Concierge: Emily Lawrence
Patient: Wynona Hall
Age: 92 years old
Admission Date:12/01/22
Admitted From: St. Thomas Midtown Hospital- Nashville
Discharge Date: 6/23/23
Discharge To: Home
Length of Stay: Seven months
Reason For Stay: Adult Failure to Thrive and COVID-19
How Did This Patient Hear about Nashville Center? Hospital Case Worker

Details of Experience:

Ms. Hall was admitted to Nashville Center, experiencing Adult Failure To Thrive, and diagnosed with COVID-19. This was a discouraging diagnosis as she was experiencing malnourishment, a lack of balance, generalized muscle weakness, and depending more on those around her, without much strength in herself. But in the case of this undefeatable woman, Ms. Hall has proved the odds wrong and made a complete turnaround.

Upon initial admission, Ms. Hall was not eating, speaking, walking, or really participating in much of what most people consider everyday life. The therapeutic rehabilitation team at Nashville Center created a plan. While Ms. Hall was still in isolation with Covid-19 protocols, the therapy team would come to her room and begin
trying to learn about Ms. Hall’s weaknesses, strengths, and who she is as an individual. While the first week was challenging to acclimate, it began a path to success.

Upon first evaluation, Ms. Hall needed maximum assistance with most of her daily activities. Ms. Hall’s Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), Jacqueline, educated Ms. Hall on the precautions she should be taking to ensure a safe oral intake (safe eating); she was instructed to take small bites, intake at a slow rate, alternate solids, and liquids, and sit upright during meals. This helped Ms. Hall go from a pureed and thick liquid diet to a regular food texture and a thin liquid diet. The SLP team worked to retrain Ms. Hall in the cognitive and linguistic areas of memory, generative naming, and sequencing abilities to optimize her independence upon discharge better, helping her find her voice in vocalizing her wants and needs, which would reduce the risk of any falls, injuries, or retracting back into malnourishment. Also, to reduce the risk of any falls and injuries, the physical and occupational therapy teams worked with Ms. Hall on transfers, mobility, how to safely complete daily tasks, and the risks involved with not following any of the practices they had developed.

When Ms. Hall first arrived in the building, she required maximum assistance in all daily tasks: walking, opening doors, operating mobilization equipment, sitting up and lying down, etc. After having therapy five days a week, Ms. Hall was no longer experiencing a failure-to-thrive lifestyle. Now Ms. Hall is ambulating, transferring, showering, toileting, eating, and completing all daily tasks again with little to no assistance.

Thanks to the careful, skilled, and consistent work of the entire rehabilitation and nursing team at Nashville Center, Ms. Hall was discharged home to be with her family and friends. She expressed excitement for seeing her recently graduated great-granddaughter and getting back to being the family member and faithful friend she is. While Nashville Center was delighted to have her as a cherished resident, we are proud to see her thriving and meeting all her goals.

Residents like Ms. Wynona Hall remind us why we do what we do.