Prime Success Story! Meet Jean

Jean, an 86 year old woman living independently at home, was rushed to the hospital for cardiac artery bypass surgery. Jean suffered from coronary artery disease and the surgery left her needing assistance with practically every task including walking, bathing, dressing and toileting. After her referral to a sub-acute nursing home facility, she immediately began occupational and physical therapy and was later referred to speech therapy when she exhibited difficulty with motor planning. The therapists worked hand in hand with Jean and the nursing team to customize a rehab regimen that focused on functional mobility training while monitoring her vital signs and emphasizing compensatory strategies to accommodate her sternal precautions, shortness of breath exacerbated by exercise and the tremors in her limbs that developed following her cardiac surgery. Treatment addressed her abnormal gait pattern, her need for increased assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), her specific areas of muscle weakness and her decreased dynamic balance. After eight weeks of treatment, Jean’s functioning increased from 50-75% impairment to 0-25% impairment. By working with the medical staff at the nursing home and providing Jean and her son with education and home equipment, the rehab department arranged for Jean to safely return to her home with a caregiver.