42 – Rehab in the Hood

Albert has been at CORE Healthcare for over three months and he’s ready to move on with his life, his new normal life.  These feelings have been more prevalent since his therapist took him on outings shopping and golfing outside of the rehab center.  Albert went shopping and was allowed to buy items to take care of his personal needs. Albert spent his money on the name brand items that he used before the stroke and was very satisfied. Getting outside of the center gave him the independence which he had been yearning for and he wanted more freedom.

His physical therapist took him to the golf course several times to hit a bucket of balls, putt and to chip. I was told that these activities were essential to his physical and speech therapy, because they were interest-based activities. Albert was an avid golfer before the stroke and with the loss of his right hand and arm wasn’t able to golf like he used to. Being on the golf course brought back memories of the game that he loved. Both types of outings gave him the determination that he needed to stay in rehab at CORE, but with thoughts of going home soon.

Rehab on the CORE campus wasn’t going as well.  Albert was skipping physical and occupational therapies, and when the therapists went to his room to get him, he was obstinate. If they talked with him before his therapy sessions, some days they could persuade him to attend, but other days they could not.  As this behavior continued, a conference was scheduled with the doctor, therapists, psychologist, neurologist, Albert, and me.  The goal was to discuss Albert’s behaviors and then develop a plan of action to get him back on track.

The meeting did not go as planned.  This was because Albert was not on board with the plan. He was tired of living at CORE, tired of attending therapy sessions, and he was ready to go home.  He wanted to improve, but was progressing slowly. He knew that he might not gain use of his right arm or recover his speech, and he was ready to move on with the development he had made.  By the end of the meeting, the discussion changed from getting back on track to determining the skills he needed to acquire before leaving CORE, and then choosing an end date.

Was rehabilitation in the neighborhood a good idea?  I’m not sure, but we’ll see.