Success Stories

At the beginning of his stay at Kindred, Albert was very weak and had difficulty weaning from the ventilator, although he was determined to get better as his goal was to return home with his wife.

His multidisciplinary team consisting of respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapists, dieticians and nurses, prepared a specialized treatment plan for him and began helping Albert to regain his independence. 

It wasn't long before Albert was successfully weaned from the ventilator. He simultaneously worked with his speech therapist and dietician to progress from a feeding tube to a regular diet. At the outset Albert was very weak, but he worked hard in the rehab gym gaining strength each day, and even though he was limited by pain while sitting in the chair, Albert never gave up and always kept trying.

By the time he was discharged to an acute rehab facility, he was much stronger and ready to get more intensive therapy. At the time of his discharge Albert said; "I am very thankful for the great care at Kindred and especially love my respiratory team!"

All of us at Kindred wish Albert all the best as he continues on his journey to recovery and hope that he is able to return to his wife and home very soon!

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.”