Case Study: Trevecca Center Q4 2024
Concierge: Alexander Jones
Patient’s Age: 70
Admission Date: 10/25/2024
Admitted From: Southern Hills Medical Center
Discharge Date: 01/07/2025
Length of Stay: 74 days
Reason for Stay: Fractured left ankle and foot
How did this patient hear about Chatham Hills? Hospital Liaison, Whitney Finney

Imagine being a 70-year-old woman living independently and you sustain a double injury to the same region due to your favorite shoes. That was the case for Tsehai Degene on the 19th day of October 2024. Ms. Degene entered her kitchen to clean and prepare lunch for herself. While going through her regular routine, she lost her balance in her favorite house shoes. The result of her fall was a fractured left foot and ankle, which hospitalized her for 5 days. The next step for Ms. Degene’s healing journey was to include rehabilitation required by the hospital physician.

On the 3rd day of Ms. Degene’s stay at Southern Hills Hospital, Whitney Finney, a liaison of Carerite Centers, met her. They discussed her options and facilities that could accommodate her request for a private room and great care. That’s when Ms. Degene decided on Trevecca to assist in her journey to recovery. On the 25th day of October 2024, Ms. Degene arrived in our community from Southern Hills Medical Center by ambulette. Upon arrival, our receptionist, Tyra, and admissions nurse, Anastasia, met and greeted her. The next day, the Concierge and the entire interdisciplinary team met her to conduct the evaluation. The day after, Ms Degene began her treatment with her therapist, Sarah.

Sarah took a detailed and cautious approach to Ms. Degene and her recovery. She started off non-weight-bearing, building her confidence and trust in Sarah. As weeks went by, more demands were placed on the injured leg. Within a month, Ms. Degene started to experience a significant difference in her ankle and foot movement, which gave her a substantial boost of confidence. She began making greater strides in her recovery from that point on. She began ambulating without assistance, preparing meals and putting on those favorite slippers of Her’s. Ms. Degene has been doing so well that she has started to walk to her room from the therapy gym without assistance. 7 days after the New Year, she will be discharged under her own power to her residence with help from her church family.

Ms. Degene thanked Sarah and the therapy team for all they had done in her recovery. We wish Ms. Degene continued good health throughout this new year and beyond.

Director Of Concierge: Alexander Jones
Patient’s Name: Mary Taylor
Patient’s Age: 73
Admission Date: 01/05/2024
Admitted from: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Discharge Date: 6/11/2024
Discharged To: Creekside at Three Rivers
Length of stay: 5 months 7 days
Reason for Stay: Neck and shoulder fracture

Details of experience:

Ms. Mary Taylor was admitted to our Trevecca community on January 5th of 2024 from Vanderbilt Medical Center with a severe injury to her neck and shoulder region from a fall that she suffered at home. Mary’s C1, C2, and also her shoulder…fractures that required immediate surgery due to their severity. She underwent surgery to stabilize the region, which had her bound to a neck brace and bed. Ms. Mary was in a lot of pain, and she was placed on strong dosages of pain medication which left her very disorientated when she was admitted to our community.

Upon Ms. Mary’s arrival, she was greeted by our front desk clerk and admission nurse. The very next morning, as Concierge, I introduced myself. Later that week, we got more acquainted. I learned that she was a Georgia native, mother of four girls, recently windowed, lover of all things creative, and just an all-around sweet lady. Our interdisciplinary team also greeted her, and she took a liking to one particular therapist, Lauren Harris, who gave her all the encouragement she needed on her journey. Three months passed, and Ms. Mary required another surgery to merge her C1 and C2. She had a new attitude once she returned to our community on April 20th.

Ms. Mary’s favorite PT, Lauren, evaluated her and implemented a new game plan to get her mobile which began one week after readmission. She made immediate strides with transfers week to week, from totally assisted to independent. Ms. Mary once couldn’t remain in a wheelchair for five minutes, now, she can operate and ambulate from wheelchair to walker literally without pain. Also, while ambulating to the walker, she was able to complete 150 feet of steps totally independently. Ms. Mary Taylor now lives freely without a neck brace and resides at an Assisted Living Facility in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We wish her continued good health and best wishes for a positive 2024.

Director Of Concierge: Alexander Jones
Patient’s Name: Jeffery McLean
Patient’s Age: 47
Admission Date: 6/15/2022
Admitted from: Summit Hospital
Discharge Date: 2/23/2024
Discharged To: Home
Length of stay: 20 months
Reason for Stay: Continued care and rehabilitation from stroke
How did this patient hear about our community: Social Services at Summit Hospital

Details of experience:

Jeffery McLean, a proud native of Nashville, Tennessee, suffered a series of strokes ten days apart. Those unfortunate health episodes landed Mr. McLean in Summit Hospital, unable to use his right side due to neuropathy, pain that occurs more when sensations in the brain are reduced. Mr. McLean described his early stages of pain as stabbing, burning, and some numbness on the surface of his skin. He further explained that this was one of the scariest yet most humbling experiences he had ever encountered.

Once Mr. McLean was discharged from the hospital, he was transported to the Trevecca community via ambulette. When he arrived, he was greeted by our front desk receptionist, admissions nurse, and unit manager. The following day of Mr. McLean’s stay, he met the entire interdisciplinary team, which mapped out his plan of action, from his rehabilitation with therapy to his meals with dietary. Most of Mr. McLean’s earlier care with our team was in room one-on-one treatment to gain mobility in his limbs, a goal that was met within six to eight months.

Therapy set realistic benchmarks for Mr. McLean each month once he regained his strength. Next on his agenda was operating a wheelchair. That task went from assisted to independent within another four to five months. Next on his list of tasks was ambulating and transferring, which he seemed to be doing before it was actually a benchmark of therapies. Then came the big one, which was walking, and that was and still is a continuous journey of his.

Mr. McLean, with the help of our amazing team, walked out of the doors he rolled in on via stretcher with the help of a walker. He was very happy and appreciative of the hard work and care that was rendered to him during a tough time in his life. Now, Mr. McLean is living independently in a high rise in the Nashville area, and we wish him the very best of health.

Director Of Concierge: Alexander Jones
Patient Name: Mr. John Cheairs
Admission Date: August 15, 2023
Admitted from: Summit Medical Center
Discharge Date: September 16, 2023
Length of stay: 1 month, one day

Details of experience:

by the name of John Cheairs. Once we got acquainted, we began to talk more about his reason for being with us at Trevecca.

Mr. Cheairs suffered a fall at home, which triggered a mild stroke. Unable to get up or have any contact aids at his reach, Mr. Cheairs was forced to lie there for 3 days until his sister contacted the building manager to check on his status. The building manager opened his unit and found Mr. Cheairs responsive and disoriented, unsure of what had happened. The property manager let him know that he had suffered a fall, but later, at the hospital, it was revealed that he had suffered a mild stroke. Although he had no history of stroke, doctors began closely monitoring his status.

Days later, his tests came back with positive results showing no harm to the brain and bodily, so the next step was to get Mr. Cheairs back functioning the way he was before the accident, which led him to the Trevecca Center. He was met by our Admissions Nurse Tanya, Front Desk Clerk Ms. Tyra, and CNA Shydrika, 15 hours later, I introduced myself as his Concierge, and the interdisciplinary team followed shortly thereafter.
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Mr. Chearis’s path back home was a short one, his turnaround time was one month, one week, and two days. He came in fairly weak in his upper extremities; swallowing regular foods was a problem as well due to him being on a restricted diet out of the hospital. Speech, Physical, and occupational therapies were needed in his matriculation back home. Major strides were met within his first week, from transfers from bed to chair to toileting using aids. Week third, his granddaughter could even see the progress when she visited and witnessed him ambulating to cook for himself and his ability to transfer in and out with minimal assistance. Mr. Chearis was discharged on September 16, 2023, to his family with the plans of returning to his retirement home and long-time friends he made there.

Throughout his process, he wrote many ray of sunshine cards about our great therapy team and CNAs who helped him along his journey.

Director Of Concierge: Meleah Haley
Patient Name: Danny Milam
Patient Age: 77
Admission Date: 1/20/2023
Admitted from: Southern Hills Hospital
Discharge Date: 3/9/2023
Discharge To: Home
Reason for stay: Fracture of Left Femur
Length of stay: 48 days
How did the patient hear about Trevecca Center? Case Manager at Southern Hills Hospital

Details of experience:

Mr. Danny Milam was admitted to Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on January 20th, 2023, from Southern Hills Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Milam was initially admitted to Southern Hills due to falling in the shower at home, which led to his fractured left hip. Once he arrived at Southern Hills from West Tennessee, he was operated on immediately. Mr. Milam has never had surgery before or any injury, so this experience was new for him.

Mr. Milam heard that Trevecca Center had one of the best rehabilitation programs in Middle Tennessee, he shared that he trusted that our community would get him where he needed to be. Upon his arrival to the community, our rehabilitation team immediately began working with Mr. Milam. The goal was for the patient to be able to stand independently and walk without a walker once he was discharged home. Mr. Milam still had some generalized weakness after his procedure, so he required maximum assistance with his transfers and his toileting tasks and minimal assistance with bathing.

Each week, Mr. Milam was making strides and success toward his recovery Mr. Milam shared with Concierge services that he did not want to go home until he could get around independently and that he was determined to take full advantage of our rehab department. Since Mr. Milam is from West Tennessee, his wife spent most nights with him in the community to provide comfort and support during his time of healing. Mrs. Milam believed that it was important for her to be hands-on with Mr. Milam’s journey toward recovery to provide him with the assistance and care he needed once he returned home.

Mr. Milam’s Physician said he would need at least 3 months of therapy before returning home. Mr. Milam successfully completed his program with us at Trevecca within 8 weeks! Mr. Milam stated, “I must say that I have been blessed enough not to experience much pain during this process, just soreness from time to time.” During his last couple weeks of therapy, Mr. Milam could walk over 50 feet!

Mr. Milam is involved with his local community and tends to his farm, which is what he most looks forward to upon returning home. He shared that he plans on taking it day by day as he resumes his hobbies and duties on the farm. Mr. Milam wanted to give a special shout-out and thanks to his Therapists, Allie and Jessica, and our Transportation Director, Shell, for always being supportive and attentive to his needs. The Trevecca team is thankful and honored that we played such an important role in Mr. Milam’s journey.

In conclusion, Mr. Milam wanted to encourage anyone with a similar experience: “Work hard, and push yourself as much as YOU can.”

Concierge Director: Meleah Haley

Patient: Reginald Brown

Patient’s Age: 60

Date of Admission: 11/06/2021

Admitted From: St. Thomas Midtown

Length of stay: 417 days

Discharge Date: TBD

Discharge To: Home

Reason for stay: Generalized muscle weakness, unspecified atrial fibrillation

How did this patient hear about Trevecca? Case manager referral

Details of Experience:

Mr. Reginald Brown was admitted to Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on November 6th, 2021, from St. Thomas midtown in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Brown was initially admitted to the hospital due to losing his balance at home and experiencing numbness in his left leg. Once he was admitted to St. Thomas, it was discovered that Mr. Brown had a significant amount of fluid in his lungs. It was at that point that the clinical team thought it would be best for the patient to receive a level of rehabilitation before returning to his home.

Mr. Brown had the option to choose several rehabilitation programs, and he chose Trevecca. He stated that our team would get him where he wanted and needed to be. Upon his arrival to the community, our rehabilitation team began working with him so that he would be able to gain strength in his legs. Mr. Brown’s Occupational therapy team shared that he had great potential and good safety awareness, but Mr. Brown was still experiencing an extreme level of pain in his left leg. After several evaluations, the clinical team sent him out to the hospital so that they could closely examine his left leg.

After Mr. Brown was sent out to the hospital, his doctor was able to diagnose him and said that his pain was coming from his left knee and that before he was able to qualify for surgery, he would have to lose a total of 50 pounds. This news was discouraging for Mr. Brown; not only did this mean he would have to be away from home longer, but it also meant that his progress and recovery would be determined by changing his lifestyle choices. Once he returned back to Trevecca, the rehabilitation team made sure that his therapy sessions would be aimed toward his weight loss goal for surgery. His meal options were also modified by our Dieticians in order to make sure he was getting what he needed and minimize any options that did not align with his weight loss goal. During this time, Mr. Brown shared that he was experiencing moments of depression. It even got to the point where Mr. Brown wanted to have his left leg amputated.

Mr. Brown stated, “I felt that when I got two steps forward, I would get set 10 steps back.” Although Mr. Brown had moments where he was discouraged, The Rehabilitation team continued to encourage him and work with him toward his goal. Once September 2022 came around, Mr. Brown had officially lost a total of 50 lbs. His appointment for surgery was set for the month. Mr. Brown’s left knee surgery was a success! He was admitted back to Trevecca so that he could focus on his recovery before returning home. It is now December, and Mr. Brown is walking and standing without any extreme pain. Once his therapy course is complete, the plan is for him to safely discharge home, where he will be living with his sister.

After listening to Mr. Brown’s story, I asked him what his personal and professional goals were once he returned home. Mr. Brown shared that he first wants to fix up his car and help his brother with their family business. He also shared that he is ready to resume his dating life and to just get back to living life to the fullest.

In Conclusion, Mr. Brown wanted to say some words of encouragement for anyone who may be going through a similar journey: “Just be strong and believe in the Lord.”

Concierge Director: Meleah Haley
Patient: Jeffery McLean
Patient’s Age: 46
Date of Admission: 6/15/2022
Admitted From: Summit Medical Center
Length of stay: 100 days
Discharge Date: TBD
Discharge To: Home
Reason for stay: Cerebral infarction, Brain stem stroke syndrome, Generalized muscle weakness.
How did this patient hear about Trevecca? Case manager referral (SMC)

Details of Experience:

Mr. Jeffery McLean arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on June 15th, 2022, from Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee. Mr. McLean was admitted to the Hospital after having a stroke caused by a narrow cerebellum. During his hospitalization, Mr. McLean had another stroke that impaired his speech and entire right side for a month. Mr. McLean was treated for hypertension and generalized weakness while he was at SMC.

Upon his arrival to the community, the Rehabilitation team immediately began to work with Mr. McLean. During his first few weeks, he went from being a maximum assistant with feeding himself to becoming a minimal assistant with adaptive equipment during his meals. During his Occupational therapy sessions, Mr. McLean began to only require minimal assistance with hygiene and grooming tasks while sitting in his wheelchair. Each week, Mr. McLean has been making strides to strengthen his right side, and there has been improvement during each therapy session.

Mr. McLean shared with Concierge services that he lived alone and was fully independent before he had his first stroke. He went on to explain how his mental health was impacted during his first month of being hospitalized. The patient stated, “I felt like a prisoner in my own body. I went from doing everything alone to thinking that I may not be able to talk or walk again.”Since then, Mr. McLean is more optimistic due to the speed of his recovery.

Mr. McLean shared that his goals for himself are to walk again, cook, clean, live independently, and use his right hand without any adaptive equipment. During his stay in the community, he has been showered with gifts and packages from his friends and peers from high school, all of which have kept his spirits high during this healing time. The Trevecca team is honored to be on this journey with Mr. McLean and plans on discharging him home once he has restored his strength on his right side.

In conclusion, Mr. Mclean wanted to close by saying, “It is up to you. You have to push yourself every day, and you have to put in the effort.”

Concierge Director: Meleah Haley
Patient’s Age: 57
Date of Admission: 7/15/2021
Admitted From: Ascension St. Thomas
Discharge Date: TBD
Discharge To: Trevecca Towers
Reason for stay: Necrotizing Fasciitis, Complete traumatic amputation of the left lower leg, and Acute Kidney failure
How did the patient hear about Trevecca Center? The Case Manager at St. Thomas referred him

Details of experience:

Mr. Tesfazgi Tsegaye arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on July 15, 2021, from Ascension St. Thomas in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Tsegaye had been admitted to the hospital due to a wound infection on his left LLE (Lower Leg Extremity). This caused the patient to become septic with necrotizing fasciitis, resulting in a BKA (Below-knee amputation). Three different surgeons recommended amputating Mr. Tsegaye’s right leg due to his foot wound and decline in functional mobility.

Upon his arrival to the community, the rehabilitation team and wound care clinician immediately began working with him…determined to get him on the road to recovery without having to amputate his right leg. During the first few weeks, therapy focused primarily on his independence with self-care and mobility tasks. It was imperative that Mr. Tsegaye demonstrate the ability to perform tasks (Activities of Daily Living) to therapists and practice safety awareness while transferring. Wound Care’s main goal was to treat the patient’s right foot wound to prevent any further infections and complications.

By October 2021, Mr. Tsegaye began to decline due to refusing treatment from therapy and wound care. He was not participating and was not interested in healing with surgical intervention. From October to December, Mr. Tsegaye continued to refuse any treatment or assistance from staff. On December 17, he was placed in Hospice care, and his family began to plan his funeral arrangements. Due to his strong will and consistent care from the staff members in the community, Mr. Tsegaye was removed from hospice care on December 27.

One late afternoon after his dialysis appointment, something changed. Mr. Tsegaye was smiling and more alert than he was in his previous sessions with Occupational Therapy services. Mr. Tsegaye stated that he had been speaking with his Nurse Manager Nioakah about getting a prosthetic leg for his left LLE. After consulting with his doctor and Rehabilitation services, Mr. Tsegaye received his prosthetic leg victoriously! There was an immediate boost in Mr. Tsegaye’s attitude and trajectory of his overall health. After being introduced to CareRite’s CARP (Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program) offered through guidance by Paralympic Gold Medalists Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, both amputees, Mr. Tsegaye began walking longer distances with his therapist Josh. He even began to use his walker and walked the corridor and the lobby of the community by himself!

Today, Mr. Tsegaye’s foot wound is almost 100% healed. In November 2021, the size of his right foot wound was 6.9 x 7.6 now, it is 2.5 x 2.8. Each day, he is making strides towards the betterment of his health. Mr. Tsegaye is on the waiting list for Trevecca Towers, an independent living community on campus. Mr. Tsegaye is truly a miracle with a success story to marvel at. The Trevecca Team is honored to be able to play such a big role in his healing journey!

Mr. Tsegaye wanted to close by simply saying, “Thank you.”