Regency Grande in Dover, NJ has a well deserved reputation for providing the very best Cardiac Rehab for seniors in all of New Jersey.
Allow me to share with you one of many of our success stories at Regency Grande:
Jean (not her real name) is an 86 year old woman who recently spent two months at Regency Grande and made amazing progress. She and her son are very happy she was able to return to her home, remain a vital part of the community for the foreseeable future, and thus improve her overall quality of life.
Jean came to Regency Grande following hospitalization for a cardiac artery bypass graft with aortic valve replacement due to coronary artery disease. Regency Grande epitomizes the team approach to total patient care by caring, skilled professionals.
Jean’s care in the facility was managed by two physicians – an internist who specializes in cardiac conditions and a physiatrist, a rehabilitation doctor. Because of her past history and symptoms, she went out of the facility for appointments with her pulmonologist and neurologist in addition to her surgeon.
Rehabilitation and nursing services were critical to her recovery. Before hospital admission, Jean lived alone in a split level home where she was able to walk independently with a rollator, climb a flight of stairs to her bedroom and bathroom, and perform self care activities; her groceries were delivered and a cleaning lady took care of her housework. At the time of admission, she required 50-75% assistance for standing up, walking, bathing, dressing and toileting. This represented a significant decline in her functional abilities (prior level of function/PLOF) so she started physical and occupational therapy. Due to her cardiac history, therapy sessions were coordinated with daily telemetry monitoring by nursing.
Physical and occupational therapy services focused on functional mobility training while monitoring her vital signs and emphasizing compensatory strategies to accommodate her sternal precautions, shortness of breath exacerbated by exercise and the tremors in her limbs that developed following her cardiac surgery. Assessments were in accordance with current research and industry-recognized standards. Treatment addressed her abnormal gait pattern, her need for increased assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), her specific areas of muscle weakness, her decreased dynamic balance and eventually community reintegration.
Jean became short of breath when trying to make her needs known and exhibited difficulty with motor planning, so she was referred for speech therapy services. Assessment utilized several standardized tests to determine the most appropriate strategies. Treatment addressed respiratory stridor, breath support, attention and functional math with excellent outcomes. The speech therapist ruled out swallowing deficits as it is necessary to be able to hold one’s breath for one second to prevent aspiration.
Education was provided to caregivers and family throughout Jean’s stay at Regency Grande. Frequent formal and informal meetings with members of the care team took place to discuss her plan of care and report on her progress.
After eight weeks, Jean returned to her home with a caregiver. She required 0-15% assistance for standing up and walking with a rollator, and 25% with ADLs.
