Jere's Story

Jere Grohe, 71, enjoyed a busy life after he partially retired from his information technology career. From pickleball to biking in local parks, Jere especially enjoyed outdoor activities.

All that recreation came to a halt when Jere woke one morning. Something was amiss...he didn’t feel like his normal self. Moments later, his wife Beth noticed his face drooping. Jere was having a stroke.

“I woke up early…I felt that something was not right,” he explained. “I could get around, I walked downstairs, but I really felt that something wasn’t right. My wife noticed my face drooping and she called 911.”

Because of his symptoms, the responding hospital sent its mobile stroke unit to Jere’s house. “On the way to the hospital I talked to a doctor, had a CT scan and did tests in the van,” he recalled. “I was very impressed by the hospital to know to send that unit.”

Jere was taken to Fairview Hospital where an MRI was performed. He was diagnosed with a brainstem stroke. The brainstem connects the brain to the spinal cord, sending messages to the rest of the body to regulate balance, breathing, heart rate and more. In Jere’s case, the stroke affected his left side, which added complexity because he is left-handed.

Once stabilized, Jere and his family selected Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital, Avon for his next level of care. They were familiar with the hospital. “My wife’s mother has been there three times, so we also knew about it from that,” he explained.

Upon admission to Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital, Avon, Jere continued to struggle with left-side weakness as well as decreased balance and coordination. Because of his lack of mobility, he required assistance for many of his activities of daily living, including transferring to and from his bed, getting dressed, bathing and using the bathroom. Jere, who had been living with knee pain and had previously received a total knee replacement, also required maximal assistance for lower body dressing.

Despite his symptoms, Jere had a simple, but meaningful goal he wanted to accomplish at the end of his rehabilitation stay: “To walk out of here.”

The physician-led rehabilitation team worked with Jere and his family to put a customized treatment plan in place. He was focused and determined to work hard in his therapy sessions.

His team of physical and occupational therapists focused on building Jere’s endurance and mobility. When they began, he needed total assistance to walk along the parallel bars and needed moderate assistance when propelling himself 50 feet in a wheelchair. To improve his mobility, strength and endurance, Jere completed walking practice with the use of a body weight-support device. This specialized piece of rehabilitation equipment includes a harness that allows a patient to safely balance and bear weight while rebuilding their strength and retraining their muscles to walk.

“Since the stroke, my biggest deficit is mobility,” Jere explained. “I don’t mind the work I have to do to get my mobility back, just hard to know it is a long process. I am willing to try anything that I can.”

Indeed, he was soon able to walk with the assistance of a walker and move himself up to 150 feet in a wheelchair.

His occupational therapists used a variety of treatment options to help improve his activity level. To help build strength and retrain his muscles, Jere received neuromuscular electrical stimulation to his biceps, triceps and wrist – a treatment Jere said helped him a lot. The electric stimulation sent mild electrical pulses through his skin to help stimulate his injured muscles and improve blood flow.

As he progressed through occupational and physical therapy, Jere said the ability to start taking steps again was uplifting, as was the role of his family during his recovery. “Their continued helpfulness and encouragement has been huge,” he stated. “They bring up the progress they see in me and that is helpful.”

Speech therapy addressed Jere's difficulty swallowing and speech impairments. Through targeted interventions, including expiratory muscle strength training, Jere showed marked improvement in swallowing function and vocal quality. As a result, he was discharged from speech therapy after two sessions due to his ability to complete the exercises on his own.

Jere was thankful for the staff at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital, Avon and their ability to focus on his individualized plan. At discharge, he was walking with assistance, able to independently conduct his toileting and bathing activities and transfer from sitting to standing with adaptive equipment.

“I feel the therapy has been extremely helpful and advantageous,” said Jere. “They are willing to do things to help me progress better in a shorter period of time. I see a lot of progressive help and willingness to do things that are the next step for me … They are always doing the next thing, there is nothing stagnant.”

As Jere looked forward to returning to the pickleball court and bike paths, he committed to continuing his exercises at home, as well as work to improve his knee and hip. Despite a bump in his path, Jere was excited for his future and a return to his active lifestyle.

“This is a continuation of your home training you were doing to stay healthy, just looks a little different,” Jere said. “Goals are different for now, but you have to do it to get back to your normal activities.”