Patient’s Age: 96-years-old
Admission Date: 7/22/2016
Admitted From: Southern Hills Medical Center
Discharge Date: Long term care resident
Discharged To: N/A
Length of Stay: 2 years 2 months 8 days thus far
Reason for Stay: Spinal Cord Injury
How did patient hear about Bethany Center for Rehabilitation and Healing? Case Manager
Details of Experience:

Ms. Edna Matthews, now a 96-year-old, was admitted to Bethany Center after a 16-night stay at Southern Hills Medical Center. Then, 93, she sustained a fall in her bathtub and suffered a spinal cord injury with quadriplegia, secondary to the original injury. Ms. Matthews arrived at Bethany Center unable to use any of her limbs and with some confusion, requiring total assistance with everything along with physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

Arriving at Bethany, Ms. Matthews was very stiff. Her joints were almost fixed in a supine position (lying down) and both of her feet were pointing downwards, like a ballerina pointing her toes. Our therapy team were tasked with trying to get her moving again as well as keeping her from becoming contracted, as her prognosis for recovery was pretty slim. Edna worked with all aspects of therapy and her attitude stayed positive. Her progress was not progressing as we all had hoped, and her family decided it best for her to continue her stay at Bethany as a long-term care resident.

Once Ms. Matthews had settled into her stay as a long-term care patient, our restorative staff continued to work on her range of motion exercises along with finding the best wheelchair to suit her needs. She spent many days in a Geri Chair, which is similar to a reclining chair, so that she could spend time out of her room for activities and other things.
Therapy continued to evaluate Ms. Matthews and treat accordingly. After a little over a year, out of nowhere, she began to wiggle her toes. She was immediately referred to therapy to assess and treat as they saw fit. Prior to this, she had also regained use of her upper extremities and the ability to feed herself. The next step would be regaining her ability to walk. Yes, walk!

Ms. Edna Matthews worked tirelessly with our therapy staff. For all of the staff at Bethany, she is one of the miracles. Very few folks are able to say that they entered into a skilled nursing facility as a quadriplegic, transitioned to a long-term care resident, and then regained the ability to feed themselves and walk again, much less at the age of 95. She is now one of Bethany’s well-known residents. If you’re ever having a bad day, she will happily give you a compliment along with a smile that will light up your world! Stay tuned for more on Ms. Matthews and her incredible journey here at Bethany.