My Mom's New Heroes: PTs and OTs

As you may have read in earlier blogs, my mother has been in the hospital since Super Bowl Sunday (about 6 weeks now) with a combination of pneumonia and congestive heart failure, during which time she was on a ventilator for about 12 days. She has now been in an inpatient hospital rehabilitation unit for the past two weeks. Her recovery has been aided by the treatment and care of some wonderful physical and occupational therapists. They are my mom's new heroes.

One of the jobs of occupational therapists is to teach recovering patients how to perform daily activities in their home environment. Their goal is to make sure the patient is safe and doesn't aggravate an injury or condition. My mom has had a disabling back injury for many years, so her mobility is restricted. After this most recent incident, she will need to use her walker to get around. Her OT, Wendy (shown on the left), showed her how to use the walker in the kitchen, how to navigate the stove and refrigerator, and how to best carry things with her using a tray. When my mom first arrived in the rehab unit, she couldn't feed herself. With Wendy's help, she is now fully able to enjoy a meal again. In addition to caring about people, OTs need to be very creative and use their critical thinking skills to determine the best course of care for their patients. They talk to their patients about their lifestyle and habits, and try to find the best way for them to conduct their daily activities. For people recovering from being on a ventilator or a stroke or other severe illness, OTs are critical to the patients' long-term success and recovery. They are literally a lifesaver for these patients who desperately want to go back home and take care of themselves on their own. OTs can also specialize in pediatric or geriatric practice.

PTs are focused on physical rehabilitation. In my younger days as an athlete, I often visited PTs for knee or ankle injuries. Like OTs, PTs are creative in developing exercise regimens and treatment protocols to help patients recover from their specific physical problems. When my mom first arrived, she couldn't lift her arms over her head. Through a lot of hard work and motivation from her PTs, she is now lifting weights and using an arm-cycle machine. As her body continues to heal, her PTs will design more exercises for her to keep her motivated and focused on her goal of full recovery. My mom's PT is Jennifer (shown above), and she has been a great inspiration to help my mom hit the weights!

I was so happy to visit my mom over the last few days and to see her improving. In addition to her physical rehabilitation, she is also working with a speech therapist on strengthening her mind through word games and Suduko puzzles. The rehab unit is truly a holistic approach to working with patients after a major surgery or illness and getting them ready to go back to their lives. While this has certainly been a traumatic health episode for my mother, I am convinced that she will come out of this stronger physically and emotionally. The outpouring of love and support from family and friends has been truly overwhelming, and she is dedicated to living the rest of her life knowing that each day is a gift. You'll note in these photos that my mom is always smiling. She hasn't let this experience get her down, and with the support of her wonderful doctors, nurses, OTs, and PTs, she will continue on her road to full recovery.