Concierge: Susan Akers
Admission Date: 2/3/21
Admitted From: Saint Thomas West Hospital, Nashville Tennessee
Discharge Date: TBD
Discharged To: TBD
Length of Stay: 87 Days
Reason for Stay: Borderline Diabetes, Spinal Stenosis, Fibromyalgia, Weakness in lower extremities and Wound Care

Details of experience:
Ms. Thaendra Christenson arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing on February 3, 2021, following an extensive inpatient stay at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Christenson had been admitted to the hospital as a result of repeated falls, complications with weakness in her lower extremities, severe pain due to spinal stenosis, and a wound on her left heel.  Due to the high degree of pain from these conditions and a total loss of functional mobility, Trevecca Rehabilitation was determined to be the best facility to assist her in regaining her strength, healing, mobility, and independence.

Upon arrival at Trevecca, Ms. Christenson was evaluated by a dedicated medical team that included Josh Mitchell, her Physical Therapist, Kinsey Day, her Occupational Therapist, and a wound care nurse to address the wound that was present on her heel. 

The first, second, and third weeks of therapy focused primarily on decreasing her pain through exercises designed to increase her bed mobility. Initially, she required 100% assistance from the therapist to adjust her position and sit on the edge of the bed for ten seconds. Gradually her tolerance levels increased allowing her to hold a sitting position on the edge of the bed for extended periods of time. The wound care nurse cleaned and applied fresh dressings to the wound on her heel daily for the first 15 days of her care.

During Ms. Christenson’s fourth, fifth, and sixth weeks of therapy, her bed mobility had improved, but transfers from the bed to her wheelchair required the use of a Hoyer lift, as her level of pain and lower extremity weakness were still too severe to tolerate bearing weight. 

The sixth, seventh, and eighth weeks of therapy involved adaptive equipment, such as a reaching tool and a sock aid to improve her balance using “static sitting” exercises that require movement and stretching. Additionally, Kinsey, the Occupational Therapist, implemented ADL’s (Activities of Daily Living) tasks, such as: bathing and dressing of her upper and lower body and stretching exercises to improve her core strength, which is extremely important in the goal of advancing her mobility. The therapist introduced stretching exercises utilizing a theraband to increase functional reaching and improve her balance.

Additionally, she experienced Trevecca’s first-class therapy gym, where she gradually began to bear weight by standing, utilizing the parallel bars with assistance from her therapist! 

Each day has brought greater mobility, as she has been able to rise from a sitting position with minimal assistance from therapy and gradually walking utilizing a walker up to 25 feet!

Ms. Christenson stated that “a great deal of physical recovery is mentally realizing what you are capable of doing, even through discomfort, and trusting the therapy team to guide you there!” 

We wish Ms. Christenson continued improvement and the best of health and well-being on her journey.

Unilateral Below The Knee Amputee Rehabilitation and Peripheral Vascular Disease

Patient’s Age: 62
Admission Date: 9/22/20
Admitted From: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville Tennessee
Discharge Date: N/A
Discharged To: N/A
Length of Stay: 221 Days
Reason for Stay: Peripheral Vascular Disease and BKA (Below Knee Amputation)

Details of experience:
Mr. R. Hall arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing on September 22nd, 2020, following an inpatient stay at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Hall had a history of Arterial Occlusion, which prevents blood flow to the artery. He was admitted to Vanderbilt after presenting with a cold and pale left leg. He underwent a procedure known as revascularization for re-routing and restoring blood flow to the affected area. Following the procedure, Mr. Hall lost a pulse in his right leg. Following multiple procedures and attempts to save his limb, Mr. Hall underwent a BKA (Below Knee Amputation) of his right leg on September 11th, 2020. Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing was determined to be the best facility to assist him in regaining his strength and independence through a skilled therapy program.

Upon arrival to Trevecca, Mr. Hall was greeted by a dedicated medical team. Initially, he reported that a surgical center had concluded he was not an appropriate candidate for a prosthetic; therefore, skilled nursing and therapy professionals attended to his most pressing clinical needs. Following discussion with the Trevecca Concierge regarding his desire to receive a prosthetic, Mr. Hall was provided an assessment by the excellent and highly skilled rehabilitation team to determine the possibility of a successful outcome with a prosthetic. Mr. Hall was given an additional evaluation with the Hanger Clinic, a prosthetic company that works closely with Trevecca. The Hanger representative determined that Mr. Hall was an excellent candidate for a prosthetic. The assessment was initiated immediately for measurements, casting of the prosthesis, and providing Mr. Hall with a new means of mobility!

The Trevecca Concierge reached out to the CareRite Amputee Training and Rehabilitation Program. CareRite has partnered with Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, paralympic gold medalists who have helped over 20,000 amputees worldwide. Dennis and Todd conducted an initial Facetime conference call with Mr. Hall and will continue to mentor him through this life-changing process.

In the weeks following his initial assessment, Trevecca Physical Therapist/ Amputee Specialist Sonda McEver, and Physical Therapist Katie Sheppard began working on gait training exercises utilizing a variety of modalities, including moving and balance activities, strengthening exercises for his upper and lower extremities, hip extensions with stretch bands, wheelchair pushups, bicep curls with weights and resisted triceps extensions. To enhance his gait and balance, Mr. Hall has executed static standing and reaching exercises to challenge him outside of his base of support, hopping skills while advancing with his walker, hopping over low lying objects, and safe transfer from sitting to standing.

During his initial evaluation, Mr. Hall could hop utilizing his walker a very minimal distance of a few feet; however, presently, he is walking over 100 feet! Mr. Hall stated that the therapy team is incredible and has taught him skills he hadn’t thought were possible. He is grateful to have the team of Dennis and Todd to consult with through this process. Mr. Hall is scheduled to receive his new prosthetic leg in approximately two weeks.

The Trevecca family is honored to be a part of this process and looks forward to his continued success!

Patient’s Age: 69-years-old
Date of Admission: 01/06/21
Admitted From: Centennial Medical Center
Discharge Date: 03/01/21
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 55 days
Reason for stay: Rehabilitation following Above Knee Amputation

Details of experience:
Mr. Lucas arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing on January 6, 2021, following an inpatient stay at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville Tennessee. Mr. Lucas had initially been admitted to the hospital for a TKA (Total Knee Arthroplasty), following a gunshot wound to his left knee. Mr. Lucas developed a severe infection in the surrounding tissue, which precipitated the need for an AKA (Above Knee Amputation). Due to severe pain and loss of functional mobility, Trevecca Center Rehabilitation was determined to be the best community to assist him in regaining his strength, healing, functional mobility, and independence.

Mr. Lucas was evaluated by a dedicated medical team that included Jessica Meurer, his Physical Therapist, and Sara Garner, his Occupational Therapist. His first and second week of therapy focused primarily on decreasing his pain, due to the staples that were still in place following the surgery. Additionally, exercises were implemented to increase his sense of balance when Mr. Lucas would rise to a standing position from sitting on the edge of his bed.

Following the removal of his staples, Mr. Lucas saw remarkable improvement in his mobility, balance and the execution of essential activities in daily living. Initially, Mr. Lucas required full contact assistance when toileting, bathing, lower extremity dressing and transfers from the bed to his wheelchair. Mr. Lucas recognized tremendous success in all areas of daily living by mid-February. He advanced to executing tasks in Trevecca’s first-class therapy gym, where he practiced higher level balancing activities, such as changing bed linens, placing items in lower level compartments, meal preparation, proper techniques when entering and exiting the bathtub, fall recovery skills, dressing his lower extremity with a theraband, and balance skills allowing him to observe any skin breakdown on the residual portion of his limb prior to applying his shrinker and prosthetic.

On March 1, 2021 Mr. Lucas was able to discharge from Trevecca and return home. He will receive in-home fitting for his personal prosthesis and continue therapy to gain full stability. Mr. Lucas shared that the team at Trevecca were “really amazing and taught me how to do skills following my amputation that I could never accomplish on my own”. He further stated that “if you will do as the therapist advised and come with a determined spirit, you will be successful!”

The team wishes Mr. Lucas the very best of health and well-being on his continuing life journey.

Patient’s Age: 76-years-old
Date of Admission: 10/13/20
Admitted From: Summit Medical Center
Discharge Date: 01/08/21
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 88 days
Reason for stay: Cellulitis, Gout, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Wound Care

Details of experience:
Mr. Herbst arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing on October 13, 2020, following an inpatient stay at Summit Medical Center in Nashville Tennessee. Mr. Herbst had been admitted to the hospital as a result of complications with Cellulitis; which causes severe swelling and irritation under the skin, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis. Due to the high degree of pain from these conditions, and a total loss of functional mobility, Trevecca Rehabilitation was determined to be the best facility to assist him in regaining his strength, healing, mobility, and independence.

Upon arrival to Trevecca, Mr. Herbst was evaluated by a dedicated medical team that included Jessica Meurer, his Physical Therapist; Kinsey Day, Occupational Therapist; Sara Garner, Physical Therapist, and a wound care nurse, to address the wounds that were present on the heel area of both feet. He arrived in excruciating pain from the inflammation under his skin in both legs, idiopathic gout in his feet and hands, rheumatoid arthritis in his hands and legs, and wounds on both heels that included an abscess of the wound on his right heel.

Mr. Herbst’s first and second week of therapy focused primarily on decreasing his pain, through exercises designed to increase his bed mobility. He initially required 100% assistance from the therapist to adjust his position and sit on the edge of the bed for ten seconds. Gradually his tolerance levels increased allowing him to hold his position for 10 minutes, and execute stretching exercises utilizing a theraband to increase functional reaching tasks. Due to the pain associated with gripping items, Mr. Herbst was provided “built-up” or padded utensils for eating allowing him to eat independently. The wound care nurses cleaned and applied fresh dressings to the wounds on his heels one to two times each day for the first 15 days of his care.

The third and fourth week of therapy involved Mr. Herbst transferring from the bed to his wheelchair using a slide board to avoid pressure on his heels, but allowing him to practice wheelchair mobility. Each day through the sixth and seventh week of therapy brought greater mobility, as he was able to rise from a sitting position on his bed, stand and turn to move to his wheelchair utilizing a walker. Gradually, he was able to transfer unassisted using a walker propelling himself up and down the hallways, unassisted 250 feet!
Additionally, he experienced Trevecca’s first-class therapy gym, where he practiced higher level balancing activities of daily living, utilizing steps to simulate his home environment and preparing a grilled cheese sandwich in the therapy kitchen!

On January 13, 2021, Mr. Herbst was able to discharge from Trevecca and return home. He shared that the therapists and other medical staff are amazing at Trevecca, but ultimately the responsibility for your recovery falls on the patient’s shoulders by deciding to participate in the program. The therapists are there to guide and help you meet your goals.

Mr. Herbst drove back to Trevecca independently on Wednesday, January 27 2021 to receive his second COVID vaccination! The team wishes Mr. Herbst the very best of health and well-being on his continued life journey.

Patient’s Age: 61-years-old
Date of Admission: 11/16/20
Admitted From: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Discharge Date: 12/08/20
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 23 days
Reason for stay: Rehabilitation and Wound Care following 3rd Degree Burns

Details of experience:
Ms. S. Crowe arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing on November 16, 2020, following her extensive inpatient stay at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Crowe had been admitted to the hospital following a house fire, where she suffered 3rd-degree burns over 20% of her body. While hospitalized, Ms. Crowe underwent three skin graft surgeries, where healthy skin and tissue were removed from an unaffected area of the body and used to cover the lost or severely damaged skin. Between the burns and skin graft surgeries, Ms. Crowe had wounds over 40% of her total body surface, which needed to be carefully treated. Due to the high degree of pain from multiple surgical procedures, wounds that required sophisticated treatment, loss of functional mobility, and a reduced ability to safely transfer or execute activities for daily living, Trevecca Rehabilitation was determined to be the best facility to assist her in regaining her strength and independence.

Upon arrival at Trevecca Center, Ms. Crowe was greeted by a dedicated medical team. Within 24 hours, her Physical Therapist, Jessica, Occupational Therapist, Sara, and Wound Care Nurse, Jackie LPN, WCC, began her therapy program at the bedside to evaluate her current state of health and mobility. She arrived in excruciating pain from the skin graft sites, burn sites, and deep wounds from the donor sites, where the skin had been removed, as well as the inability to transfer from her bed and walk.

Ms. Crowe’s first week of therapy focused on balance skills using a walker, with full contact assistance from the therapist. Her wound care nurse implemented very isolated care on each wound, to avoid any further infection. The second week involved Ms. Crowe moving from a sitting position to a standing position, and ambulating 75 feet without experiencing a loss of balance, under minimal supervision from her therapy team. The third week of therapy focused on fall recovery skills, in the event she was to fall after returning home. Additionally, she experienced Trevecca’s first-class therapy gym, where she practiced higher level balancing activities of daily living, utilizing steps to simulate her home environment, changing bed linens, and placing items in floor level compartments.

Each day brought greater mobility, as she was able to rise from a sitting position unassisted and transfer using a walker, as much as 250 feet without shortness of breath or losing her balance! The wound care team resolved her initial infection and was able to keep her from acquiring any additional infection throughout the healing process.

On December 8, 2020, Ms. Crowe was able to discharge from Trevecca and return home. She shared that the team at Trevecca “was absolutely amazing and truly gifted professionals”. Ms. Crowe was very complimentary of the role of the Concierge, a unique position within Trevecca, acting as a patient liaison with staff and family. She stated that the Concierge had made a big difference in the communication of her needs during a very difficult time in her life.

The team wishes Ms. Crowe the best of health and well-being on her continuing life journey.

Patient’s Age: 80-years-old
Date of Admission: 10/29/20
Admitted From: VA Hospital, Nashville Tennessee
Discharge Date: 11/25/20
Discharged To: Independent Living Facility
Length of Stay: 27 days
Reason for stay: Rehabilitation following UTI and onset of decreased strength and mobility

Details of experience:
Mr. Hugh B. arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation & Healing on October 29, 2020, following his inpatient stay at the Nashville VA Medical Center. He had been admitted to the hospital after being found on the floor of his apartment. Upon assessment, it was determined that his weakness was most likely related to a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), dehydration, and poor nutrition. Due to the onset of a decrease in overall body strength, a decrease in functional mobility, and a reduced ability to safely transfer or execute activities for daily living, Trevecca Rehabilitation was determined to be the best rehabilitation center to support Mr. Bennett in regaining his strength and independence.

Upon arrival to Trevecca, Mr. Bennett was greeted by our dedicated clinical team. Within 24 hours, his Physical Therapist, Sara Saussey, Occupational Therapist, Sara Garner, and his Speech Therapist, Sara Schaeffer began his therapy program at bedside to evaluate his current state of health and mobility. He arrived with the need for full assistance with transfers and bed mobility, as well as, an altered mental status related to his UTI.

Mr. Bennett worked with the therapy team focusing on balancing skills, lower extremity strength, toileting, bathing and “rolling”, in the event he would experience a fall after returning home. Mr. Bennett quickly graduated from rising from his bed with significant assistance, to walking with assistance approximately 15 feet. Each day brought greater mobility, as he was able to rise from a sitting position unassisted and ambulate using a walker, as much as 250 feet!

On November 25, 2020 Mr. Bennett was able to return home to his independent living apartment. Mr. Bennett shared that the team at Trevecca “were absolutely wonderful, and he could not imagine achieving this level of improvement without their care.”

Patient’s Age: 56-years-old
Date of Admission: 06/25/19
Admitted From: Skyline Hospital
Discharge Date: TBD
Reason for stay: Acute and chronic respiratory failure and cerebral infarction.

Details of experience:
Mr. Richard Bennett arrived at Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation and Healing on June 25, 2019, from Skyline Hospital. He was originally admitted to Skyline Hospital due to acute health concerns that included; cerebral infarction, pneumonia, respiratory failure, tracheotomy, sepsis, hypertension, muscle weakness, etc. Mr. Richard Bennett was referred to Trevecca from Skyline hospital. When he arrived at our community, he was warmly greeted by multiple team members from all departments. Our social services team visited him in an effort to get to know him and understand his medical history and family support, while our recreation therapy team visited to learn his hobbies and interests.

Upon admission, Mr. Richard Bennett was assessed by our therapy department. This was a crucial and sought after meeting for Mr. Bennett because his need for therapy was very high. It was imperative for our therapy team to have the opportunity to learn Mr. Bennett’s history and craft a centered care plan to ensure that he could make rapid progress.

His progress continues to grow through the support of our interdisciplinary team. With the nurturing support from our speech-language pathology team, Mr. Bennett has steadily built upon his communication skills, acquiring the ability to communicate tolerance, comprehend questions and answers, and converse in regards to his care plan.

His physical process has also grown and shown progress since his initial arrival. He at first was unable to walk long distances independently, but now he has expanded his skill set to be able to walk across the gym with little assistance at all.

Mr. Bennett was also on a trach when he arrived at Trevecca Center. He was decannulated shortly after his arrival, allowing our respiratory team to monitor breathing levels, respiration rates, and oxygen saturation levels around the clock.

Mr. Bennett remains at Trevecca Center as he continues to progress daily alongside our nursing and therapy teams. He has made mention that he has gained tremendous strength since his arrival and continues to push himself to achieve more. We look forward to sharing more progress updates as Mr. Bennett continues to shine in our therapy gymnasium.