Concierge: Dominick DiLieto
Patient age: 83
Admission date: April 7, 2022
Admitted from: Phelps Hospital / Northwell Health
Discharge Date: June 16, 2022
Discharged To: Daughter’s Home
Length of stay: 70 Days
Reason for stay: To receive rehabilitation services secondary to broken femur and history of stroke.
How did this patient hear about The Paramount? Recommended by a hospital case manager
Details of Experience:
When Carol Kotash arrived at The Paramount on April 7, she had suffered a fall in which she had broken her left femur and hit her head. Carol had challenges with body movement due to a series of strokes she had in the past. Upon her arrival, Carol was greeted by our Interdisciplinary team, including Nursing, Dietary, Rehabilitation, Recreation, and Concierge. The team discovered that one of Carol’s passions was painting and being creative with her hands. She was very concerned about not having the ability, during her stay, to pursue her passion and was motivated to be as engaged in her treatment as possible. The team was excited to help Carol continue to express her creativity.
The Therapy team created a personalized treatment plan for Carol. On Day one, she needed extensive assistance from our staff with her daily routine. Before the incident, Carol had required the assistance of a walker for ambulation, but afterward, she was incapable of moving over 20 feet without assistance. She could not transfer herself into a chair, dress, use the bathroom, or climb any stairs. This left her frustrated yet determined to meet her goals.
When Carol completed treatment, she was able to complete her Activities of Daily Living (ADL) with complete independence. Using only her walker, she could walk over 175 feet without hands-on assistance. On one of her last days here at The Paramount, we had a barbecue for Carol’s unit, Essex, which was being held in our outside tent on the opposite end of our community. The distance is nearly the length of a football field. Carol, on her own, was able to walk down our “Main Street” and attend the barbeque, displaying to the entire community the tremendous progress she had made.
While staying at The Paramount, Carol celebrated many holidays, including Easter, Mother’s Day, and Nursing Home Week. Carol had often participated during these occasions, socializing with both the other residents and staff. In the days leading to Mother’s Day, she was kind enough to hand out hand-painted cards to the team to celebrate them and the mothers and grandmothers in their lives. On the day of her discharge, the remaining homemade cards and her paintings were given by her to the resident in the neighboring room, a woman she had become friends with while at The Paramount.
Carol was always a positive influence and shared her incredible energy with everyone. Her room was right across the hall from Victoria, the Essex Unit Manager, and the two became fast friends. When asked if there had been a staff member that made her feel more comfortable, Victoria was the first on Carol’s list. Carol said, “Victoria had always been available to help me and always did so in a pleasant manner.” She was very grateful to her Occupational Therapist, Dawn, as well as Marva, the Housekeeper on her unit. She praised the staff’s work, saying, “the staff as a whole exhibited great patience all around, and everyone works together like a family.”
Carol completed her healthcare journey with us on June 16, returning to living with her daughter. We celebrated her graduation from rehabilitation and presented Carol with a Paramount “Came as a Patient, Left as a Friend” t-shirt. The team truly feels like Carol was, and always will be, a friend to all she knew here.
The team at The Paramount wishes Carol much success on her continued healthcare journey.