2009 Annual Report - Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center

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Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital 2 009 Annual Report [ 4 ] A Christmas ‘Miracle’ PERFORMED WITH THE HELP OF AN INTENSE PHYSICAL THERAPY REGIMEN Dr. Tom Halligan’s stroke was a thief in the night. As he slept, it stole away with the left side of his body and the next morning he woke to a new and frightening reality. When he tried to make his wife understand that he could not move or get out of bed, she thought he was pulling one of his jokes on her. After the couple’s next-door neighbor — an emergency room doctor — confirmed the seriousness of the situation, an ambulance was called to take Dr. Halligan to Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Following a week of acute care, he was moved to Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital. “When Tom came here, the entire left side of his body was paralyzed,” says Jen Shockley, M.S.P.T., physical therapist. “He was still being tube-fed because he couldn’t swallow. He had trouble speaking, he slept a lot and when he was awake, he couldn’t get out of bed.” A retired surgeon with an active social and community life before the stroke, Dr. Halligan recalls how helpless he felt. “I didn’t realize how difficult a thing just getting out of bed is,” he says. “They had to hoist me with a sling into the wheelchair. It was scary. I couldn’t assume that I would ever do anything I had done before. I had no idea what the future held.” What the future held was hard work — in the form of intense therapy sessions with Jen. In the beginning, progress was painfully slow. “We started with basic exercises in bed,” Jen explains. “We got him to roll over, then we worked on sitting up. “ I couldn’t assume that I would ever do anything I had done before. I had no idea what the future held. ” One of Tom’s biggest obstacles was that he had no awareness of his deficits. He had what we call a ‘field cut,’ and he simply didn’t acknowledge his left side. When he sat up, he would tilt to one side — and not realize what the problem was.” At one point, Dr. Halligan’s family was told that he was making insufficient progress and might have to be moved to another facility. Whether it was the knowledge that he could be leaving or just his sheer determination to succeed, Dr. Halligan and his team may never know. But something changed. “You have to make progress to stay here,” Dr. Halligan points out. “You gotta stand up.” And stand up he did. Then he walked, using the parallel bars in the physical therapy room. Within days he had progressed to a walker and not long after, to a cane. Ask Dr. Halligan what made the difference, and he’ll tell you about his team. Besides Jen, his team included physiatrist Dr. Thomas Miller; Carrie Burns, M.S., O.T.R./L., C.B.I.S., for occupational therapy; and Nicole Scinto, M.S., C.C.C.-S.L.P., speech language pathologist, for speech therapy. “I had seamless care,” he says. “Everyone on my team knew what I needed. They were on top of the situation — especially Jen.” Indeed, Jen knew that Dr. Halligan had the capability to work hard in his therapy sessions, and she saw the time and effort pay off. “Tom had the endurance to tolerate intense therapy. He was motivated and he took pride in what he accomplished. He could tell when he did something better than the day before.”
“I thought she was gonna kill me,” jokes Dr. Halligan. “I learned that when she asked me if I wanted to do something, ‘no’ was not an option. She was a slavedriver — also ingenious.” To help Dr. Halligan recognize that he was tilting to one side, Jen would sit him in front of a full-length mirror and compare his position to hers. She had him hit a balloon with a badminton racket, an activity that required not just coordination but also a light touch. Dr. Halligan also used the Wii system, which he found challenging. “Standing to ‘bowl’ and ‘golf’ tested my stamina, coordination, timing and strength,” he says. During a visit from his grandsons, Jen set up a game with them that required Dr. Halligan to move sideways to catch a soft basketball. He didn’t miss a toss. Dr. Halligan wells with emotion as he recalls that day. “I knew I was going to be better after that.” Dr. Halligan spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas at Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital. On New Year’s Eve, he went home, walking out of the hospital on his own. “We called him our Christmas miracle,” says Jen. “Everyone was astounded.” Following his discharge, he underwent eight weeks of outpatient therapy and participated in the Adaptive Golf Program, getting back to the game he loves. He’s also a regular at the Fitness Center. Perhaps most important, he’s giving back. Each week, he returns to Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital as a volunteer, talking with patients and their family members, sharing his experiences and offering encouragement. He also volunteers his medical services at a walk-in clinic. “I never dreamed I’d get back to medicine,” he says, beaming. Fitness video games helped Dr. Halligan to improve his balance and coordination which allowed him to once again play golf. Members of Dr. Halligan's treatment team included (from left to right) Frank Pasini, P.A.-C., Kathy Barone, R.N., Nicole Scinto, M.S., C.C.C.- S.L.P., Jennifer Shockley, M.S.P.T. and Thomas Miller, M.D. Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital 2 009 Annual Report [ 5 ]
Page 1 and 2: 2009 Annual Report Bouncing Back! W
Page 3 and 4: A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND TH
Page 5: A MESSAGE FROM THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR
Page 9 and 10: “Rehab nursing is very different
Page 11 and 12: The physiatrist reviews consultatio
Page 13 and 14: GAITRite ® Mat — The GAITRite ma
Page 15 and 16: Research at the Mandell Center, led
Page 17 and 18: Maureen Dehaney, LPN Linda Fader, R
Page 19 and 20: PHOTOGRAPHY: JOE DRISCOLL DESIGN: J

2009 Annual Report - Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center

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