Mr. Yong: Meeting His Needs

Mr. Yong, 74, came to Kindred Hospital Boston after a prolonged stay at a short-term acute care hospital, where he presented at the emergency room with occipital headache, diplopia, commonly known as double vision, and gait instability.

Mr. Yong arrived at Kindred Hospital Boston after a very careful and complicated hospital stay requiring ICU care. He had suffered an intercranial breed, requiring intubation for a procedure to treat it and subsequently was unable to be extubated. He had underlying heart and liver disease, respiratory failure, a left cerebellar hemorrhage, right ventricular failure secondary to restrictive heart disease, atrial fibrillation and tracheitis, a bacterial infection of the trachea.

Along with the complex medical care Mr. Yong needed, the other challenge facing Kindred’s interdisciplinary team was discerning Mr. Yong’s wishes in spite of the tubes that prevented communication. With the help of his lovely wife, the Kindred team learned to understand what could be done to bring him peace and comfort as his medical treatment progressed.

Mr.Yong required a lot of motivation, especially from his family. He was very encouraged by a visit from his daughter, an enormous source of inspiration, who came from California to see him.

By the end of his treatment at Kindred Hospital, the respiratory therapists had successfully weaned Mr. Yong from the ventilator and decannulated him. Physical, occupational and speech therapy had helped him regain many of his previous functional abilities. He was able to walk by himself with a rolling walker and eat a regular diet, sharing meals with his wife while still at Kindred.

Having made vast improvements at Kindred Hospital, Mr. Yong was well enough to discharge to a less intense level of care for continued rehabilitation and strength development. Mr. Yong left Kindred for a skilled nursing center, and all reports indicate that he is doing well in his new setting.

Kindred Hospital Boston’s success is apparent in stories like this as well as in our quality scores – our patients and families rate our quality of care at 93.6. Kindred Hospital Boston is also the recipient of the first quarter, 2010 Gold Award from the Hospital Employee Performance Award Program, based on excellence in patient care, customer satisfaction, efficiency and employee satisfaction.