Patients Age: 81-years-old
Admission Date: 5/17/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharged Date: 9/15/18
Discharged to: Home
Length of Stay: 121 Days
Reason for Stay: Orthopedic aftercare for surgical amputation
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Family

Mr. Rivera was admitted to Cortlandt Healthcare in May just days after his eighty-first birthday. He was seeking a rehabilitation team that would help him return to his everyday tasks and ability to live a normal life. Mr. Rivera was discharged from Hudson Valley Hospital Center after undergoing an amputation above his knee due to an infection he had in his foot. After a very successful surgery, there was recovery time at the hospital and then Cortlandt eagerly awaited his arrival. That Thursday morning in May, Mr. Rivera and his wife (who is always by his side to support him and be his set of eyes), were introduced to the nursing staff, therapy staff, and the concierge department. He would also be introduced to the activity’s coordinator, and a kitchen staff member to discuss meals for both him and his wife. Although overwhelmed with all the new faces and changes, Mr. Rivera was ready and eager to start his journey!

On top of Mr. Rivera being a recent above the knee amputee, he is also legally blind. This meant that important goals had to be made between Mr. Rivera and Cortlandt’s well-trained rehabilitation team. The goals would include walking over a certain distance, being able to negotiate steps, and perform daily activities such as getting dressed, using the restroom, hygiene, and car transfers to name a few. During the first few weeks, Mr. Rivera began therapy where he focused on gaining muscle, and learning how to walk with this new amputation. It was a new experience for Mr. Rivera, but with the whole team encouraging him, and family support, he was able to make tremendous progress. In June, when Mr. Rivera’s prosthesis came in, his own motivation was kicked into high gear. Mr. Rivera and his family were then introduced to Dennis and Todd, the leaders of the Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program. The Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program is an in-house program which builds off of everything that the patient learns going through their rehabilitation journey in our community. Dennis and Todd take our patients to the next level of their life skill goals. They are motivators, encouragers, supporters, and they are able to create a bond and structure between them and the patients that in return creates a true amputee support group, where they can turn to when they are in need assistance or someone to talk to that understands what they are going through.

Within three weeks, Mr. Rivera was able to successfully complete tasks such as getting in and out of bed, bathing while using a shower chair, and being able to use the restroom independently. Over the next two months, Mr. Rivera would now focus on gaining muscle, balance, and being able to maneuver his new prosthesis, with the help and support of his wife. At first, Mr. Rivera was able to safely ambulate a total distance of 40 feet with his prosthesis and rolling walking but then, a week later he was able to ambulate a total of 100 feet, and finally, he graduated with being able to safely ambulate 200 feet! The next was for Mr. Rivera to accomplish the steps. In order to have a safe discharge home, Mr. Rivera needed to demonstrate he could negotiate four steps and with his dedication and the support he had, Mr. Rivera was able to negotiate eight stairs with his prosthesis!

With many accomplishments and many goals that were made and succeeded, Mr. Rivera was able to have a safe discharge. With support from his wife and family, Mr. Rivera will be able to continue his journey that he began at Cortlandt Healthcare. Along with Dennis and Todd, and the whole Cortlandt team, we could not be more proud of you, Mr. Rivera. Always remember to keep moving forward! We wish you the best of luck!

Patients Age: 70-years-old
Admission Date: 7/15/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharged Date: 8/28/18
Discharged to: Home
Length of Stay: 5 and a half weeks
Reason for Stay: Knee Surgery
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Hospital

Details of Experience:

During Mr. O’s stay at Cortlandt Healthcare, he was very determined to regain his strength and eventually be discharged to his home. He came to Cortlandt Healthcare with a right knee brace and mild back pain. His baseline in therapy was fair. He required a one person assist to help him with tasks as he experienced some difficulty shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

The start of the rehabilitation journey is never easy; it takes patience. At the beginning of his physical therapy sessions, Mr. O was only able to walk a total of five feet and was not able to use the stairs, which was needed for a safe discharge home. However, after receiving physical therapy six days a week for a few weeks, Mr. O was able to gain momentum and muscle in his legs. His overall performance improved. He progressed from walking five feet to 100 feet in just four weeks, and then with motivation and perseverance, he was able to walk 150 feet with his rolling walker!

Mr. O had amazing sessions with the physical and occupational therapy service team. He and the staff focused on upper and lower body strengthening, balance and gait training. They also focused on effective methods to increase functional mobility with activities to get back to his daily living. Upon discharge, Mr. O was able to transfer to and from his bed independently, ambulate with a rolling walker, perform proper hygiene for himself, and demonstrated his activities of daily living without any assistance from the staff! He was safely discharged home with his wife and continues to do very well. The team at Cortlandt wishes you nothing but the best as you continue to strengthen and heal, Mr. O.

Patients Age: 75
Admission Date: 5/15/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharge Date: 8/3/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 80 days
Reason for Stay: Atrial Flutter
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Hudson Valley Hospital Center

Details of Experience:

Mr. E. Macdonald came to Cortlandt Healthcare in mid-May seeking rehabilitation services after recent difficulties that led him to Hudson Valley Hospital Center. After given choices of where he would like to get therapy from, Mr. Macdonald and his family chose to come to Cortlandt Healthcare! Upon arrival, Mr. Macdonald was greeted by all disciplines of staff members from nursing, therapy, and social services. Mr. Macdonald was also welcomed by his very own concierge to help him feel more confident during his stay.

During Mr. Macdonald’s initial days at Cortlandt Healthcare, he was evaluated by the rehabilitation team, and together determined short and long-term goals to achieve during his stay. Some of the goals that were made included the increase in standing with appropriate balance, being able to confidently perform ADL’s (Activities for Daily Living), being able to walk over a certain distance, and lastly be able to go up and down the stairs with good balance. In order to achieve these goals, it was determined that Mr. Macdonald would get his rehabilitation sessions six days a week for the length of his stay.

Upon evaluation from the rehabilitation staff, it was determined that Mr. Macdonald was very weak. He was only able to ambulate a total distance of 100 feet, with the wheelchair following behind. Performing his ADL’s support was close by, due to his balance not being on par. However, after some strength exercises and constant determination, Mr. Macdonald was able to ambulate 200 feet with a rolling walker, then 250 feet with a quad cane, and finally graduated with walking 300 plus feet with a traditional cane! Mr. Macdonald shared with therapy, “I want to be able to get stronger, so I can go home!”
Continuing his exercises, Mr. Macdonald’s next goal was the stairs. Initially, he was only able to negotiate two, five-inch steps with both hands on the handrail. Over the next couple of weeks, Mr. Macdonald was able to overcome five steps, then ten steps, and then finally graduated with being able to negotiate 16 steps with little support from the handrail! Lastly, Mr. Macdonald was reevaluated for his balance and overall strength. At first, he scored 10 out of 28, but shortly after getting motivated and eager to get stronger, he gained a score of 18 out of 28, and graduated with a score of 26 out of 28! Mr. Macdonald successfully completed and concurred with all of the goals he and the rehabilitation team initially set!

When asked about his experience at Cortlandt Healthcare, Mr. Macdonald had this to share, “The staff was very good to me! The food was very good as well and what I liked about it was the fact that I was able to have choices of my meals and the menu provided a lot of alternatives! The housekeepers do a great job at making sure the place is kept clean and everything was exceptional. I think I did very well in therapy. I see myself as an impatient person, and they taught me how to be more patient and really understand my exercises. The physical therapy was done very thoroughly, and the staff was very helpful and willing to explain each exercise to me and the purpose of it. Overall, the nursing staff and rehabilitation team were excellent!”

Patients Age: 81
Admission Date: 3/9/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharge Date: 6/17/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 3 months
Reason for Stay: Open heart surgery
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Hudson Valley Hospital Center

Details of Experience:

Mrs. Doris arrived at Cortlandt Healthcare in early March after discharging from Hudson Valley Hospital Center post open heart surgery. The staff at the hospital recommended for Mrs. Doris to be seen and undergo rehabilitation to get her back to full strength and to eventually return home. Cortlandt Healthcare was Mrs. Doris’ number one choice for her rehabilitation sessions because her mother had once been a patient of ours and she remembered all the loving care she received while she was here and naturally wanted the same!

Mrs. Doris’ first impression of the community during her first day from the hospital was, “it looks so different from when my mother was here, it is so much nicer!” Shortly after she was admitted, Mrs. Doris met with the wonderful Cortlandt team. She was welcomed by Cortlandt’s concierge to ensure support and comfort during her transition, as well as to answer any questions she or her family may have had. She then met our wonderful nursing team, whom supported all of her clinical needs. Our highly-trained therapists then performed their initial evaluations and our social services team sat alongside Mrs. Doris for professional support!

During Mrs. Doris’ initial evaluations with her rehabilitation team, she set goals to accomplish so she could have a safe discharge home. Some goals that were set included safely performing ADL’s (activities of daily living) such as bathing, grooming, bed mobility, and daily transfers. Initially, Mrs. Doris was extremely dependent and had very little strength to do much on her own. However, she safely met her goals week after week and continued to set more.

Mrs. Doris’ last three goals before she could return home were to transfer in and out of a car with help from her husband, safely ambulate 300 feet independently, and negotiate 16 steps. Within three weeks of setting those goals, Mrs. Doris was able to complete all of them! She successfully transferred in and out of the car with minimal support from her husband, she was also able to ambulate 300 feet all on her own with her rolling walker; lastly, she was able to perform going up and down 16 steps with minimal support! During Mrs. Doris’ stay here at Cortlandt Healthcare, she made many friends, participated in many activities, and spent most of her time socializing with other patients and staff in the unit! From the whole staff here at Cortlandt Healthcare, we wish her nothing but the best of luck at home!

Patients Age: 88
Admission Date: 3/6/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharge Date: 5/9/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 64 days
Reason for Stay: Hypertension and muscle weakness
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Family

Details of Experience:

Robert came to Cortlandt Healthcare from Hudson Valley Hospital Center seeking rehabilitation for his left shoulder, hip, and some general muscle strengthening. Upon admission, Robert was asked by the rehabilitation team to set short-term and long-term goals, so he can transition safely back home. Some of the short-term goals were, increasing muscle strength, maneuver from laying down to sitting up in bed, and being able to ambulate over an extended range safely. The long-term goals that were set included, perform the task of lying in bed to sitting up to then getting up and out of bed, maintain balance for a certain amount of time, ambulate at least 50 feet, and to negotiate eight regular stairs.

Robert required rehabilitation services to assess functional abilities such as, facilitate with all functional mobility, promote safety awareness, improve dynamic balance, enhance fall recovery abilities, increase functional activity tolerance, minimize falls, and decrease complaints of pain. With this being said, Robert was seen daily, six times a week for nine weeks, to ensure he would have the safest discharge back home.

The first task was to move from the lying down position to sitting up in bed without any support. Initially, Robert needed two people to assist him due to the pain in his left shoulder and some muscle weakness. However, in two short weeks, Robert was able to sit up on his own, using some support from the side rail! Next, Robert had to demonstrate safely ambulating over a certain distance with his rolling walker and safely make two turns. During Robert’s evaluation, he was unable to ambulate across any distance due to pain, but after his physical therapy and three and a half weeks later, he was able to ambulate 75 feet with his rolling walker! With more determination and hard work with our rehabilitation team, a short week later, Robert ambulated 250 feet with his rolling walker!

The next goal for Robert was to safely walk up and down eight regular stairs. Upon his evaluation, Robert was not able to go up or down any stairs. However, within four weeks of rehabilitation sessions he was able to maneuver three stairs safely, and then within an additional three weeks of sessions, Robert could go up and down 16 steps safely!

Looking back at Robert’s short-term and long-term goals he made, he successfully completed six short term goals and six long term goals all in nine weeks! Robert also commented on his stay at Cortlandt Healthcare stating, “They all do a good job. The nursing staff is very good and so are the aides. In physical therapy I can tell it is going quite well because I am feeling the changes! Everybody I come across helps me and they are all very good. They are excellent in fact; you can tell they really love their jobs!”

Patients Age: 89
Admission Date: 4/2/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharge Date: 5/4/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 32 days
Reason for Stay: Vertigo from infrasound
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Patient was here before

Details of Experience:

When Marie W. arrived at Cortlandt Healthcare she was eager to start her rehabilitation journey. Marie W. was initially presented for vertigo from infrasound and some unsteadiness in her feet and balance. Marie W.’s evaluation for rehabilitation determined that she would be able to receive rehabilitation sessions six times a week and made sure to be seen daily.

Specific goals were made for Marie W. to ensure she would have the most successful discharge home. The first goal for Marie W. was to improve her balance especially while standing. Marie W. had poor balance, she needed assistance to get into the standing position, and once there she was not able to stand very long. After four weeks, Marie W. was able to stand up independently and able to hold her balance for 1-2 minutes!

The next goal was to ambulate 350 feet using a rolling walker. Marie W. was only able to ambulate 25 feet at first, but by the end of her four weeks, she had successfully walked 350 feet with her rolling walker! Once Marie W. was able to conquer her balance and ability to walk steadily with the rehabilitation team, the next goal was the stairs. Marie W. had to be able to ascend and descend four steps and within a week, and she did just that.

Throughout Marie W.’s stay, she had made many friends, participated in activities, and showed her determination in her rehabilitation journey. She also shared, “I was here before, a few years ago and they treated me very well. I knew to come back because I knew I would get better again. The nurses have been so good to me and all the aides are just great! When it comes to the rehab department they have all been excellent, they are really giving me a good workout!” We here at Cortlandt Healthcare love hearing feedback as positive as Marie W.’s. It is our honor to give Marie W. the Renewal she deserves.

Patients Age: 76
Admission Date: 2/16/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharge Date: 4/6/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 45 days
Reason for Stay: History of falling and muscle weakness
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Family

Details of Experience:

R. Catarina came to Cortlandt Healthcare on a cold February morning. What brought her in was the fact that she had tripped and fell over a door mat while trying to enter her home. She presented with some pain in the right side and some weakness and pain in her knees and legs. R. Catarina came to Cortlandt in good spirits and ready to concur her rehabilitation journey.

During the initial evaluation of R. Catarina’s rehabilitation process, she would be required to exercise six times a week for a minimum of four weeks and would be seen daily to make sure she is improving and meeting the goals. R. Catarina and the rehabilitation team, made realistic goals to make sure she had a successful transfer back to her independence living at home! Some of those goals would be to get in and out of bed independently, transfer with a rolling walker, and perform proper hygiene tasks independently. Other goals were made such as gaining muscle in her legs and knees, and improving her overall mobility to enhance her quality of life.

R. Catarina made tremendous improvements throughout her stay and throughout her journey. One of the first goals R. Catarina accomplished was being able to ambulate on a level surface of 40 feet, and then 250 feet with a rolling walker. The baseline for R. Catarina was zero feet, then she improved to 30 feet on March 9th, then improved more on March 16th being able to ambulate 50 feet, and finally being able to complete her goal on March 22nd by ambulating 250 feet with a rolling walker!

The next task for R. Catarina to complete would be to safely perform getting out of bed using the side rails as assistance. At the initial evaluation, R. Catarina needed one person to assist her getting out of bed and getting into position to get up. After a few weeks, R. Catarina was able to perform this task alone, using the side rails on March 16th!

Throughout R. Catarina’s journey, she completed evaluations based on her satisfaction and she had this to say on her first day at Cortlandt, “The building looks gorgeous! I feel like I am staying in a first class hotel! It is just so beautiful; you do not see this in Brooklyn! It’s like a resort!”

As R. Catarina’s journey continued she shared, “The nurses and staff have been great, they are so wonderful and they are very nice people! As far as my therapy, it is going very good! The people are very nice and very pleasant! When I first came in I couldn’t even walk, and now I am able to use a walker! The therapist are very polite and very accommodating. They showed me a lot of things and everything has been great!”

We here at Cortlandt live for any journey a patient may be on.

Patients Age: 58
Admission Date: 2/15/18
Admitted From: Hudson Valley Hospital Center
Discharge Date: 3/8/18
Discharged To: Home
Length of Stay: 21 days
Reason for Stay: Knee surgery
How did this patient hear about Cortlandt Healthcare? Family and friends have had success in the rehabilitation program.

Details of Experience:

Upon admission, Mrs. E. Tinsley had some expectations and excitement as she entered the Cortlandt rehabilitation program! Knowing the community from past friends and family, E. Tinsley was confident in choosing Cortlandt Healthcare to start her journey of recovery after her knee surgery. Mrs. E. Tinsley wanted to set goals for herself so she would be able to get herself back to living on her own in her home.

At the start of physical therapy and during the initial evaluation, E. Tinsley had a baseline of one assist and had a difficult time shifting weight due to the surgery. Goals were made by physical therapy and E. Tinsley to concur over the next few weeks. One goal was to safely balance and stand while performing self-care activities. At the beginning, E. Tinsley was unable to shift her weight or stand for an extended amount of time, but just two weeks after therapy, she was able to stand and balance 1-2 minutes without any support! Another goal that was made was being able to transfer safely out of bed from a lying position to feet flat on the floor. Initially, E. Tinsley had assistance of two people to safely complete the task; then just a week later, she was able to perform the task on her own with the assist of the bed rail! Lastly, E. Tinsley made a goal to ambulate 150 feet with her walker. At first, E. Tinsley’s ambulation was 15 feet with her walker and had one assist, but within two weeks, determination and motivation, E. Tinsley achieved her goal and ambulated 150 feet with her walker!

During her stay, E. Tinsley had to share her experience and the great progress she made. “Overall, my experience was excellent! I like it here, it has been so pleasant! The nurses and aides treated me very well and the therapy – I loved it! They are so good to me! Therapy helped me achieve all my goals and there was no slacking off – trust me I tried! Everything is so nice and it is a clean environment. It is so cheerful and the community makes you feel at ease; it is so beautiful!”