Fay Sagan, of Williamsport, was admitted to Rose View Center on July 31, after being hospitalized for a lumbar laminectomy procedure related to her diagnosis of spinal stenosis.
According to physical therapist Jamie R. Woodruff, at the time of admission, Sagan was essentially dependent for all functional mobility and self-care tasks. She was unable to stand and required a Hoyer Lift for transfers and assistance for feeding herself.
"Fay had no active movement in her left lower extremity," Woodruff said. "I was able to palpate a faint muscle contraction in her quadriceps muscle but nothing else."
Sagan said the pain was unbearable.
"I couldn't stand up, feed myself, walk - nothing," she said.
Adding to her complications, Sagan's right lower leg also was very weak, due to degenerative arthritis.
Sharon Shaw, admissions and marketing director for Genesis HealthCare at Rose View Center, said she remembers when Sagan was brought in to the facility.
"I can remember her tears," Shaw said. "She felt helpless."
Fortunately, it didn't take long for things to turn in Sagan's favor. Since her arrival at Rose View Center, Sagan's treatment program consisted of diathermy and electrical stimulation modalities for pain management, electrical stimulation for muscle facilitation to increase her motor control and functional use of her lower extremities, therapeutic exercise, bed mobility training, transfer training and gait training.
In three short months, the 75-year-old has made remarkable gains.
Due to rehabilitation efforts, she has increased strength and motor control in both lower extremities to allow for active movement control and increased functional mobility and is able to transfer and walk with a walker with minimal assistance.
Of course, none of this would be possible without steadfast determination and a lot of hard work on Sagan's part. In fact, prior to surgery she was required to lose more than 80 pounds, which took tremendous strength and courage.
These days, Sagan is enjoying her stay at the center and said the food is really good and overall, the whole experience has been wonderful.
"Everyone here is so nice," she said. "They do things above and beyond their duties."
Sagan said during therapy, they have a lot of fun and are always laughing, which makes the healing process that much more enjoyable.
"Laughter is a big part of the recovery process," Woodruff said.
According to Sagan, each day of therapy is one step closer to reaching her goal, which is to return home by Christmas. Staff said she has surpassed all expectations and is well on her way to accomplishing that goal.
The mantra at Rose View is, "when commitment is unwavering, nothing is impossible," Shaw said. "But what makes a story like this end on such a happy note is the patient's positive attitude coupled with heartfelt and professional administered care."
"Giving someone hope is key," she said. "It's what makes our staff so good at what they do."
Sagan's son John, who spent 13 years as a combat medic in the Army and is a retired registered nurse, agrees.
"The nurses, therapists and nurses aides at Rose View are outstanding," he said. "My mother has made remarkable strides and we're very excited to see her back home for the holidays."
In addition to Woodruff, occupational therapist Heather Nybo and nurses aide Elizabeth Young have worked very hard to ensure Sagan is receiving the best possible care.
Sagan said since she has been at the facility, her time at Rose View Center has been so overwhelmingly positive she is now referring to her stay as a vacation.
For more information regarding services and care provided by Genesis HealthCare, visit www.genesishcc.com or call Roseview Center at 323-4340.
