Concierge: Samantha Holman
Patient name: James
Patient age: 56
Admission Date: 3/13/2025
Admitted From: Hackensack University Medical Center
Discharge Date: TBD
Length of Stay: A little over one year
Details of Experience:
On March 13th, 2025, James was admitted to our community with an admitting diagnosis of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) after he experienced an unexpected, life-changing stroke while working in New York City. He was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he received treatment and stabilization.
Following his hospital stay, James was admitted to The Hamlet for further rehabilitation and recovery.
James was warmly welcomed to The Hamlet by the interdisciplinary team, committed to providing personalized care. Upon arrival, each team member, including nursing, therapy, social work, recreation, and concierge, worked with him to assess his needs and establish a plan of care to support him throughout this next journey.
James required Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Speech Therapy (ST). When he first arrived, James relied on a communication board to effectively express his needs to his family and staff. From day one, he received consistent support and guidance from his family and his therapy team. James was evaluated by Physical Therapist Allan Raymundo, Occupational Therapist Christopher Depasquale, and Speech Therapist, who each developed individualized treatment plans to support his strength, daily functioning, and communication. James required PT to safely and functionally transfer, support himself while sitting, increase hip and knee flexion strength, perform bed mobility tasks, and ultimately ambulate safely while maintaining balance. He required OT to improve his ability to manage personal hygiene, perform upper-body dressing, grasp and release objects, maintain an upright posture, and engage in self-care tasks. He also required ST to safely swallow more complex consistencies, increase breath support, articulate functional words, and improve speech intelligibility.
James quickly developed meaningful connections with his therapy team, which fostered a strong sense of trust and reassurance that has played a crucial role in his rehabilitation journey. Within one year, he has worked with PT to improve his ability to roll and safely transfer from lying to sitting with moderate assistance, increase his hip and knee flexion, and safely transfer to a standing position from sitting in a chair. From there, James can now ambulate 20 feet with a walker and maintain his balance. In OT, he learned grasp-and-release techniques to handle objects, enhancing hygiene and dexterity for Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). James continues to gain upper-body and core strength to improve his ability to safely perform self-care tasks. In ST, James has improved his overall respiration coordination, increased vocal intensity, and increased sustained inspiratory volume duration, which is the length of time he is able to maintain a deep, controlled inhalation. When he first arrived, he was unable to swallow and was receiving nutrients through a feeding tube. After much hard work and upgraded diets, James is now on a regular diet, eating regular textured foods and drinking thin liquids.
After a life-changing event on what began as a normal workday, James has spent the past year surrounded by a compassionate team of therapists, nurses, social workers, recreation staff, and concierge who have helped him get to where he is today.
When he first arrived, James was unable to communicate, and now he can talk about his life and tell us his story. Through it all, James has never stopped smiling. His positivity radiates through the community, reminding us to stay hopeful and trust the process, even on the hardest days. As James says, “I am not walking out of here one day—I am dancing out of here.”
We wish James and his family continued strength, happiness, and all the best as they move forward on this journey.