Patient’s Age: 56-years-old
Admission Date: 01/02/19
Admitted From: Overlook Hospital
Discharge Date: 02/07/19
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 36 days
Reason for Stay: Pneumonia, scrotal infection, MS
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Family member is a Chatham Hills employee
Details of Experience:
French playwright, Molière once said, “the greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” John’s story before and after his journey to Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center brought meaning to this quote. His biggest obstacle was his health with a history of MS and being non-ambulatory.
Prior to entering Chatham Hills, John had an experience which led to why he suffered a massive decline from walking since the appropriate treatment needed was not provided. That decline took a vast toll on him. On December 21st, 2018, John presented at Overlook Hospital due to sudden upper thigh pain and swelling. He was put on IV therapy and was positive for cellulitis. With the new onset of pneumonia and overall weakness, John was told he would need extensive rehabilitation to further his healing process.
When John first arrived at Chatham Hills on January 2nd, he required maximum assistance with all activities of daily living and was totally dependent during mobility tasks. With a motivated spirit and a very supportive family, John knew he couldn’t give up now. Upon his evaluation with our highly-trained therapists, he stated, “my goal is to be able to transfer and take care of myself like I did before so I can go back home.” The Chatham Hills team saw tremendous potential in John to ambulate once strengthening exercises were successful. They took the time to create a personal treatment plan for him of therapy six days a week with one day to rest.
Every day, John went to therapy playing music on his speaker to not only keep himself motivated but to motivate the other patients around him. To us, he was known as the music man! He brought joy and smiles to many people around him just from something so small. While listening to his music, John participated in transfer training, strengthening exercises and endurance. His therapists focused on stretching and doing exercises lying down on the mat to help his weaker muscles get stronger so he could eventually complete them while sitting.
John had a complicated story but had a smile on his face every day. It took only a little over one month, strong family support, a supportive team of nurses, physicians, physical and occupational therapists to help John make a miraculous recovery. He went from being non-ambulatory to ambulating with minimum assistance! He also no longer needed assistance completing his everyday tasks like dressing, bathing and transferring.
As the Director of Concierge Services visited John to capture his final words before being discharged, he stated, “I would most definitely recommend Chatham Hills. The therapists were helpful and got me walking after many months. They were patient with me, but they were also aggressive which is what I wanted. My one physical therapist, Leslie, was great with me. Kathleen, the Concierge, was very positive for me. She always said hi and always asked if I had questions or problems. She was always great to me. My nurse, Lori, always had a smiling face and always had a great disposition. The overall customer service was good! I think everyone was supportive. My aides were very patient with me while I pushed myself. I also got to go to the men’s club, I got a take-out lunch with the activities department and did yoga class; it was all good.”
Team Chatham Hills is thrilled to congratulate John on his immense success and, if any, all the future obstacles he will overcome with strength!