Concierge Name: Daniel Wolf
Patient Age: 53
Admission Date: 04/07/22
Admission From: St. John’s Riverside Hospital
Discharge Date: 06/29/22
Discharge To: Home
Length of Stay: 82 days
Reason For Stay: Left below knee amputation
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Details of Experience:
Eric Martin arrived at Sans Souci on April 7, 2022, after a tumultuous hospitalization at St. John’s Riverside Hospital. Eric was diagnosed with gangrene in four of his five toes. Mr. Martin was then given a choice to try and fight the gangrene, even though he couldn’t really move and didn’t feel well, or have his leg amputated. Eric made his decision, and after an extensive five surgeries, to have his leg amputated. Although amputating a leg is a life-changing event, Eric felt renewed energy after the surgery. Now, with the surgeries behind him, he could focus on his next steps. After discussing it with his family, he determined that Sans Souci would be that next step.
During the first few days of his stay, Eric’s excitement about his next steps started to lessen. Eric tried to keep his expectations low, expecting his recovery to span five to six months. Eric was greeted by multiple therapists, administration staff, and a few CNAs that Eric really bonded with during his stay. “Jennifer, the recreational therapy director, really cheered me up as well as the amazing CNAs, Bridgette, and Marcelo.” Along with the amazing therapy team, Eric set some manageable goals to accomplish during his stay. These goals included standing while being supported for 30-60 seconds, doing sit-to-stand transfers with moderate assistance, and being able to propel himself 30 feet in a wheelchair with moderate assistance. He was slightly discouraged when he saw he wouldn’t be able to do too many exercises without being able to stand. Looking back, he now credits those “small exercises” that he did with his therapists with what helped him transition so seamlessly into doing therapy with a prosthetic. After three weeks, Eric had crushed his first goals and was already updating them to keep pushing himself. He could already stand supported for 60 seconds, propel himself in the wheelchair 40 feet with minimal assistance, and ultimately transfer from sitting to standing and back again. Therapy started off difficult, but it quickly became Eric’s favorite part of his day. “The therapists were always so encouraging without ever pushing me to do anything I didn’t want to do. Christine, one of my therapists, was amazing at coming up with exercises for me to do whenever I was discouraged,” Eric shared. “Omar, one of the recreational therapists, also really kept me on my toes. There were some mornings I would tell him I didn’t want to do anything, and he would just say, ‘well, let me give you something fun to do while you’re doing nothing”.
Eric Martin will be discharged home from Sans Souci on June 29. A stay that he thought would last about half of a year turned out to be less than three months. Eric walked right out the front door, only a week after his friend and former Sans Souci resident, John, walked out himself. Although a nursing home was never a position Eric thought he’d find himself in, he’s happy to have gone through this and made some lifelong friends. One such friend is Jared, the CNA he credits with always ensuring he was taken care of. “Jared was a huge help, always paying attention to my needs, and always timely with a response, Eric said. You can really tell when he’s not here”. We at Sans Souci are so happy for Eric and proud of the work he’s put in. He’s extremely excited to go home, and his wife and kids are ecstatic to bring him home. Eric has already started researching places he can go for therapy from home.
Along with the memories and tools Eric acquired here, Sans Souci wishes Eric all the best in his future endeavors.