Concierge: Ashley Valentin
Patient’s Age: 70 years old
Admission Date: 1/24/24
Discharge Date: 2/28/24
Discharged to: Home
Length of Stay: 35 days
Reason for Stay: Right total knee replacement
How did this patient hear about St. James? Had an exceptional previous stay at St. James
Details of Experience:
Ms. R went to the hospital for a scheduled right total knee replacement for knee osteoarthritis. She called the St. James admissions department to let them know when she was having surgery and is expecting to have in-patient rehab. She wanted to inform the admissions department because St. James was the only place she wanted to go. She has been previously at St. James, where she really enjoyed her stay and was happy with her results. When the social worker at the hospital told her she would need a skilled nursing facility for rehab, she told them that St. James knew and was waiting for the discharge plan from the hospital when she was ready.
Ms. R was ready to start working with her physical and occupational therapist from her last stay. Since Ms. R had a total right knee replacement, she could not ambulate or negotiate stairs. She presented with increased pain and anxiety about weight-bearing on the right lower extremity, limiting her passive range of motion (PROM) and progression in standing activities.
The therapist educated her on what and why they were doing specific exercises with her. They also include social work to provide extra support for anxiety. Passive range of motion occurs around a joint if the muscles are not being moved. A physical therapist can manually move your body while the person is relaxed. A machine may also be used to provide passive range of motion. For example, a person may be unable to use the muscles to move the knee after knee replacement surgery. The physical therapist may bend and straighten the knee, passively moving the leg.
Upon discharge, she was able to perform bed mobility and transfers independently. She could also ambulate over 500 feet independently and negotiate over 13 steps. She became very close with her therapist and social worker. She stated, “St. James is the only place I will go for rehab. The therapist is excellent, and the social workers are compassionate.”