Concierge: Tiffany Colon
Patient Name: Leahy, Thomas
Patient Age: 73
Admissions Date: 4/5/2023
Admitted from: Plainview Hospital Northwell Health
Discharge Date: 6/5/2023
Length of Stay: 2 months
Reason for Stay: Encounter for orthopedic aftercare following surgical amputation
How did this patient hear about The Hamlet? Social Worker at Plainview Hospital Northwell Health
Details of experience:
On April 5th, 2023, Thomas was admitted to Plainview Hospital Northwell Health with an admitting diagnosis of below-the-knee amputation (BKA). A below-the-knee amputation is surgery to remove your leg below the knee. Thomas was in the emergency room for right plantar diabetic foot ulcer down to skins, subcutaneous tissue fat, bone with underlying calcaneal osteomyelitis. This later led to Thomas needing to have a below-the-knee amputation by Lorena DeMarco-Garica, Chief of Vascular Surgery. He came to our community for the Rehabilitation Center to recover in our Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program with Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, Paralympic Gold Medalists who have mentored over 20,000 amputees worldwide.
Upon arrival, Thomas was greeted by Hamlet’s interdisciplinary team, which includes Nursing, Concierge, Social Work, Recreation, and Rehabilitation. Thomas was evaluated by Allan Raymundo, Physical Therapist along with Melissa Pelaez, Occupational Therapist. He required rehabilitation services to increase his LE strength, increase functional activities tolerance, enhance fall recovery abilities, improve bed mobility, improve transfers, improve dynamic balance, improve ambulation and quality of gait. This is in order to facilitate and restore his independence with all functional mobility, enhance his quality of life and safely return to a prior level of functional abilities. Upon evaluation, Thomas was a moderate assistance (MOD(A)) on all Activities of Daily Living ( ADLs).
Thomas worked extremely hard not only with our rehabilitation team but in the Amputee Walking School program. This program is an in-house program that builds off everything that the amputee learns going through their rehabilitation in our CareRite communities.
Thomas had a long road to recovery; his baseline goals were met after 2 months, where he progressed from MOD (A) to supervision. He was able to safely ambulate on a level surface 250 feet using a rolling walker (RW) and right BK prosthesis. He was able to perform car transfers with stand by assist (SBA) and was able to negotiate 4 stairs using bilateral handrails with comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA).
Thomas has achieved every goal that was handed to him in these last two months of rehabilitation services. His daughter came in everyday to support him and brought his granddaughter to brighten his days. He worked extremely hard to work past the struggles he came across from the healing process of his BKA surgery. Thomas had ongoing support from Todd, Dennis, Tiffany (Director of Concierge), and his daughter. In the beginning of his journey his daughter didn’t think returning home would be an option for him. At the time not knowing what the Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program (CARP) would do for him in being able to go back to his ADLs prior to his amputation. Thomas sat with our Rehab and Social Work team to make sure he had all the equipment necessary to get him back home walking with his prosthesis.
Thomas was extremely grateful to the entire team at The Hamlet. Team Hamlet wishes Thomas much success in his continued health care journey.