Dorothy
“The rehab and respiratory staff here are wonderful!”
Dorothy began having episodes in which she would lose consciousness and also started having difficulty swallowing. She was admitted to a general hospital where physicians diagnosed her to be suffering from pneumonia and elevated blood pressure.
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This led her to also develop respiratory failure and she had to be placed on a ventilator and given a feeding tube.
After she had been stabilized, Dorothy was transferred to Kindred Hospital The Palm Beaches to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. When she first arrived she was minimally responsive and required full assistance from her caregivers for all her needs. Her respiratory team immediately began to apply proven therapies and Dorothy responded quickly, regaining more pulmonary strength every day until she no longer needed support from the ventilator and she could breathe on her own.
Her next milestone was reached when Dorothy was able to have the breathing tube removed and her speech therapist guided her to be able to swallow safely. Working with her physical and occupational therapists also enabled Dorothy to regain her mobility, fine motor skills and increased strength. She was able to get up from bed and walk with minimal assistance and the aid of a rolling walker and had regained her independence over the activities of daily living.
“The rehab and respiratory staff here are wonderful!” Dorothy shared just before she was discharged to continue her journey to recovery. “Thank you all.”
Erika
“Thank You for Saving My Life.”
Erika Kirk is a homemaker, a mother of two, and was First Lady of Florida from 1967-1971. She and her husband Claude Kirk, the 36th Governor of Florida, have been married for more than 40 years
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Before coming to Kindred Hospital The Palm Beaches, Mrs. Kirk was admitted to the local short-term acute care hospital for suspected Guillain-Barre syndrome that evolved into acute respiratory failure. At the end of her three-week stay at the traditional hospital, Mrs. Kirk required extended recovery time and was transferred to Kindred Hospital The Palm Beaches.
Upon admission to Kindred Hospital, Mrs. Kirk required continued respiratory treatment, nutritional support and ventilator weaning. She was evaluated by our physicians and interdisciplinary team of nurses, specialists and therapists, who developed an aggressive treatment plan tailored to her complex medical needs.
Mrs. Kirk was very anxious about the weaning process, but was strengthened and encouraged by our respiratory staff’s optimism and her family’s support. Her husband remained at her bedside throughout her recovery.
The Kindred Hospital staff reassured her and soon she was fully weaned from the ventilator. She passed all of her swallow evaluations, and the respiratory team proceeded to begin capping trials. Three days later to her amazement, Mrs. Kirk was decannulated and hasn't stop smiling since.
Mrs. Kirk was discharged home to her loving, supportive family, and was grateful to the entire staff. She thanked staff members for "saving her life."