Sheila: Home to a Better Life

Sheila, 45, was living with her husband, who found her collapsed in their home. She was admitted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with hypertensive encephalopathy and placed on a ventilator. Her complex medical care made it difficult for her to wean from the ventilator so she was transferred to Kindred Hospital Delaware County.

When she arrived at Kindred she was essentially unresponsive and immobile. As her mental state began to improve she was very anxious and fearful of her surroundings and the staff, who diligently worked to keep her safe and help her heal. Because of her immobility she had developed a large pressure ulcer on her back and had become septic. She was placed on a Clinitron bed and needed IV antibiotics. Her arms were contracted. She received her nutrition from a gastrostomy tube.

In spite of her many medical issues her ventilator weaning began right away. Three weeks later she was off the ventilator completely, but she still needed significant respiratory intervention. She still required her tracheostomy until February.

Her back wound was so severe that she required surgical debridement, then a wound VAC, a diverting colostomy, and finally a skin flap in January. The more alert she became the more anxious and restless she was and her fragile skin needed close monitoring to protect it from further breakdown.

The physical therapy team had a lot of work to do to get her back to where she was before she came into the hospital. Physical, occupational and speech therapists worked with her in bed until she was able to get out of bed in March. She was very anxious about getting out of bed but was able to overcome her fears with much encouragement. She trusted the staff completely by this point.

By early April she was able to take four steps and feed herself, and she would gladly tell you how she enjoyed the “regular food.” One farewell gift from a staff member was a McDonald’s hamburger meal the day before she was transferred to Mercy Fitzgerald’s acute rehabilitation unit. Sheila and her husband were very pleased with how far she had come from when she was first admitted seven months ago.

After a short stay in rehab, Sheila went home to live a better life with her husband.