Success Stories

He required intubation and mechanical ventilation on July 20, and had several subsequent complications, including acute renal failure, pneumonia and electrolyte abnormalities. David was also found to have a lesion in the left frontal lobe of his brain, which required an open craniectomy.

On July 29, a tracheotomy was placed due to his inability to wean off of the ventilator. He was transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area Tampa on August 27 for continued medical care, oxygen weaning and aggressive rehabilitation. 

Prior to his initial hospital admission, David was an active man, worked in airplane repair, and was happily married with a 15-year-old daughter. Upon admission, David was awake, but unable to follow commands. He was initially not a candidate for skilled therapies, but three days later he was reassessed and able to sit at the edge of the bed and stand with moderate assistance. He still required oxygen through the tracheostomy and a PEG tube for nutrition. Through the aggressive efforts of the medical and clinical interdisciplinary teams, as well as his dedicated family support, David was soon weaned off of oxygen and decannulated, eating food by mouth, and able to walk over 200 feet without assistance. In only two and a half weeks, he was discharged home with his family.

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Edmund, 66, was admitted to a short-term acute care in June for sepsis, right lower extremity cellulitis, Diabetes Mellitus type 2, acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of muscle fibers resulting in the release of muscle fiber contents into the bloodstream. Edmund also had a significant history of slow healing foot ulcer and osteomyelitis requiring extensive antibiotic treatment.

At the end of his stay at the traditional hospital, Edmund required extended recovery time and was transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa for continued care on July 6. Upon evaluation by the Kindred interdisciplinary team, a treatment plan for Edmund was developed including antibiotics, wound management and rehabilitation services.

Prior to admission, Edmund lived at home with a supportive wife. He owned an electric scooter for community locomotion, a rolling walker, and a standard cane. Edmund reported requiring frequent rests for any activities at home, minimal assistance from his wife for toileting activities, and an overall sedentary lifestyle. Though he had lived independently, he reported having difficulties with activities of daily living, mobility and transfers at home due to significantly impaired functional activity tolerance.

When he arrived at Kindred Hospital, Edmund had 3+ pitting edema to both legs, required supervision for all mobility and transfers in his room, could walk only 10 feet with a rolling walker and required contact guard assistance and rest to shortness of breath. He required minimal assistance for dressing, and moderate assistance for toileting activities.

After 30 days of receiving intense wound management, antibiotic therapy and physical and occupation rehabilitation, Mr. Dwyer was able to walk more than 500 feet with rolling walker and modified independence requiring only 2-3 rests. He required modified independence for dressing, toileting, mobility as well as transfers. Edmunds’s foot ulcer was 100% healed with no signs of osteomyelitis and he was completely discharged from antibiotics.

During his treatment at Kindred, Edmund submitted more than 10 notices for outstanding service of staff here at Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa. Upon discharge he and his wife happily reported that his functional status, activity tolerance, and activities of daily living after his stay at Kindred Hospital were better than prior to his initial hospitalization! Edmund discharged from Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa to a skilled nursing facility, per his request, for continued rehabilitation services on August 5.

Thank you, Edmund, for allowing us to serve you.

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On November 17, Gloria was admitted to Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa for continued care. She remained at Kindred Hospital for 71 days on TPN in chronic pain due to her many medical complications

On January 27, Gloria returned to the short-term acute care hospital for multiple additional surgeries to repair her fistulas and the many other complications resulting from her previous colostomy reversal that November.

Having completed her course of surgeries, Gloria returned to Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa once again for continued care and extended recovery time on March 5. From this point her road to recovery could truly begin.

After evaluation by Kindred’s interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, therapists and specialists, Gloria began receiving physical, occupational, and speech therapies for activities of daily living, retraining, dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), and balance/gait disturbances.

With therapies, Gloria achieved independence for all activities of daily living, transfers, mobility, and gait, and was discharged home on an oral pureed diet. Physicians worked closely with Nursing, Pain Management, her dietician, and Pharmacy to get Gloria on a regimen of pain medicine, nutrition, and self-management for a successful transition back to home with her supportive husband.

Gloria discharged from Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa after a total of 111 days. Gloria’s Case Manager described the experience with Kindred Hospital as “life-saving”.

Gloria and her husband agreed that they could have never made it back home independently without the diligent, compassionate care and tireless efforts of the staff at Kindred.

Thank you, Gloria, for allowing us to serve you.

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For the first year following his transplants, Jack had been was in and out of short-term acute care hospitals. He required significant assistance from his wife for most of his self-care tasks and was only able to walk very short distances with a rolling walker.

Prior to his lung transplants, Jack had been active and independent, driving and happily retired from Lowes. He came to Kindred Hospital in the hopes of getting back to his previous quality of life.

On September 24, 2012 Jack was once again admitted to a short-term acute care hospital with shortness of breath and confusion. He transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area Tampa for continued care on October 12.

Upon admission to Kindred Hospital, Jack was evaluated by our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, specialists and therapists, who began a treatment program tailored to his medically complex needs. He required assistance to roll and sit up in bed and was unable to walk more than ten feet. He could only tolerate about five minutes of activity at a time, and was very weak in both arms and legs. Jack had to overcome his limited endurance and weakness little by little as his lungs became stronger.

Through his perseverance and the support of his wife and our clinical and medical teams, he was able to return home on November 27, 2012. At discharge, he was able to get in and out of bed on his own, walk 300 feet with a rolling walker, and tolerate over 45 minutes of activity with minimal rest.

Less than a week after discharge, his wife called to report that he was already walking without a walker. After only two months at Kindred Bay Area Tampa, Jack was able to return to a life of independence!

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Prior to the onset of heart disease, Jeff had lived an independent, active life, working in auto sales and enjoying his family, his dog and sports. In December, 2011 he was admitted to a short-term acute care hospital and underwent an aortic valve replacement, coronary artery bypass graft, suffered a heart attack and a number of small strokes. Jeff needed a heart transplant. But in the meantime his heart was continuing to deteriorate. His doctors proposed a procedure that would allow his heart to function more effectively and longer until a donor heart was available. After much thought and consideration, Jeff and his wife decided it was best to undergo bilateral ventricular assistive device (BiVAD) placement.

On November 9, 2012, Jeff had the BiVAD placed. He spent the next few months in the hospital recovering. During his stay, Jeff also underwent a right knee replacement, which became infected, requiring a subsequent surgery to remove the infected hardware.

On January 22, 2013, Joe transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area Tampa for continued care including medical management and aggressive rehabilitation. The team at Kindred worked collaboratively and collectively with the VAD transplant team from the referring hospital throughout Jeff’s stay.

Upon admission to Kindred Hospital, Jeff was evaluated by our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, specialists and therapists, who began a treatment program tailored to his medically complex needs. He required moderate assistance to stand and get in and out of bed. He could walk only about 20 feet in the parallel bars with assistance. He was only able to bend his right knee 20 degrees and was in severe pain. In spite of his challenges, Jeff was extremely motivated and participated in skilled physical therapy seven days per week, pushing himself daily.

Through the compassion and aggressive care of the medical and clinical interdisciplinary teams, as well as Jeff’s dedicated family support, he was discharged home with his wife in less than two weeks!

At discharge, Jeff was able to bend his right knee to 94 degrees, get in and out of bed on his own, and walk up and down our hospital halls with a walker, (and someone to wheel his BiVAD device, of course).

Two weeks after discharge, Jeff informed the Kindred team that he is living a normal life again, going out to dinner and playing with his dog, Tebow. He is awaiting his heart transplant, but has already chosen where he would like to recover: Kindred Hospital Bay Area Tampa. We look forward to seeing our friend again soon.

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Prior to January 2013 when Joe was admitted at a short-term acute care for total heart failure, he had been living a full, independent life. He endured a long two month hospitalization at the general hospital, which included four open heart procedures due to total heart failure. He struggled through several post-operative complications including kidney failure, collapsed lungs, pancreatitis, loss of appetite and severe wasting of his leg muscles, which rendered him bed-ridden most of the time.

Joe’s surgeons determined that he needed a heart transplant and performed procedures to install two Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD), which would keep Joe alive as he regained his strength and awaited his new heart. In order to be eligible for the life saving transplant, Joe needed to regain his strength so that he could be added to the transplant list.

In March 2013, Joe transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area Tampa for continued care and aggressive rehab to rebuild his overall strength and endurance. The transplant team from the referring hospital worked collaboratively with our team during Joe’s time at Kindred Hospital.

Upon admission to Kindred Hospital, Joe was evaluated by our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, specialists and therapists, who began a treatment program tailored to his medically complex needs. He required assistance to stand and could walk only short distances with a walker before becoming very fatigued. In spite of his challenges, Joe was extremely motivated and participated in skilled physical therapy seven days per week, pushing himself daily.

Through the compassion and aggressive care of the medical and clinical interdisciplinary teams, as well as Joe’s dedicated family support, he was discharged home with his wife, Sara, after only 12 days!

At discharge, Joe was able to get in and out of bed on his own and walk up and down our hospital halls without a walker. He even wheeled his own VAD device and was able to get into his wife’s convertible for the long-anticipated trip home!

A week after discharge Joe and his wife informed us that they are home and happy; staying busy and enjoying life. Now strong enough to receive it, Joe continues to await his heart transplant and has already chosen where he would like to recover after his transplant surgery: Kindred Hospital Bay Area Tampa. We look forward to seeing our friend again soon.

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Unable to fully recover in the short stay of a traditional hospital setting, Paul was transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa on November 11 for extended recovery time and continued care.

The Kindred interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, specialists and therapists evaluated Paul upon admission and developed a treatment plan tailored to his complex medical needs.

He was ventilator dependent with a history of difficulty weaning, NPO with PEG for all nutrition, on CPAP at 40% FIO2 and had a tracheostomy. He initially required moderate assistance for all functional mobility and transfers out of bed and was able only to walk only 6 feet with a rolling walker and significant physical assistance.

During his journey to wellness at Kindred Hospital, Paul experienced continued difficulty weaning from his Trach Collar and oxygen. The one request from Paul and his loving wife, Kathleen was to be home in time for Christmas.

Through the tireless efforts of the committed interdisciplinary team at Kindred Hospital, Paul was discharged home on December 14, decannulated and completely free of artificial airway support, on a mechanical soft diet with thin liquids without any restrictions for 100% PO nutritional support, no longer needing a PEG tube. He was able to successfully ambulate more than 750 feet with a rolling walker and supervision, independently performing all functional mobility and transfers.

Paul and Kathleen thanked the team at Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa for giving them their life back for Christmas!

Thank you, Paul and Kathleen, for allowing us to serve you.

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Even while battling cancer, she always found gardening to be good therapeutic exercise. Mrs. Labauve has enjoyed educating the community and working in public gardens, but home gardening was her favorite past-time.

During his treatment at the tradition hospital, Richard underwent PEG placement for nutrition, tracheostomy, and mechanical ventilation. He was unable to follow directives and/or communicate his needs effectively. At the end of his stay at the traditional hospital, Richard required extended recovery time and was transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa for continued care on September 20.

Upon admission to Kindred Hospital Richard required supplemental oxygen support via an aerosol trach collar at 28% FIO2 and a PEG for nutrition. Functionally, he required total assistance for bathing, dressing, and grooming; total assistance for mobility and transfers; was unable to walk; and was unable to communicate, follow directions or take food by mouth.

Through the coordinated efforts of the interdisciplinary team Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa, Richard progressed to the point he no longer required high intensity medical care. After 31 days at Kindred Hospital, Richard discharged to a skilled nursing facility.

Upon discharge, he needed no supplemental or artificial respiratory assistance and was completely decannulated without any additional need of O2 support. He was modified independent for all transfers and mobility in and out of his room. He could walk over even and un-even surfaces with rolling walker greater than 250 feet with only supervision.

He ate 100% of his diet of by mouth with soft foods and thin liquids without restrictions. He was able to effectively communicating all his needs and even shared in a few jokes with the staff, enjoying word puzzles in his free time.

Thank you, Rhodes family, for allowing us to serve you.

Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa’s success is apparent in stories like this as well as in our quality scores – our patients and families rate our quality of care at 97.8 percent and over 99 percent would recommend Kindred. Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa is part of a network of three Kindred hospitals in Central Florida, including Kindred Hospital Bay Area – St. Petersburg and Kindred Hospital Central Tampa.

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