Resources and Support

During and after your stay at our hospital, appropriate resources will be made available to provide care and support to you, your family members or caregivers; answer questions; and advance your recovery. Your rehabilitation physician, for instance, will visit you to attend to your medical conditions and address any concerns you may have, as will the other members of your clinical team. Your case manager will visit, coordinate your care, and provide a phone number to answer any of your questions. Additionally, our staff will arrange family or caregiver training as needed before you leave to go home.

In addition to hospital staff and its community support groups, you will find a number of online national resources that can be helpful with your recovery and answer any questions you might have after you leave the hospital.

These organizations include:

• Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)
• American Heart Association
• American Stroke Association
• National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA)
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• National Parkinson Foundation
• National Stroke Association
• Amputee Coalition

Patient Videos

• Why Rehab in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility?
• What to Expect During Your Stay at an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility
• Life After the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility

Local Resources

• Aging Advocates – (515) 244-3070
• Aging Resources of Central Iowa – (515) 255-1310
• ElderLink – (515) 276-5777
• Iowa Department on Aging – (515) 725-3333
• Caregivers of Stroke Survivors – (515) 263-5803
• Family Caregivers Alliance – (800) 445-8106
• Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa – (855) 444-6443
  –– Support Group | 3rd Tuesday of each month | Polk County North Side Community Center 3010 6th Ave. Des Moines | 6:00-7:30 p.m.
• American Diabetes Association (local chapter) – (515) 276-2237
• American Heart Association (local chapter) – (515) 244-3278
• American Lung Association (local chapter) – (515) 278-5864
  –– Better Breathers Support Group – (515) 309-9507
• National Kidney Foundation of Iowa – (800) 596-7943
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society of Iowa – (515) 270-6337
• Department of Human Services – 1-800-972-2017
  –– Waiver Services – (515) 246-4622
• Alzheimer’s Support Group – (515) 263-2464
• COPD Support Group – (515) 278-4003
• Parkinson’s Disease Support Group – 1:30-3:30 p.m. | 1st Wednesday of each month | Mercy Medical Center–Des Moines | East Tower Conference Room
• Epilepsy Support Group – 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | 4th Tuesday of each month | Mercy Medical Center–Des Moines | East Tower Conference Room
• Stroke Club – 7 p.m. | 3rd Tuesday of each month | New Hope United Methodist Church | 4525 Beaver Ave., Des Moines
• Central Iowa Amputee Support Group – First Monday of each month | VA Community Living Center (Building 12) | (641) 864-2257