Patient’s Age: 82-years-old
Admission Date: 07/14/19
Admitted From: Northwest Medical Center
Discharge Date: TBD
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: TBD
Reason for Stay: Cerebral Infarction (stroke).
How did this patient hear about The Encore: Daughter Cheri searched resident’s health plan website, Encore was recommended.
Details of experience:
It was a seemingly pleasant Sunday morning as Mr. Frank Presto was relaxing on his bed watching TV. He suddenly started shaking out of control. Scared of what was happening, his wife Patricia immediately called 911. He was rushed to Northwest Medical Center and admitted on June 9th, 2019. The doctors informed Frank and Patricia that he had suffered a stroke. After receiving the appropriate treatment, they were informed that he was going to need extensive subacute rehabilitation services.
Frank was admitted to The Encore on July 14, 2019. Upon admission, he did not look good. He required maximum assistance to get out of bed, to stand and use the therapy bars. Overall, he required a lot of help to do everyday tasks. Frank stated, “I thought I was going to die.” Frank’s highly-trained therapy team knew they had to work hard with him for a speedy recovery.
Frank’s first week at The Encore was a tough one. Upon evaluation, he was only able to ambulate five feet while being assisted with the parallel bars. His daughter, Cheri, stated, “We hoped he’d pull through but we were uncertain. We didn’t even think he’d get out of the hospital. Hospice was talking to our family saying that we should be careful with what our hopes are in regard to him getting better.” Frank did not give up. By week 2, he was walking 3 feet using a walker and assistance from his encouraging therapists. The only struggle was that he still required maximum assistance with transferring.
Frank really started to impress everyone! A few weeks went by where he was able to sit up, walk more using a walker and able to transfer with only minimal assistance. By week 6, he was walking 90 feet with a rolling walker! When Michael Rubin, our Director of Concierge Services, spoke with his therapist about his progress, she stated, “This is huge progress. He will be going home soon! He required a Hoyer lift to get him out of bed and now he only requires standby assistance with a 4 wheel walker!”
The Encore has a beautiful outdoor area with benches, palm trees, a mini-golf course, a koi pond and a gazebo for everyone to enjoy! Besides participating in therapy, Frank’s favorite thing was to sit outside in the sun. He is also blessed with a very supportive family. Michael also spoke with Frank’s wife, Patricia. She stated, “We were very hopeful when we found the Encore. We were very pleased with everything. Frank’s story is just a miracle! We are overall very happy. The biggest challenge was having to choose the second floor where his nurse Kerline was or to be downstairs closer to outside!”
Nearing his discharge date, Frank was now able to function again and Team Encore could not be more proud of him! He stated, “the staff here are like my family. They really get to know you and are interested. I never felt like a stranger during my stay. I’ve come a long way. My therapists were extremely encouraging, the nurses were extremely accommodating and I loved the chicken salad! Everything was good.”
Congratulations to Frank for all his progress here and continued progress at home!