Patients Age: 59
Admission Date: 12/30/15
Admitted From:STR
Discharged To: LTC
Reason for Stay: Converted to LTC at The Grove for continued care
Details of Experience:
MC, a young female woman 59 years of age, was admitted to the facility exactly 1 year ago on 12/30/14 as a result of injuries sustained in a MVA. Her initial admission was for short term rehabilitation; however, as she is totally dependent in care she became a long term placement. She had continued to receive a puree consistency diet since her admission, primarily as a result of decreased cognition and inability to follow directions. Her communication and interactions with staff, caregivers and family remains limited.
However, in November of this year she went out to the hospital and upon return in the middle of the month, I found her to have made some strides in alertness and responsiveness. Thus, I decided to work with her to determine the highest tolerated diet consistency she could achieve offering her an increased quality of life where diet and eating is concerned. This would be especially significant in her case in light of the fact that she has a supportive, caring and attentive family who would be thrilled to be able to share their native dishes with her.
We embarked upon dysphagia therapy on a daily basis with trials to upgrade her diet consistency first to ground. There were issues regarding her ability to effectively and adequately move her jaw to chew but we practiced diligently until she demonstrated sufficient gains to upgrade the consistency. Dysphagia therapy continued and the resident progressed all the way through chopped consistency to a regular consistency diet.
MC is a true success story and a perfect example that long term residents should never be overlooked regarding any possibility of improving their quality of life.