Success Stories

Physicians placed a breathing tube to support her lungs and a feeding tube to administer nutrition, and after she had been stabilized Leanne was transferred to Kindred Hospital Philadelphia to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.

On her arrival at Kindred, Leanne was extremely weak and required full assistance from her caregivers for all her needs. She began a rigorous respiratory therapy program and slowly began to make progress as she regained more strength and mobility thanks to her physical and occupational therapists. Motivated and very eager to recover, Leanne put all of her effort into her therapy sessions and was finally able to be taken off the ventilator.

Leanne also regained the ability to get up from her bed, stand and walk with the assistance of a rolling walker. Her rehab sessions also helped her start to recover her independence over the activities of daily life, and although she still had the breathing tube in place for protection Leanne was able to start drinking and eating a regular diet and communicated with a speaking valve. By the time she was discharged from Kindred to continue her recovery Leanne had made a tremendous amount of progress and was poised for the last step in her journey back to health and to her home and family.

He was immobilized with broken bones, fractured ribs and a punctured lung. “Somehow I was able to wiggle around and get the cell phone out of my pocket,” he said. He called his wife, and within an hour a medical helicopter was taking him to a short-term acute care hospital. He stayed there in the Intensive Care Unit for seven weeks and was then admitted to Kindred Hospital. “Really, by that point he was still in critical condition,” his wife said. “He was totally dependent on a ventilator to breathe. The people at the hospital had done everything they could – we just needed to go somewhere where they had expertise in caring for vent patients.” Almost immediately, the caregivers at Kindred Hospital began rehabilitation therapy and the process of weaning John from the ventilator. “He had been on his back for seven weeks, and gradually they kept having him do a little more at a time,” his wife said. “The walking helped him strengthen his lungs.” “I felt like I was making progress, absolutely,” John said. “I’d heard of Kindred before, but I didn’t really know what they did.” Six weeks later, John was released to home care to fully recover. “By the time we left, he was walking, breathing, swallowing and eating,” his wife said. “And it was the teamwork that was great.” “The care was excellent,” John said. “Everybody knew what they were doing and everybody worked together.” “Just excellent.”

Upon admission, Mr. N began immediate treatment not only for acute respiratory failure, but also for a bad case of recurring cellulitis in his lower right leg. He was monitored daily by a primary care physician, a pulmonologist and the wound care team.

In just three weeks, Mr. N was weaned off the vent. By the end of his stay, his required oxygen level was down to 30%.

Mr. N also received IV antibiotic therapy and topical medications as part of his wound care treatment program. Within only 14 days, his painful cellulitis and ulcerations had vastly improved.

With his wounds significantly healed and his new independence from the ventilator, Mr. N began working diligently with Kindred’s rehabilitation staff to get back on his feet.

After just six weeks of medical treatment and physical rehabilitation at Kindred, Mr. N. left breathing on his own and able to walk. Having made huge strides toward recovery at Kindred Hospital, Mr. N was transferred to a skilled nursing facility for continued rehabilitation in the hopes of an eventual return home.