Skilled Nursing Care: Case Studies
Pillar Stone Facilities have been providing rehab care and skilled nursing to people from Texas. Our skilled nursing services include physical, occupational and speech therapies, and ongoing physician supervision and consulting pharmacists. It is a comprehensive regimen which aims to restore maximum function and to generate an effective, ongoing care plan to stabilize chronic conditions.
- Mr. M: A focus on diabetic care management
Mr. M came to Pillar Stone for what was anticipated to be a permanent placement. He had been hospitalized for complications associated with diabetes that was not properly controlled; he had associated respiratory and circulatory conditions and diabetic ulcers that he was unable to properly manage at home. Collectively his conditions severely limited his functioning and both Mr. M and his daughter agreed that nursing home placement was imminent. At home, Mr. M was unable to accurately manage complicated medication injections – as a result, he had frequent urgent care appointments and emergency department visits because of unstable blood sugar levels and respiratory distress.
46 days later, Mr. M was discharged home. He had lost more than 20 pounds, his diabetes was effectively controlled with oral medications rather than injections and syringes, his functional mobility and endurance had nearly tripled. He had spent extensive time with a registered dietitian to better manage a diet appropriate for diabetes. The wounds on his legs were fully healed. Home health services remain in place for Mr. M, and his physician, instead of admitting his to the emergency department, now monitors his with home visits.
- Mrs. C: A focus on post-surgical and wound care
Mrs. C is a fixture in one of the small towns in Texas. If she is not to be found on her daily walk, she is likely supervising the post office. So when she came to Pillar Stone with a complex, nonhealing infection of the surgical site following a hip replacement she was adamant that progress be brisk. He worked with our therapists seven days a week to regain the function and stamina that she (and the rest of the town, frankly) had been accustomed to. During this time, the progress of the infection was reversed, and the surgical site responded quickly to the specialized wound care.
- Mr. G: A focus on care coordination
Mr. G was hospitalized for acute chest pain and shortness of breath. These chronic conditions had kept him largely home bound – in fact, they so limited his mobility that most of his day was confined to a single room. It was the physicians and clinical staff at Pillar Stone who recognized, upon assimilating the medical records, that it was an adverse interaction of suppressive immunotherapy and anti-hypertensives that accounted for his weakness and chronic pain. Mr. G now reports his only shortness of breath is associated with the near constant task of supervising his great grandchildren.