By Deepa Basil, DOR, Patriot Heights, San Antonio, TX
In the outpatient therapy program here at Patriot Heights, our therapists see many people from all walks of life. Sadly, many of our patients come to us during some of the most difficult times in their lives, but there is a silver lining to this! Our favorite part is seeing the therapy transformations from start to finish! Making a difference in people’s lives is what we do, and our patients would certainly agree that we do it exceptionally well.
We would like you to meet Joe! Joe came to our therapy program in the form of a skilled nursing stay in January 2022 after a fall incident in which he sustained a femur fracture and underwent surgery. Joe was admitted to our skilled nursing facility for short-term rehabilitation. After his discharge from our skilled nursing, Joe was seeing such great results with our therapy team, he chose to continue with our Outpatient therapy program and contacted Jessy Garcia, our outpatient coordinator. By his side the whole way, he had his loving and devoted wife taking care of him while also getting a front-row seat to his amazing progress day by day! We would like to take the time to highlight some of the praises she has voiced for our therapy team and share a bit about Joe’s story with you as one of our most exceptional success stories!
“Dear therapy team, thanks for ALL the love and compassion you showed Joe! You all went far beyond the call of duty meeting him where he was… in his hour of need! You all treated him with such dignity and respect; we love and appreciate you! [He went] From bedridden to a walk down in the park, thanks to prayers and your therapy program!
He feels loved and accepted at the gym. He is rather quiet and/or shy but the community he feels there has brought out a new facet of his personality. It thrills me to see him so ready to get up at 6AM to get to therapy on time… 92 but Joe is in PERFECT Health. Thank you for your major role in providing this for him!
[Recently] Joe walked at home for 30 minutes Saturday, 20 Minutes Sunday, and then 45 minutes at the park. This was our first walk in the park. It has a slow incline and is asphalt. His legs got really tired. Upset? No! He said ‘We need to do this more often!’
Saturday I assisted Joe in the shower. He always clutches two safety bars, I use a washcloth with soap to wash him all over, and I hold the shower wand. He said, ‘May I have the washcloth, please?’ He took it, got it wet, and put soap on it. He used both hands and washed himself from head to toe. With perfect balance, and with me only helping by washing his back, he took the towel and completely dried himself — a first! He was so pleased!
Three cheers for Joe’s therapists!! Every one of you has contributed to this success story! THANK YOU, therapy team! God bless you for caring!”.