Mrs. D: Balance Regained

Mrs. D, 87, transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area for continued care for complications of congestive heart failure. She came to Kindred Hospital from a short-term acute care hospital, but had been living in an assisted living center before being hospitalized and was determined to return.

On admission to Kindred Hospital, Mrs. D was very debilitated, weak and required assistance for all mobility and activities of daily living.

The rehabilitation team at Kindred Hospital Bay Area outlined a treatment program of physical and occupational therapies to improve Mrs. D’s strength, mobility and function.

Though she fatigued quickly, limiting her ability to participate in treatment sessions, her therapists were determined to keep her moving forward. Due to her initial status as high fall risk, Mrs. D easily lost her balance and needed assistance to recover. Improving Mrs. D’s balance was one of the team’s major goals.

Today Mrs. D has progressed to ambulating over 300 feet with a rolling walker independently. Mrs. D and her therapists worked so diligently on high-level balance activities and fall recovery that she is no longer high fall risk. She now requires only modified independence for daily activities and is able to participate in a full rehab session without becoming short of breath or overly fatigued.

Mrs. D loves coming to the new gym at the new Kindred Hospital Bay Area for her favorite activity – bowling on the Wii! She loves to shares her score with her friends on her cell phone after each session and proclaims, “I never had therapy this good until I came here!”

With a successful recovery thanks to her own determination and the support of the rehabilitation team she now calls “her friends,” Mrs. D is able to look forward to returning to her assisted living center.

Kindred Hospital Bay Area’s success is apparent in stories like these as well as in our quality scores – 97.8 percent of patients and families recommend Kindred. Kindred Hospital Bay Area is the 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.