One of the greatest joys of being a therapist in the Lovejoy Transitional Care Center (TCC) is watching our patients meet their therapy goals and eventually get discharged home: independently and back to health! Let us share some of our success stories here on the Lovejoy TCC:
- Mary came to us after falling and breaking her hip. Mary is an amazing 92 years young who lives in an apartment independently in Brighton. Mary came to us with pain in her hip due to the surgery; consequently, she was not able to walk more than a few steps at a time using her walker. Not only did Mary’s hip hurt from surgery but her knees where very arthritic which limited her ability to attempt stairs. This was essential for Mary’s return home, as her apartment was up 14 steps and had no elevator access. Mary diligently completed all her exercises with therapy on a daily basis which focused on increasing her lower body strength and endurance and ultimately helped her increase the distance she was able to walk using her walker. Collaboration with the therapy staff, nursing staff and medical staff facilitated Mary getting cortisone shots in both knees to help her train on getting up and down the stairs. Well, after working approximately 4 weeks with Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) Mary was able to get home independently, including successfully completing stairs independently!
- Bruce came to us after heart surgery. As a result of his surgery, he was weak and unable to lift anything greater than 10 pounds, or use his arms to help him move from sitting to standing. Prior to his heart surgery, Bruce lived independently in Brighton and enjoyed getting out and hiking. Bruce worked hard with PT and OT for approximately 3 weeks, which focused on teaching him how to move from sitting to standing without pushing with his arms, increasing his ability to get himself dressed, increasing his upper body and lower body strength and endurance, and focusing on his standing balance. Bruce was so independent prior to his rehab admission that he did not use a walker to ambulate and his goal was to return home not using a walker. I am very happy to report that his motivation with therapy paid off and Bruce was able to return home independently and without the use of a walker!
- Lucy came to us after suffering a stroke. Prior to this, Lucy lived independently. Unfortunately the stroke affected Lucy’s arm and leg, impacting her balance and coordination. Lucy worked hard every day with PT and OT to increase her coordination, balance, range of motion, and strength in both her upper and lower extremities. The stroke presented Lucy with barriers that were difficult to overcome, including becoming independent with walking again. However, Lucy’s motivation and positive attitude gave her the drive to become independent with her mobility from a wheelchair level! Lucy succeeded in achieving her goals and was able to be discharged to a lower level of care and be happy and successful at assisted living.
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