Sheila's Story

As the oldest of five children, Sheila Taylor wasn’t used to asking for help. But when the 60-year-old Rocky River, Ohio, resident felt ill, she turned to her sister for a ride to the emergency department. And when the pain was so severe that she couldn’t make it to the car, her sister called an ambulance.

Initially taken to a local hospital, Sheila’s condition worsened, prompting her transfer to MetroHealth. Sheila had a boil that led to sepsis, and doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the infection in her abdomen. She was connected to a ventilator and started on hemodialysis.

While Sheila was able to breathe on her own again within four days, she faced complications including bleeding and underwent another six surgeries over the next five weeks. Sheila’s condition eventually stabilized, but she faced a lengthy recovery from being so ill and in bed for so long.

“I lost a lot of mobility and the pain was out of control,” Sheila recalled.

Knowing she would need extended care, Sheila chose to transfer to Regency Hospital – Cleveland West. Having previously been treated there for COVID-19, she felt a sense of comfort returning. A physician-led interdisciplinary team collaborated on a plan to help Sheila get back home.

As nurses provided 24/7 care to manage her pain and medications, certified wound care nurses regularly cleaned and dressed her wound, preventing infection and ensuring significant healing progress.

Sheila was too weak to stand, move to and from her bed or care for herself without assistance. Sheila participated in a personalized physical and occupational therapy program to improve her strength, range of motion and balance. By the end of her 19-day stay, Sheila could get out of bed with her therapist’s help and walk 12 feet using a walker. She also could sit on the edge of her bed and put on her socks with the help of a sock aid.

Sheila said that she knew she'd walk again on the day she was finally able to step from side to side.

An important part of Sheila’s recovery was regaining her appetite, since a nutritious diet is vital for rebuilding muscle and helping her wound to heal.

The support from the staff and her family inspired her to work harder, Sheila said, commending the nurses, nurse aides and therapists.

“They were so kind and never made me feel bad about needing help,” she said.

When her physician recommended inpatient rehabilitation as the next step in her journey, Sheila was hesitant. “I really wanted to go home, Sheila said. “But I knew I needed to get stronger.” Sheila transferred to Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital, Avon, with the goal of improving her walking, thinking more clearly, improving her diet and completing her personal care independently. Again, a physician-led team of nurses and physical, occupational and speech therapists listened to her goals and helped devise a care plan to help her achieve them.

In physical therapy, Sheila worked on improving her strength and endurance while walking progressively longer distances with a rolling walker. Therapists also had Sheila practice stepping up and down on a four-inch step so that she would be able to navigate the steps into her home.

“The first time I did stairs was a big deal because I felt like I really wasn’t going to walk again,” she admits. Physical therapists also had Sheila do hamstring curls and seated exercises using resistance bands in order to increase her strength so that she could more easily transfer from sitting to standing.

Occupational therapists helped Sheila improve her ability to complete her personal care tasks, including bathing and dressing, more independently. They also worked with Sheila in the activities of daily living suite, which simulates a home environment, to ensure she could transition home safely.

Sheila was also struggling with some memory and attention deficits after her long hospitalization. Speech therapists taught Sheila strategies to help her speech and information recall, including how to group similar words together. Speech therapy sessions also included games and tactics to improve her memory.

“I didn’t think I needed speech therapy, but they helped bring my thinking to a much better level,” Sheila said. “I can feel the difference.”

Nursing staff ensured that Sheila’s wound was healing well and that her pain was controlled so that she could fully participate in therapy. They also worked Sheila and her sister, who participated in the hospital’s care partner program, to provide education on how to keep her wound clean and properly dressed. Sheila’s sister also participated in her physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions to ensure that she could assist Sheila in her care once she returned home.

During her 17-day stay at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital, Avon, Sheila made impressive strides. She was able to walk short distances using a rolling walker without any assistance and could navigate six steps and complete her personal care tasks with supervision. Sheila plans to continue her recovery with home health therapy and nursing visits to ensure she continues to heal and gain strength.

“Everything was awesome,” Sheila says of her time in rehab. “I remember things much better now, and I can stand and walk and do stairs which I couldn’t do when I arrived.” She feels changed by her experience. “It made me appreciate my family and my body. It reminded me to not sweat the little things and enjoy life.”