St. James Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center (February 2019)

Mrs. Joan Alvarado arrived at our home, St. James Rehabilitation & and Healthcare Center, from Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, Long Island. Mrs. Alvarado underwent spinal surgery in November of 2018. After being at Winthrop, Mrs. Alvarado went to Island Nursing & Rehab Center, where she stayed for one week.

On November 30th, she went to an appointment to see her plastic surgeon. She was in need of another operation, to drain an infection that she contracted in her spine. After that, she was able to go to a step-down unit for a week. She decided to come to St. James for her new rehabilitation journey because she heard great things about the community.

She arrived at St. James on December 10th, 2018. When Mrs. Alvarado arrived, she was not able to stand on her own. This had made her a perfect candidate for our wonderful rehabilitation services.

When Mrs. Alvarado first arrived, her room was ready and she was greeted by the entire interdisciplinary team. She was seen by nursing, recreation, therapists, and our concierge. Her two therapists, Brendon and Susan, worked closely with her and were the ones who evaluated her upon admission. Being that Mrs. Alvarado was unable to stand and move much on her own, we assisted her as much as she needed to move about the community.

Mrs. Alvarado’s’ first week was difficult. She had to use a Hoyer and required nurse aides’ assistance. She was lacking confidence because she needed help with all of her activities of daily living. Her therapists diligently worked with her to make sure her confidence levels were no longer an issue.

Two weeks into therapy, Mrs. Alvarado was able to switch from a Hoyer to a sit-to-stand machine. She was ecstatic about that because she was finally able to stand up with assistance. From the sit-to-stand, she eventually became a one person assist. After the first month and a half, she went from needing a machine to get in and out of bed, to only needing one nurse to assist her.

The main goal was to be able to get stronger and walk again. She exceeded what she thought was impossible- and proved herself wrong.

Once Mrs. Alvarado’s discharge date was set, she was eager to get home. She went around telling everyone about her upcoming departure and there were cheers and sadness because we truly were so happy to have her here.

She was happy to have met so many people and made lots of friends here. She loved her two therapists and couldn’t have completed her rehabilitation journey without them. She also said that there were two people that truly made her stay more comfortable, and they were Kimberly, her aide, and Steven, the concierge. Her therapists, Brendon and Susan, worked well with her- understanding her condition and formed a wonderful relationship with her.

She enjoyed her time here and was able to get the rehab she needed, it would not have been possible without the help of the entire interdisciplinary team.

On February 25th, Mrs. Alvarado was discharged home. By the end of her rehabilitation journey at St. James, Mrs. Alvarado was able to stand up and take steps with assistance. She couldn’t have been happier with the progress that she made. Mrs. Alvarado is now with her family who will be there to assist her.

We at St. James are so proud of Mrs. Alvarado for all of her accomplishments she made here and wish nothing but the best for her in the rest of 2019!