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!