Patient age: 67-years-old
Admission Date: 02/25/2020
Admitted From: St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital
Discharge Date: 06/11/2020
Discharged To: Hedgewood Assisted Living Facility
Length of Stay: 3.5 Months
Reason for Stay: Hemodialysis due to renal failure and Right below Knee Amputation due to Gangrene
How did this patient hear about Emerald Peek? Referred by the Case Manager at the hospital


Details of Experience:
Diabetes is said to be a disease which, if not dealt with carefully, it progresses so fast and unexpectedly that the patient does not realize when and how they ended up in the hospital and on a surgical table. That is exactly what happened with our patient, Yvonne S. Yvonne found herself in the Emergency Room of the St. Luke’s hospital on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020, when she realized that she had developed a right foot infection and had a very foul-smelling wound on her right foot. She was under the impression that she had her diabetes under control, but little did she know that she had developed gas gangrene in the right foot which needed immediate surgery.

Yvonne was admitted to St. Luke’s hospital on February 4th, 2020, and she stayed there for a total of three weeks before coming to Emerald Peek for rehabilitation, on the recommendation of her case manager at the hospital. The surgery performed on Yvonne’s foot due to gangrene resulted in an amputation. The surgeons had to perform debridement and amputate her leg below the knee in order to make sure that the infection does not spread to the whole of her leg. Imagine going to the ER because your foot hurts, and going into surgery for that, and then waking up without a part of your leg. Yvonne shared that she remembers being bewildered and in a lot of pain after the surgery. As if that was not enough, while she was in the ICU, her kidneys were rapidly declining, worsening her renal failure, which, in the end, resulted in her requiring Hemodialysis on a regular basis.

When Yvonne first came to Emerald Peek on February 25th, 2020, she was so weak that she was on extensive assistance for almost everything. She required a Hoyer lift for transferring from the bed into a wheelchair. However, after just 3 weeks of consistent therapy with the rehab department at Emerald peek, she was able to ambulate a 100 feet with the help of a rolling walker and with a little assistance from the physical therapist. Yvonne was set up with a prosthetic device that she was re-educated with so that she could return back to her original lifestyle. In the process of getting back to her lifestyle, she was also introduced to the CareRite’s Amputee training and Rehabilitation program with Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, who helped her get the support she needed to adjust to her new lifestyle.

Yvonne progressed in her therapy and healing at a remarkable rate and began to express her excitement to return home to her family. Her wish was granted when she was accepted to the Hedgewood Assisted Living Facility, and finally, three and a half months later, on June 11th, 2020, she was discharged from our community happy and healthy. Her goal for the rehabilitation services at Emerald Peek was to be able to independently complete her Activities of Daily Living. And it is safe to say that she reached her goal when she walked out of the community, being able to ambulate 250 feet with the help of a rolling walker, without needing any assistance from any other individual.

The Emerald Peek Rehabilitation and Nursing Center congratulates Yvonne S. on her success after a long and hard road to recovery and wishes her the best of luck for her future life!!