Jerry: Rehabilitation Leads to Recovery

Jerry came to Kindred Hospital San Diego from a short-term acute care hospital, where he had been admitted after falling in his garage. He had developed complications at the hospital and came to Kindred for ventilator weaning and rehabilitation.

Upon admission, Jerry had a tracheostomy, so he was unable to speak or eat by mouth. He was also dealing with a hearing loss. He was given a hearing amplifier for use during his stay, which helped him communicate with family and staff. He was also fitted with a Passy Muir speaking valve.

Our speech-language pathologist was able to begin giving him small amounts of food and liquids and eventually he gained the ability to tolerate a regular diet. Because Jerry had been confined to his bed for a prolonged period of time, he had significant weakness and debility when he was evaluated by our physical and occupational therapists. He was unable to sit up in bed with maximum assistance and had to have at least two people to help him just to stand, let alone walk.

Physical and occupational therapy worked with him five days a week for four weeks, during which time he underwent therapeutic exercise sessions for strengthening, transfer and mobility training to help with his functional mobility, and eventually gait training to get him back up on his feet and walking again. He was motivated and driven, continuously participating with his therapy sessions and working hard with his therapists, as well as being encouraged and supported by his family.

Jerry was eventually discharged to a skilled nursing center for acute rehabilitation services. At that point he was able to get out of his bed and into a wheelchair with only minimal assistance and was walking from 25-50 feet with minimal assistance using a walker. He was also able to perform activities of daily living independently.

Kindred Hospital San Diego’s success is apparent in stories like this as well as in our quality scores – our patients and families rate our quality of care at 91.4 percent and over 92 percent would recommend Kindred. Kindred Hospital San Diego is also the four-time recipient of the American Association for Respiratory Care's (AARC) Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR), based on strict safety and quality standards related to the provision of respiratory care services by qualified respiratory therapists.