Case Study: Sans Souci Q 3 2025
Concierge Name: Yosef Unger
Patient Name: Charles D.
Patient Age: 74
Admission Date: 05/28/2025
Admitted From: Montefiore Medical Center
Discharge Date: 09/05/2025
Discharge To: Home
Length of Stay: 3 Months and 8 Days
Reason for Stay: Left Leg BKA (Below Knee Amputation)
How Did This Patient Hear About Sans Souci: The Hospital Staff
Details of Experience:
Prior to coming to Sans Souci, Charles D., a Navy veteran, went through a difficult time. In 2023, a cholesterol blockage in his right thigh and lower leg began causing him significant pain. After scheduling a procedure to rectify that issue, in 2025, his left leg started to deteriorate. In April of 2025, he moved forward with his procedure but developed an infection, which hindered his ability to ambulate. He began walking with a stick, and after a while, he needed to hop on one leg. The limb was becoming gangrenous and was extremely painful. He was barely able to get around.
On the 23rd of May, Charles had an amputation to remove his left leg below the knee. After the amputation, the social worker in the hospital suggested four Rehabilitation Centers. They began researching rehabs and felt that the medical attention and rehabilitation weren’t up to par, until she toured at Sans Souci. She thought that it would be just like the other Rehabilitation Centers, but then she saw the robotic device the doctors used to check in on new residents. That’s when she realized that the medical attention would be what she had been looking for…she knew that this was where she wanted her husband to reNEWTM and rehabilitate.
On the evening of May 28th, Charles was admitted to Sans Souci Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. He was admitted as a left BKA (below-knee amputee). He was very weak and required a two-person assist for transfers. He doesn’t recall the first night clearly, since he had just come from the hospital and was exhausted. He wasn’t sure how the rehab experience would be, since it was his first time. That is, until he met Lidia, the charge nurse on his unit. In his words, “Lidia made me feel comfortable. She answered all my medical questions with a smile. All the CNAs were kind, professional, and helped to acclimate to the situation.”
The first two days were difficult. He had a lot of phantom pain at the amputation site, and due to the pain, he needed to do therapy in his room. After two days, he started feeling a bit better and went downstairs to the gym. He recalls how the therapists started him off at 15 reps; however, he wanted to push himself to do 100 reps. After the therapists realized that he wanted to do more, they pushed him and encouraged him to do so. He kept on adding more reps with the help of Mr. Kayode, his Occupational therapist, and Nana Ofori-Asiedu, his Physical therapist.
A week after beginning his physical therapy, Charles met with Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, two amputees and gold medal Paralympic winners. Todd and Dennis’ invaluable support of CareRite’s Amputee Walking School and Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program brings an unprecedented level of success to Sans Souci’s amputee patients. He remembers how they came to visit him in his room and to check up on him. They told him about all their experience in helping amputees and were very honest about the process. “It will be hard, but with hard work you will get there,” they told him. “It wasn’t easy,” he says of being an amputee, “there were all sorts of things going through my head.”
After much hard work, on August 22nd, Charles was able to try on his new prosthetic leg. The following Monday, thanks to all the work and preparation for that day, he was able to walk with the walker by himself. On the Monday following that, he was able to go on a walk outside the building with his therapist.
Charles was discharged home on Friday, September 5th. At the time of discharge, he was walking 300 feet using a rolling walker independently. The rehab team had supplied him with a commode, tub shower bench, and rolling walker for home use. He had been set up at home with a therapist twice a week, and he has been making considerable progress. Currently, Charles is working on his ability to walk with a cane.
He credits the staff with supporting him throughout his journey. “The staff did an excellent job, and I would like to give them a big thank you,” he says. In the five-star Google review that he left, he wrote, “I’d like to thank Dennis and Todd for how much they helped me and motivated me to continue on my path to recovery. [They] did an excellent job, and I’ll never forget them for that.” Being in the Navy has impacted him, as well. “It taught me that there is no such thing as giving up and saying I can’t do.”
Charles has taught us to keep on seeing things in a positive light and never to give up. We miss Charles and wish him continued success. We hope that he gets to follow his dreams of seeing the world and seeing more Broadway shows.