Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (July 2019)

Patient’s Age: 74-years-old
Admission Date: 07/03/19
Admitted From: Morristown Medical Center
Discharge Date: 07/24/19
Length of Stay: 21 Days
Discharged To: Home
Reason for Stay: Left wrist fracture, pneumonia.
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Social worker referral.


Details of Experience:
How would you feel if you went to bed normally one night to wake up and your whole life has changed? For Lee, the unexpected happened the night of June 29, 2019. She took a Benadryl to go to sleep one night right before she had fallen at 2:00am. While trying to catch herself during the fall, she landed on both of her hands which resulted in a left distal radius fracture (wrist). She underwent wrist surgery on July 1st and had an external fixator put in place. Lee also presented with knee pain secondary to the fall along with needing a blood transfusion.

Lee was in Morristown Medical Center for a total of four days. While receiving acute therapy there, her medical team recommended subacute rehabilitation to further assist in her healing process. Lee knew she wanted to come to Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center so she can be close to her family.

Lee was admitted to Chatham Hills on July 3, 2019. She was greeted by our Admissions Director to get settled in her room. Lee was completely independent prior to admission and knew she had to stay motivated to get back there. Her goal upon admission was, “to heal and go home to doing everything I’ve been doing and be able to drive again”. Our highly-trained therapy team knew she would benefit from skilled PT/OT services. During her initial assessment, she was presented with lobar pneumonia, anemia, and difficulty in walking, muscle weakness and reduced functional activity tolerance.

Lee was motivated and ready to begin her healing process. She participated in therapy six days a week consistently practicing turning while walking, correct hand/foot placement while climbing stairs, transfer training to increase functional task performance and training on the omnicycle.

Lee’s favorite thing to do is drive down to Atlantic City once a month! She knew if she wanted to get back to doing that then she would need to stay extra motivated. Upon admission, Lee required assistance with all ADLs-(Activities of Daily Living), could only ambulate 50 feet with a rolling walker and could only ascend/descend 4 steps. With consistent progress, she was able to reach all her goals! She was able to walk over 200 feet, ascend/descend 8 steps, and was independent with all self-care tasks!

Our Director of Concierge Services visited Lee nearing her discharge date. Lee shared, “my therapy sessions here were 100%, and especially from my therapist Weronika; she is the top girl. I was also happy to get my hair done a few times while being here! Everyone here is really nice. My therapist, Weronika, the concierge Kathleen, my occupational therapist, Sue, my nurse, Candra, and the maintenance man, Jorge (as she called, ‘Mr. Helper’) were all amazing and made my stay better. I would definitely recommend Chatham Hills.”

Team Chatham Hills is thrilled to congratulate Lee on all her progress and we wish her the best of luck on her next Atlantic City trip!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (July 2019)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (June 2019)

Patient’s Age: 85-years-old
Admission Date: 05/17/2019
Admitted From: Morristown Medical Center
Discharge Date: 06/04/19
Length of Stay: 18 days
Discharged To: Home
Reason for Stay: Femur fracture.
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Hospital referral and location.


Details of Experience:
It was a normal Saturday on May 11th when Rosemary went to visit her granddaughter. What she thought was going to be a good day soon turned into a day that she dreaded. She tried to cross over a step but took a hard fall onto her right hip. Once her family realized she could not stand up due to the pain, they called 911 and she was rushed to Morristown Medical Center. Rosemary suffered an upper femur fracture. She was operated on the very next day. A recommendation was made by the hospital that she was going to need extensive subacute rehab.

Rosemary was admitted to Chatham Hills on May 17, 2019. Upon admission, she had a goal to walk on her own and return home with her husband. Rosemary was greeted by our highly-trained therapists for evaluation, Maria and Sue. During her initial assessment, she presented with muscle weakness, impaired balance, the decline in functional transfers and ambulation. Team Chatham Hills knew she would benefit from skilled PT/OT services to improve her strength.

Rosemary was motivated and ready to begin her healing process. She participated in therapy six days a week consistently practicing transferring in and out of her bed and chair, weight shifting, increasing strength, range of motion and flexibility in a progressive manner. There was just one barrier; her functional activity tolerance was decreased. Our therapists continued to motivate her and never gave up hope. Just after a short time in therapy, Rosemary was making constant progress toward her short term and long term goals.

During her stay, Rosemary was able to participate in activities. She attended religious services and enjoyed arts and crafts! Her favorite activity was spending time with her family and fortunately, that continued throughout her stay at Chatham Hills.

After working hard in therapy every day, Rosemary went from walking 40 feet to 175 feet, unable to climb steps to climbing 8 steps. She succeeded in all of her therapy goals. Rosemary stated, “I give all the credit to therapy at Chatham Hills. They supported my ability to get up and get going every day. I was exercising twice a day! I found it marvelous, inspiring and doable. They are responsible for all the progress I made!”

Team Chatham Hills is thrilled to congratulate Rosemary on her success in and out of our community! Happy Graduation, Rosemary!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (June 2019)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (May 2019)

Patient’s Age: 89-years-old
Admission Date: 04/06/2019
Admitted From: Morristown Medical Center
Discharge Date: 05/15/19
Length of Stay: 39 days
Discharged To: Independent Living
Reason for Stay: Fractures from left shoulder to left foot.
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Hospital referral.


Details of Experience:

It was a regular spring day when Miriam had an accident that would leave her changed for what felt like forever. She stood up, tripped on the leg of her chair and landed on her left side. She had to be quickly taken to Morristown Medical Center. Upon evaluation, her doctor discovered that she had fractures from her left shoulder to her left foot. Knowing that she lives independently, Miriam knew she had to improve quickly.

Miriam has always been independent. She enjoys reading, watching television and visiting with friends. Her goal entering Chatham Hills Subacute was to “get stronger, be able to walk again and return to my independent living.”

Miriam was welcomed to Chatham Hills on April 6th, 2019. Upon admission, she had a goal to walk on her own without pain. Miriam was greeted by our highly-trained therapists upon evaluation, Maria and Sue. During her initial assessment, she required maximum assistance with all activities of daily living. She went from independent to being dependent on our Chatham Hills team for everything.

Miriam required skilled physical therapy and occupational therapy services to return to her prior level of function as independent with all activities of daily living. She participated in therapy six days a week consistently practicing dynamic functional activities, self-care training, and education on energy conservation techniques. Although it was taking time, Miriam was making constant progress toward her short term and long

term goals. She is now able to ambulate over 200 feet and able to perform her activities of daily living on her own!

Miriam did not only participate in therapy while she was here. She had the chance to be in a music video for the popular *NSYNC song, “It’s Gonna Be Me”. To our surprise, one of the band members from *NSYNC reposted our video and Miriam was an overnight sensation! She also got to experience her first Chatham Hills Nursing Home Week! She joined in on a Superhero and Sidekick painting class which she had such a great time.

Our Director of Concierge Services met with Miriam nearing her discharge date to find out how her overall stay at Chatham Hills was. Miriam stated, “I would definitely recommend Chatham Hills. The therapists here really know what they’re doing. They are consistent and very considerate. The concierge made everything here fun with her smiling and all the costumes she dressed up in. the nurses and sides here are all wonderful. If one staff member needed something, they would all always help. Every service here was wonderful.”

Team Chatham Hills is inspired by her motivation to never give up. Congratulations to Miriam!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (May 2019)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (April 2019)

Patient’s Age: 76-years-old
Admission Date: 02/08/2019
Admitted From: Morristown Medical Center
Discharge Date: 03/30/19
Length of Stay: 50 days
Discharged To: Home
Reason for Stay: Left hip fracture
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Online research, Google reviews


Details of Experience:

It was a normal day for Steve on January 30th until the unfortunate happened. He was walking normally right before he slipped on a patch of ice and landed on his left side. After lying on the ground, he tried to get up before realizing he could not put any weight on his side or ambulate. He was quickly brought to Morristown Medical Center for further evaluation. He was admitted and found to have a left hip fracture.
After his stay in the hospital, Steve’s daughter chose Chatham Hills for further rehabilitation services so he could return home living his normal life.

Steve was welcomed to Chatham Hills on February 8th, 2019. Upon entering, he was greeted and evaluated by our highly-trained nursing and therapy teams. He stated that his goal was, “to be able to walk, use the bathroom and take care of myself again.”

After his therapy evaluation with his amazing therapists, Steve required maximum assistance with all his self-care tasks; he was totally dependent on help from his therapists and was not able to ambulate.

During the early stages of his rehabilitation journey, he was non-weight bearing for almost two months, which immensely slowed down his healing process. Until the orders were given for full weight-bearing status, his therapists consistently worked with him on strengthening exercises. One of Steve’s main focuses was to practice weight shifting while standing, to strengthen his left leg to then progress to take steps forward.

Steve was able to participate in a new program that Chatham Hills initiated called “Therapy Groups.” Therapy Groups are a service provided by either an occupational or physical therapist joined with our recreation department. Steve attended our bingo group and Pictionary group, where he practiced transferring, standing and other varieties of exercises all while having fun!

Steve never lost motivation. He was always prepared for what was next to come in therapy. Steve’s progress gradually continued with time. He began to need less assistance with all his ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living), like dressing and bathing. Once he felt stronger with his left leg, he was able to start ambulating! Upon admission to Chatham Hills, Steve was not able to ambulate at all, could not ascend/descend stairs and was totally dependent on his therapists for assistance.

After hard work and dedication, he is able to ambulate over 200 feet, climb eight steps and is back to being independent! Steve was discharged on March 30th. He left with a smile on his face, knowing that he was going to go home to his wife!

We wish Steve only happiness and health going forward. We hope to see him real soon as a visitor!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (April 2019)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (March 2019)

Patient’s Age: 74-years-old
Admission Date: 01/22/19
Admitted From: Morristown Medical Center
Discharge Date: 03/09/19
Length of Stay: 46 days
Discharged To: Home
Reason for Stay: PEG tube, A-Fib, C Diff
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Hospital referral


Details of Experience:

It was a regular New Year’s Day when Tom went into the hospital to have a simple procedure done. He had a successful vascular surgery where he had stents put in. Upon arriving back home, it only lasted one day before things took a turn for the worse. He had fluid accumulating and no matter what they tried, they couldn’t get his blood pressure down. The doctors at the hospital were afraid that he would have a stroke.

Tom’s wife explained that “everything was going down at once.” He quickly developed pneumonia, heart failure, his kidneys were shutting down, and he was losing blood due to a GI bleed. Tom fought as he underwent yet another surgery.

It was long weeks spent at Morristown Medical Center. Tom was unable to participate in acute therapy because of how weak he was. He was also unable to eat due to the heavy stress of his situation. His family was notified that he would need extensive rehabilitation after being discharged from the hospital to further his healing process.

Tom was admitted to Chatham Hills on January 22, 2019. Upon admission, he was greeted and evaluated by our highly-trained nursing and therapy teams. His goal was to regain his strength that he once had. After his therapy evaluation, Tom required maximum assistance with all his self-care tasks; he was totally dependent on help from his therapists and was not able to ambulate. Tom and his wife knew it was going to be a long journey but they were ready to begin.

Tom was faced with fear and anxiety of getting out of bed, which was a very long process in itself. His very dedicated therapists knew they had to construct a plan that would not overwhelm him. They slowly started to work with him every morning letting him participate in all ADLs-(Activities of Daily Living), like getting dressed and brushing his teeth. Once he got stronger, they encouraged him to focus more on getting himself to the restroom and walking.

Although Tom was getting stronger, he was still faced with some setbacks. Every time he started to improve, he got sick which ultimately held him back from participating. His wife expressed, “I sat in the lobby and watched a graduation ceremony for another patient and it brought tears to my eyes because I didn’t think he was going to recover.” Tom’s therapists never lost faith in him. Once he worked through the fear and anxiety of getting out of bed, he began to excel in therapy!

Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” This quote perfectly identifies with Tom’s success story. Although there were some bumps in the road, he never gave up and his therapists never gave up. When Tom was admitted to Chatham Hills, he was unable to ambulate, required maximum assistance and was totally dependent on help from staff around him. Nearing his discharge date, Tom was up and walking 65 feet with contact guard assistance! Not only was he able to walk, but he was also able to complete all his self-care tasks!

Tom made tremendous progress after dealing with a challenging situation. His wife stated, “Tom is feeling great at home! He is even eating better now.”

Team Chatham Hills was thrilled to congratulate him and his wife for their courage and dedication!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (March 2019)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (February 2019)

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!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (February 2019)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (January 2019)

Patient’s Age: 77-years-old
Admission Date: 1/8/19
Admitted From: St. Claire’s Hospital
Discharge Date: 1/25/19
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 17 days
Reason for Stay: Left pelvis fracture & broken ribs
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Online search

Details of Experience:
Our mission at Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center is to support our patients and provide unprecedented levels of genuine care and customer service for our community’s rehabilitation and nursing needs. Our approach and personalized treatments will ensure that our patients are back on their own two feet as promptly as possible.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “if you can’t fly then run if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Linda’s situation brought this quote to life. She has an extensive history when it comes to her health. She had a right and left total hip replacement, extensive spinal fusion surgery due to scoliosis and an active intracerebral bleed. No matter how many things seemed to go on the wrong path for Linda, she continued to keep moving forward.

Linda was going in her house from her patio on what she thought was going to be a normal Friday. Unfortunately, when Linda was walking into her house, she missed a step. She fell while holding onto a grill to break her fall. As if the situation could not get worse, she fell and the grill fell on top of her. She was then rushed to St. Claire’s Hospital. After multiple tests, she was left with a left pelvis fracture and three broken ribs. After getting treated in therapy at the hospital, Linda was informed that she would need extensive rehabilitation services.

When Linda first arrived at Chatham Hills on January 8th, she required contact guard assistance from a therapist and could not climb any steps. Linda expressed her strong feelings and intentions, “I want to be able to put weight through my foot, function, and walk and get better.” Her highly trained therapists took the time to make a treatment plan designed with her intentions in mind. With a set schedule of therapy six days a week, she was ready to begin healing.

Linda presented with weakness, pain and a decline in mobility. At first, she was able to tolerate light strength exercises, balance, and endurance. Every day she participated in self-care tasks like getting herself dressed and getting ready to start the day like she would be doing at home. Completing her strengthening tasks, she was eventually able to stand! She got up on her own two feet and started to use a walker! Linda progressed quickly from her treatments which lead to her overall condition improved as a result of her skilled therapy sessions.

While Linda was at Chatham Hills, she developed close relationships with a number of nurses, our concierge director and especially, her therapists. It took only a little over two weeks, a strong support system from her family, a supportive team of physical and occupational therapists, nurses and physicians to help Linda make a full recovery. Team Chatham Hills is so proud of what she achieved.

As the Director of Concierge Services visited Linda to capture her final words before being discharged, she stated, “I would rate my stay at Chatham Hills a 10/10. I’ve been in many rehabs before but Chatham Hills is by far the best one. My therapists helped me so much with my broken pelvis. My one therapist, Michelle was fantastic and wonderful. The concierge director, Kathleen, came to visit me every day and always boosted my spirits. The nurses and aides were all lovely. I would recommend Chatham Hills to anyone.”

Congratulations to Linda on her success here and continued success at home!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (January 2019)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (December 2018)

Patients Age: 79-years-old
Admission Date: 11/7/18
Admitted From: Catskill Regional Medical Center
Discharge Date: 12/14/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 37 days
Reason for Stay: Right femur fracture
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Online search

Details of Experience:

On November 3rd, 2018, Maureen was enjoying dinner with her family when an unexpected incident occurred. While on her way to the restroom, she lost her balance and fell on her right side. She had to be quickly taken to Catskill Regional Medical Center. Upon evaluation, her doctor discovered that she had a closed right hip fracture. Prior to the hip fracture, Maureen was experiencing shortness of breath. With a cruise trip coming up, she knew she had to improve quickly.

Maureen has always been independent. She enjoys reading, watching television, and visiting with friends. Her goal entering Chatham Hills Subacute was to “return back to doing every activity I did before I fell.”

Maureen entered our community, Chatham Hills, on November 7th, 2018. Upon admission, she had a goal to walk on her own without pain. Maureen was greeted by our highly-trained therapists, Candace and Sara. During her initial assessment, she required maximum assistance with all activities of daily living. She was not able to climb any steps and was only able to ambulate five feet with contact guard assistance.

Maureen required skilled physical and occupational therapy services to return to her prior level of function. She participated in therapy six days a week, consistently practicing dynamic functional activities, self-care training, and education on energy conservation techniques. Her therapists consistently worked on pain management. Although it was taking time, Maureen was making constant progress toward her short term and long term goals. She is now able to ambulate over 200 feet, ascend/descend 12 steps, and able to perform her activities of daily living on her own!

Our Director of Concierge Services met with Maureen nearing her discharge date to find out how her overall stay at Chatham Hills was. Maureen stated, “My stay at Chatham Hills was fantastic. I had the best care from everybody. Physical therapy and occupational therapy were absolutely the best. My therapists, Steve, Archie, Michelle and Sara, were the ones who worked with me and really got me moving. I was just amazed at how far I came from where I was in the beginning. Chatham Hills was clean and cheerful. I have no complaints. Although I didn’t participate much, they really had a lot of activities for the patients. The overall experience was really fine for me. Thank you Chatham Hills.”

Team Chatham Hills is inspired by Maureen’s motivation to never give up. Congratulations, Maureen and we hope you have an amazing cruise!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (December 2018)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (November 2018)

Patients Age: 88-years-old
Admission Date: 10/15/18
Admitted From: Morristown Medical Center
Discharge Date: 11/10/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 26 Days
Reason for Stay: Hip Replacement
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Referral from New Providence Senior Center

On October 9th, 2018, Jim went in for a scheduled hip replacement revision. Upon evaluation, his doctor discovered a slight crack in his tibia bone. In order for the revision to be successful, Jim had to get another surgery just three days later. After his back-to-back surgeries were complete, he was notified that he would need further rehabilitation services. As active volunteers at the New Providence Senior Center, Jim was familiar with all that Chatham Hills has to offer as a subacute rehab and knew that was the place he wanted to go.

Jim and his wife are very active in the New Providence Senior Center community. Jim is a very diligent bridge player while his wife is the “Sunshine Lady”, who goes around bringing joy to other seniors. He is also an active member of his church.

When Jim was admitted to Chatham Hills, he had a goal to walk again and be able to transfer in and out of the car. Jim was greeted by our highly-trained therapists, Steve and Michelle. During his initial assessment, he needed maximum assistance with transfers, was unable to climb stairs, only able to ambulate five feet using a rolling walker with contact guard assist and was in a great deal of pain upon leg movements. Secondary to his hip fracture, there were specific precautions that had to be taken such as being unable to bend down or cross his legs. In return, these precautions made a task of putting on pants very difficult. His occupational therapist, Michelle, worked closely with him teaching him how to successfully use adaptive equipment to independently perform lower body dressing while maintaining those said hip precautions.

Jim required skilled physical and occupational services to return to his prior level of function as independent with all activities of daily living. He participated in therapy six days a week consistently practicing transfers, clothing management and energy conservation techniques. Although it was taking time, Jim was very compliant and made steady progress toward reaching his short term and long term goals.

Nathan Chen once said, “Never give up. There are always tough times, regardless of what you do in anything in life. Be able to push through those times and maintain your ultimate goal.” Jim identified with this quote after his time at Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center due to staying motivated and also having a strong support system from his wife and community center.

Working hard every day, Jim is now able to ambulate over 200 feet, ascend/descend 8 steps and able to perform all activities of daily living independently! As Jim stated, “I would recommend Chatham Hills for their therapy department. The therapists here are helpful and very capable, especially my occupational therapist, Michelle. The concierge, Kathleen, made my stay at Chatham Hills more comfortable. The activities were also enjoyable, I liked bingo. Overall, the whole staff here is helpful.”

Team Chatham Hills is incredibly proud of Jim for his success here and continued success at home!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (November 2018)
Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (October 2018)

Patients Age: 81-years-old
Admission Date: 9/22/18
Discharge Date: 10/19/18
Discharged To: Home
Reason for Stay: 4 Weeks
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Therapist in family (Atlantic Health)

Anita was admitted to Overlook Medical Center on September 18th, 2018, with an initial diagnosis of septicemia. She had a pacemaker since March 7th, 2018, but the outcome was not what she thought it would be. She contracted a terrible infection from the pacemaker and had to be placed on IV antibiotics. She was informed that she would need extensive rehabilitation to return to her prior level of function.
Upon admission to Chatham Hills, Anita stated that she was “very impressed with how well people are at explaining things.” She was evaluated by our incredible therapy team to determine how much therapy she was going to need. During her evaluation, she demonstrated excellent rehabilitation potential as evidenced by her positivity and willingness to participate fully in therapy.

When Anita arrived to Chatham Hills, she had a goal to walk without experiencing lower back pain from a previous surgery. Anita was greeted by our highly trained-therapists, Sue, Leslie, Sara and Steve. During her initial assessment, she was able to ambulate only 150 feet with stand-by assistance, was not able to ascend/descend stairs and needed contact guard assistance with all activities of daily living (ADL’s) due to poor balance.

Anita required skilled occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) services to be independent with her ADL’s. She participated in therapy six days a week, consistently practicing self-care training, ambulating outdoors, and participated in neuromuscular re-education techniques.

Because of the deep-seated infection, Anita made her physicians remove the pacemaker. She was discharged to the hospital from Chatham Hills for a planned surgery. She returned after eight days feeling weaker than before. Her new goal upon readmission was to walk better and further without any assistance and without any pain in her lower back and hips. Our wonderfully skilled therapy team knew that she would get to that point with her dedication.

Nearing her discharge date of October 19, 2018, Anita reached maximum potential with skilled services! She was able to ambulate unlimited distances with a rollator, able to perform self-care tasks and able to perform her activities of daily living on her own.

Our Director of Concierge Services visited Anita to see how her stay was going. She was very satisfied with how she was improving. As Anita states, “the therapy department is really remarkable. They got me moving which I wasn’t doing when I came in. They listened to what I told them, were incredibly kind, and always made sure we were properly situated. They made a big difference while I was there.”
Team Chatham Hills was thrilled to congratulate Anita on her progress while she was here and wish her continued success back at home!

Posted in Case Studies | Comments Off on Case Study: Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center (October 2018)