
Patients with neurological conditions such as stroke or traumatic brain injury, often experience dysphagia, difficulty swallowing. At Burke, our nutrition services team collaborate with speech-language pathologists and medical staff as part of our multidisciplinary care team approach to medicine to ensure patients receive safe, appropriate food textures and liquid consistencies to prevent aspiration while maintaining nutritional adequacy.
- Management of Chronic Diseases
Many patients at Burke are living with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, or kidney disease. Nutrition services play a key role in managing these conditions through therapeutic diets, carbohydrate control, sodium restriction, and other diet modifications that support overall health and recovery.
- Nutrition Education and Counseling
While admitted to Burke, dietitians educate patients and families about nutritional needs, label reading, meal planning, and long-term nutrition strategies. This empowers patients to continue healthy eating habits after discharge, reducing the risk of readmission and supporting long-term wellness.
“Recognizing the value of this service is vital for delivering optimal, patient-centered rehabilitation care,” said Coar, “and the RD’s at Burke are committed to making this a reality for all patients.”
