Concierge Name: Daniel Wolf
Resident Name: David Patteson
Resident Age: 53
Admission Date: 09/23/21
Admitted From: Montefiore Hospital
Discharge Date: Impending
Discharged To: Impending
Length of Stay: Impending
Reason for Stay: Severe Pneumonia
How did the resident hear about Sans Souci? The patient’s physician in the hospital referred the patient
Details of Experience:
When David Patterson acquired pneumonia in September of 2021, it was time for the teacher to become the student. After teaching and connecting with his students for years, it was time for Mr. Patterson to learn a few things himself, as his students affectionately call him. He spent some time in Montefiore Hospital, which included changing rooms often. All the movement and being unaware of what would happen during the transition caused David to be anxious and confused. That all changed when David arrived at Sans Souci.
On arrival, David had low expectations. From day one, Bridgette, one of the amazing certified nursing aides at Sans Souci, saw that David needed some extra TLC. Bridgette proceeded to cheer him up and anticipate his every concern, creating a close bond between the two of them. “What I liked about her was that I could see she was aware of my needs and knew how to guide me to do things for myself. She was very attentive and anticipated my needs like a mother hen.” David shared. With some support from Bridgette, the first-day jitters were gone, and David was ready for therapy.
The therapy team set some short-term goals, including transferring from the bed to the wheelchair, using the bathroom by himself, and performing lower body dressings. Although Mr. Patterson knew how to motivate others, it was a struggle to give his all to the therapy team in those first few days. Chatrun, his favorite therapist, had a lot to say about David. “He always pushed himself in the gym, he was always happy to take advice from any of the therapists to improve. He’s an all-around great guy, super-nice, and always trying to help others”. This strong bond kept David motivated and ready to improve every time he stepped into the gym.
Within three weeks, David had already progressed from minimal assistance to set up assistance for going to the bathroom and doing his lower body dressings. He also improved to standing with assistance for transferring from the bed to the wheelchair. After blazing through his short-term goals, David sat down with the therapy team to begin work on his long-term goals. His long-term goals included improving his bed mobility without the help of the side rails, being able to walk two hundred feet with an adaptive device, and increasing his balance for all his daily activities. Building on his momentum from his short-term goals and with some encouragement from Chatrun, David pushed himself even more to complete his long-term goals.
When Mr. Patterson was discharged from therapy, he had accomplished all his goals. He went from needing contact guard assistance and 25% verbal cues to being completely independent in terms of his bed mobility. He also progressed from only being able to walk fifteen feet with some assistance to being able to walk an unlimited distance with an adaptive device. Next, he improved his balance from poor+ to good. David credits the Recreational Therapy Director, Jennifer, with providing much of the psycho-social motivation he needed. “I’ve always loved to sing, and as soon as Jen found out, she wouldn’t take no for an answer, always encouraging me to perform for the other residents. Even though I wasn’t breathing too well at the time, I decided to give it a shot. The next thing you know, I had sung the whole song, and everyone loved it. She really pushed me to get out of my own way. Jennifer reminded me that you never know what you’re capable of.” David said.
When facing some of life’s challenges, David shared it can be difficult to keep a positive mindset. When asked how he was able to stay positive, Dave points to Daniel, the Concierge. “As someone who has worked with people his whole life, I was very impressed with how engaging he was. From person to person, room to room, smiles follow wherever he goes. It was nice to see a staff member have a mindset of ‘these are my people, and they need me.'” With the help of a few key staff members in Sans Souci, David was able to help himself and inspire other residents. In February of 2022, he brought in a friend to help him lead an art class in honor of Black History Month. David originally came to Sans Souci out of necessity, but he became a member of the Sans Souci family. The Team at Sans Souci knows firsthand how much of a positive impact. Mr. Patterson can have on a person, and the team is grateful for being a part of his healthcare journey.
The team wishes Mr. Patterson all the best.