Norma was admitted to the high-acuity unit at Kindred for close monitoring, ventilator management, and IV drip management. At discharge, she was able to walk 50 feet with a walker and minimal assistance. Norma worked with respiratory staff and was liberated from the ventilator. 

Norma and her family are very close. She lives with her son and two sisters. Norma went to the local hospital’s emergency department (ED) with facial drop, left-sided paresthesia (skin sensations), and dizziness. In the ED, Norma received Vitamin K and Kcentra, and a code for stroke was called. She was found to have a rare type of stroke in her brainstem. Norma’s mental status began to decline, and she was unable to maintain her airway, so she was intubated. She was unable to be extubated, so she underwent trach (breathing tube) and PEG (feeding tube) placement. She was also treated with IV antibiotics for possible pneumonia, as well as IV pressors (medications that raise blood pressure), prior to her transfer to Kindred Hospital Chicago – North.

Norma was admitted to the high-acuity unit at Kindred for close monitoring, ventilator management, and IV drip management. She was evaluated by an interdisciplinary team that provided respiratory therapy, nutrition, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy. At the start of her care, her nutrition needs were met through tube feeds only. She could only write to communicate and required nearly total assistance for mobility and self-care. She was determined to get better, and had good social support and encouragement from her family, including her brother who visited often. She worked hard with therapy, and within two weeks, she  passed her swallow study to begin a soft and bite-sized diet with thin liquids. She was eventually upgraded to a regular diet and no longer needed swallowing therapy, but she continued to work with speech therapy on tolerating the speaking valve and communicating clearly. She worked diligently with physical therapy and occupational therapy five times a week to regain mobility and selfcare abilities, using a walker for ambulation and long-handled equipment for lower body self-care tasks.

At discharge, she was able to walk 50 feet with a walker and minimal assistance. Norma worked with respiratory staff and was liberated from the ventilator. She was able to tolerate the speaking valve, but she was unable to tolerate capping. She continued to require oxygen via trach collar at the time of her discharge to acute inpatient rehab, but she was breathing on her own, and able to use her voice instead of writing.