Patient’s Age: 73-years-old
Admission Date: January 17, 2020
Admitted From: St. John’s Riverside Hospital
Discharge Date: February 25, 2020
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 5 weeks
Reason for Stay: Hypertension, gout, and generalized weakness
How did this patient hear about Sans Souci? Hospital recommendation

Details of Experience:

Mr. Justo Santiago arrived at Sans Souci Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on January 17, 2020 from an inpatient hospital stay at St. John’s Riverside Hospital. Prior to coming to Sans Souci, Justo experienced hypertension, an acute gout flare up, generalized weakness, and impairments in his muscle strength. Mr. Santiago was referred to Sans Souci to begin receiving PT, OT, and skilled nursing care to begin his healing journey, with the goal of returning to the community.

Upon admission, Mr. Santiago was welcomed by multiple members of the Sans Souci interdisciplinary team. The team conducted evaluations to ensure Mr. Santiago would have a very productive stay. During those evaluations, the team learned Mr. Santiago is a retired NYC policeman.

Prior to his hospital stay, Justo was living independently and required a rolling walker for ambulation and a cane at home. Mr. Santiago’s home required two steps to enter. Upon admission, he required a wheelchair for ambulation. Mr. Santiago began working with our Physical Therapist, Danilo Regala, DPT and Occupational Therapist, Lauren Wendeboom, OTR/L. Upon evaluation, he required minimal assistance with bed mobility and functional transfers. Justo was fully dependent on assistance for stair navigation, moderate assistance with ambulation, and maximum assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

Mr. Santiago’s Physical Therapy goals were to be able to perform functional transfers and bed mobility independently, safely ascend/descend 12 stairs utilizing handrails, and ambulate distances of 100 feet utilizing a rolling walker. Mr. Santiago’s Occupational Therapy goals included regaining full independence with ADL’s. After two weeks working with our rehabilitation team, Mr. Santiago was now able to perform bed mobility with contact guarding assistance, ambulated 25 feet using a rolling walker with minimal assistance and ambulated 4 steps with maximum assistance. Mr. Santiago was now able to complete his ADLs independently.

During his stay, Mr. Santiago was an active participant at the daily recreation activities. Justo was very social and became friends with many staff members and residents. He could always be found with a smile on his face throughout his stay. He especially enjoyed Nerf gun target practice where he was able to practice his skills from his days on the police force. He also participated in the community’s art sessions and weekly coffee social with our Recreation Therapist Omar Garcia. Mr. Santiago also enjoyed the amenities at Sans Souci such as the Snack Cart and the Starbucks Serenade Brewer.

After four weeks, Mr. Santiago could perform bed mobility and functional transfers with supervision. Mr. Santiago could safely navigate 6 steps on the community stairs with minimal assistance, ambulate 50 ft with a rolling walker, and complete ADLs independently.

At the end of his stay, Mr. Santiago was able to ambulate 150 ft with a rolling walker, navigate 12 steps on the community stairs and perform all transfers and bed mobility independently. Mr. Santiago shared, “Sans Souci has been a positive experience for me. The staff has been very kind and attentive to my needs throughout my stay. I thank everyone who took care of me during my stay.”