Bilateral Amputee Rehabilitation Program

Director of Concierge: Yehuda Gottlieb
Patient Name: P. Salazar
Admission Date: 12/24/20
Admitted From: Nyack Hospital
Discharge Date: 3/19/21
Discharged to: Home
Length of Stay: 86 Days
Reason for stay: Double leg amputee

Details of Experience: Mr. Salazar is a 51-year-old man who recently had his second leg amputated. He was suffering from a non-healing wound on his left leg. This wound, unfortunately, turned into gangrene and needed to be amputated below his knee. And so, he was admitted to the hospital. He had his right leg amputated a few years prior for the same reason.

Upon his arrival to The Willows, the concierge, Yehuda, greeted Mr. Salazar. He was introduced to the nursing team and given a thorough evaluation. The therapy team then evaluated him, including speech, physical and occupational therapists. Yehuda also introduced him to the legendary, Dennis and Todd, founders of the Amputee Walking School. Todd and Dennis are former Paralympics gold medalists who work alongside The Willows’ team to bring hope and recovery to amputees. Both came weekly to encourage and work with Mr. Salazar and help him get fitted with two brand new prostheses.

The teams formulated their goals and plan of care for getting Porfirio back to his apartment. The physical therapy team focused on getting Mr. Salazar back to his independent level. Their biggest hurdle was getting Mr. Salazar fitted with brand new legs. He came with one prosthetic device, but it never fit correctly. With the help of Todd and Dennis, Mr. Salazar received two brand new legs and learned to use them.

The occupational therapy team worked on building up his upper body strength. Mr. Salazar was pretty much independent for most tasks. When he arrived, he needed a contact guard for transfers. He could not walk or use stairs due to being a double amputee. They worked on strengthening his lower extremities. They also worked on making his abdominal and trunk muscle stronger. These exercises would help with prosthetic gait training.

Mr. Salazar was visited daily by the Concierge, Yehuda, and he always had kind words for everyone and a smile on his face. He immensely enjoyed the weekly visits from Dennis and Todd and was very thankful for the team’s help.

Upon his discharge, Mr. Salazar went back to his home. He is confident and feels strong enough that he is fully independent. If he does need therapy in the future, he knows there is only one place to go.