Jo-Ellen
With determination and faith, you can do it.
Jo-Ellen is a proud grandparent to 18 children, and when she is not spending time with family she loves to work on jigsaw and word-search puzzles. When she developed difficulty breathing she went to the ER and was subsequently admitted -- she was coughing up blood clots and reported that she was feeling sharp chest pains.
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She was diagnosed to be suffering from respiratory failure and acute cardiogenic shock – a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood throughout the body. Jo-Ellen was placed on a ventilator to support her failing lungs and started on medication to stabilize her condition. She was also given a feeding tube as she was unable to take anything by mouth.
At the general hospital Jo-Ellen was not able to be weaned from the ventilator successfully and she was transferred to Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Rahway to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. Her team of caregivers started her on the respiratory failure and early mobility program and Jo-Ellen began to make rapid progress. Jo-Ellen was motivated and had a positive attitude that contributed to her recovery. And she never stopped working on word search puzzles to keep her mind sharp as she got better.
Her respiratory team successfully liberated her from the ventilator and breathing tube and she also made excellent gains with her physical and occupational therapists, progressing to being able to walk with the aid of a walker and recovering her independence over the activities of daily life.
“My advice to others is that with determination and faith, you can do it,” Jo-Ellen shared just before she was discharged from Kindred to continue on her journey to recovery. “Listen to what your doctors say – I didn’t want to leave my children. And I just want to say that I’m very grateful to the team here at Kindred.”
Wanda
If it hadn’t been for Kindred, I wouldn’t be where I am.
Wanda is a retired airline stewardess who flew all around the world for 38 years. In her retirement she has enjoyed playing bingo with friends, watching movies, walking and exercising.
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Although she has experienced and overcome health issues in the past, she most recently had to be admitted to the hospital when she started having severe difficulty breathing that led to multi-organ failure. She was placed on a ventilator and given a feeding tube and started to receive treatment to stabilize her condition.
After a lengthy stay at the acute care facility and after several failed attempts to wean her from the ventilator, Wanda was transferred to Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Rahway to receive respiratory therapy, wound care, ongoing medical management and rehabilitation. Although she was weakened from her illness and prolonged period of bed rest and completely dependent on her caregivers, Wanda was always motivated, positive and engaged in her recovery. With diligent care from her respiratory therapists, Wanda accomplished the first objective in her treatment plan, which was to successfully liberate her from the ventilator. She then was guided by her speech pathologist to swallow safely, allowing her to begin to drink and eat a regular diet and for the removal of the feeding tube.
Her physical and occupational therapists worked with Wanda to help her get back her strength and mobility as well. And although she still wasn’t able to get up on her feet and walk before she was discharged from Kindred to continue her journey to recovery, she continued to improve day by day and her wound care team was instrumental in healing her pressure ulcers.
“I am grateful for the people who helped me get to this point,” Wanda expressed. “If it hadn’t been for Kindred, I wouldn’t be where I am. I am looking forward to being able to walk again and will try – no matter how hard it is.”
Anthony R
The knowledge of Kindred’s staff is mind-boggling!
Anthony loved to go boating and fishing and spending time with his family until one day he had to stay home from work because he was experiencing severe episodes of dizziness. At the hospital he was diagnosed with sepsis, flu, congestive heart failure and extremely low blood pressure which quickly led to acute respiratory failure, requiring physicians to place him on a ventilator to support his lungs. His kidneys also failed and Anthony was started on dialysis, IV antibiotics and given a feeding tube to administer nutrition.
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He remained at the general hospital until he was stable enough to be transferred to Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Rahway to begin respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. He was started on the ventilator weaning program and quickly began to make progress until his respiratory therapists were able to liberate Anthony completely from the ventilator. Under the guidance of his physical and occupational therapists and an abundance of motivation and positive energy, Anthony progressed from being bed-bound to being able to get up from bed, walk and take care of all his daily needs, continuing to get stronger in his quest to return home and back to a normal life.
“The knowledge of Kindred’s staff is mind-boggling!” Anthony affirmed before he was discharged to continue on his journey to recovery. “Everyone is very knowledgeable and their care and expertise gave me a great deal of comfort during this time of great uncertainty. I’m amazed how quickly everything happened – one day I was with my family, and the next day I was in the hospital and couldn’t even talk.”
Anthony S
We are very grateful to his team here at Kindred
Anthony loved to play golf and watch sports until he suffered a fall that led him to be hospitalized. He subsequently had a stroke and had to undergo cranial surgery to remove blood clots in his brain. He developed additional complications, including pneumonia and infections, and started to receive IV antibiotic treatments. He was also placed on a ventilator to support his lungs.
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After he had been stabilized, Anthony was transferred to Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Rahway to begin respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. He was immediately started on the respiratory and early mobility program and quickly began to show major signs of improvement. With his wife at his side and buoyed by a positive attitude, Anthony was very motivated to get better and he was soon able to be taken off the ventilator completely. He also regained greater strength and mobility with help from his occupational and physical therapists and his medical condition improved greatly as well. He completed his antibiotic therapy and improved in all areas of his recovery.
“Anthony and I are very grateful to his team here at Kindred,” his wife affirmed just before he was discharged to continue with his journey to recovery. “We are both looking forward to the next stage and to him returning home soon.”
Aniano
I am thankful to all that took care of me
Aniano is an avid gardener who loves to cultivate vegetables and flowers. He had been managing his diabetes and hypertension, but when he began to experience increasing episodes of shortness of breath and swelling in his legs he went to the local hospital. Physicians performed numerous tests and diagnosed Aniano to be suffering from heart disease requiring major surgery. He was transferred to an acute care hospital, underwent artery bypass surgery and subsequently developed respiratory failure, requiring a ventilator to support his breathing as well as a feeding tube as he was unable to take anything by mouth.
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Once Aniano was stabilized and taken off the ventilator, he was transferred to Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Rahway for ongoing medical management to prevent blood clots, resolve his pneumonia, and receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. At the beginning of his stay he required maximum assistance from his caregivers for all his needs, but quickly began to improve and was soon able to have the breathing tube removed. Aniano’s speech pathologist helped him regain the ability to swallow and use his voice and he was able to begin drinking and eating again.
Aniano always maintained a pleasant and positive attitude throughout his stay at Kindred and he worked hard with his physical and occupational therapists to get back his mobility and fine motor skills. By the time he was discharged from Kindred, Aniano was well on his way to recovery and he had the support of his cousin, who is also a psychiatrist. Aniano was able to be released from Kindred to continue his recovery with his cousin, who will help make sure Aniano gets to all his follow-up appointments and continues to improve.
“I am thankful to all that took care of me,” Aniano affirmed just before he left Kindred and shared one of his favorite sayings; “If a man gets paid for that day, his pay should be equal to the services he renders.”
Lalita
I am very grateful to live to be able to live and tell of another day
Lalita has faced several medical conditions, including asthma, diabetes, heart failure and stroke. Most recently when she developed an infection and had to be admitted to the hospital she developed a hemorrhage that led to shock and respiratory distress. She was placed on a ventilator and underwent procedures to resolve her infection and the removal of blood clots. Lalita was successfully stabilized, but physicians were unable to take her off the ventilator and she was transferred to Kindred Hospital New Jersey - Rahway for ongoing medical care, respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.
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The respiratory team at the hospital immediately began working with Lalita and she made great progress, reaching a point where she was able to breathe on her own without the ventilator. She next worked with her speech pathologist to regain the ability to swallow, speak and begin to eat and drink a simple diet again.
Lalita maintained a pleasant and positive attitude throughout her stay at Kindred and her caregivers helped her keep her spirits up as she made continuous progress. In the rehab gym she worked hard with her physical and occupational therapists and regained more strength with each passing day as well as the motor skills to take care of the activities of daily life.
Lalita was able to be discharged from Kindred to continue her journey to recovery and looked forward to going back home to a normal life, tending to her collection of plants and watching her favorite cooking shows again. “I am very grateful to live to be able to live and tell of another day.”
John
To everyone who took part in my father’s care – thank you!
John lived at home and enjoyed time spent with family, dancing and studying history. Just recently he was found unresponsive and lying on the floor of his bedroom and rushed to the hospital, where physicians determined he had suffered from a massive stroke and had to perform cranial surgery to relieve the pressure that had built up in his brain.
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At the general hospital, John began what would be a long road to recovery, requiring the placement of a ventilator to support his breathing and a course of IV antibiotics to address an infection he developed. Once he was stable and weaned from the ventilator he was brought to Kindred Hospital New Jersey – Rahway to continue respiratory therapy, ongoing medical management and rehabilitation. With his supportive family at his side, and a dedicated team of caregivers, John slowly began to show improvement and progressed from being completely unresponsive to any kind of stimulus, to being able to talk and breathe normally.
Although John still has a ways to go before he is able to return home, he has made significant progress and both he and his family are hopeful for the future. “All of our family felt a great sense of relief when my father was brought to Kindred,” John’s daughter shared. “I’m a nurse, and my dad’s sister is a nursing assistant and we were confident in the care that he was going to receive.
“We want to thank all of his nurses, aides, doctors, Felicia (our case manager), dad’s physical and occupational therapists – and Ray in particular. To everyone who took part in my father’s care – thank you!”
Robert
I will do what I have to do so I can do what I want to do
Robert has struggled with heart and renal disease for some time and has to undergo regular dialysis treatments to support his failing kidneys. Just before the holidays last year Robert was travelling from his home in Ohio to New Jersey for his son’s funeral and missed a scheduled dialysis session. Unfortunately this event led to a torrent of medical complications and he had to be hospitalized for acute respiratory and kidney failure.
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Physicians at the general hospital immediately had to apply aggressive emergency treatments and also diagnosed Robert to be suffering from pneumonia, blood clots and cardiac hypertension. He was placed on a ventilator and started on a course of IV antibiotics and medication to stabilize his condition. He was also given a feeding tube to administer nutrition as he was unresponsive and unable to take anything by mouth. Still in a delicate condition, Robert began his journey to recovery without making much progress until he was transferred to Kindred Hospital New Jersey – Rahway.
Immediately after he was admitted to Kindred, Robert’s respiratory therapists began to strengthen his lungs with the goal of liberating him completely from the ventilator. Once he was finally able to breathe on his own, Robert became highly motivated and engaged with his recovery. He eagerly applied himself to his physical and occupational therapy, progressing toward regaining his independence and mobility. Freedom from the feeding tube was another obstacle that he was able to overcome with the help of his speech pathologist, who helped Robert relearn to swallow and use his voice again after having a breathing tube in place for so long. The ability to eat and drink a normal diet again also boosted Robert’s morale and energy and he continued to improve until he was cleared to be discharged from Kindred to return home.
“I am very happy to be able to return home to Ohio. I appreciate everything the team here did for me and the good advice to take my medications and do my therapies faithfully. I will do what I have to do so I can do what I want to do,” quipped Robert just before he left the facility.