Excellence in Action: Time to SOAR! Overcoming the Effects of COVID-19 through Patient-Centered Interventions.

A 31-year-old patient admitted to our facility in Dallas, Texas, following hospitalization for COVID-19.  His illness onset was in July 2020, and he soon required hospitalization. By August, he was ventilator-dependent and was receiving ventilator management on ECMO treatment.  At that time, his likelihood of survival was low, and his family was preparing for the worst. He had undergone months of unsuccessful treatment before arriving at our Dallas facility in October 2020, with the TMC team as his therapy providers.   

Prior to his illness, he lived at home alone, in a 2nd-floor apartment, and worked full-time as a hotel manager.  Upon arrival to our facility, he was bed-bound and non-responsive, and was completely dependent for all care tasks.

Brad, PTA, and Lisa, COTA, and the entire rehab team in Dallas, TX dove right in with a multidisciplinary approach, addressing the physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial needs of the patient. 

They ordered appropriate equipment, consulted with family, reached out to the patient’s physician regarding medication changes, requested psych consults, and maximized the patient’s participation with functional activities. They also implemented TMC’s specialty programs to provide an individualized plan of care based on the patient’s symptoms, needs, and personal goals.

As a result of these patient-centered interventions and daily encouragement from our rehab team, the patient went from a bed-bound, non-responsive state, to walking 100ft with supervision. Most importantly, his emotional and psychosocial needs were met, and he went from being highly anxious and depressed to thriving, with an optimistic attitude and positive outlook on the future. 

He discharged in November 2020, to stay temporarily with his family, until he is able to return to his apartment.  His family was so thankful on the day of his discharge, that they took a video of him leaving the hospital and invited the rehab team to continue to visit him at home.

The rehab team provided him with gifts upon discharge, including a Christian journal and calendar, knowing that his faith was very important to him. He opened the first page to a letter written by his rehab team.

While reading, he broke down in tears of joy. Now every day, he can write in his journal and be inspired by both the inspirational quotes in the journal and the words from the rehab team who so deeply cares for him.

He knows that he overcame his battle and that it is now his time to soar. Lisa, COTA has stayed in touch with him since his discharge.  He has begun going out into the community again and is excited to be involved in activities he enjoyed prior to his illness. He stated that he would not have left the same man, without the intervention of our amazing rehab team.

In Dallas, Texas, we are “ALL IN” for individualized, person-centered care, and for returning our patients to their highest attainable levels of function, no matter what their admission status may be!