Regina's story

Regina Montague loves her role as an active mother and grandmother and enjoys spending time with her family. But one day, she fell at home and landed on her leg.
Regina had fractured her right hip.
At her local hospital, she underwent emergency surgery and it went well. However, now 76-years old, Regina found herself immobile with pain and swelling.
“I could not even get out of the bed ... I could not do anything,” Regina said. Once medically stable, her medical team recommended inpatient rehabilitation as the next step in her recovery. Though a bit apprehensive about rehabilitation, she knew she was not ready to return home in her current condition.
Six days later, she was admitted to Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital.
“I was motivated by trying to get back home, and not wanting to be a burden on my family,” she said. “I wanted to care of myself and walk on my own.”
With her unselfish goals in mind, Regina mapped out a plan with Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital’s physician led multi-disciplinary team to address her limitations. She needed assistance to get out of bed and into her wheelchair. Yet, she also needed help propelling her wheelchair, as her arms weren’t strong enough to do so independently. When it came to taking care of herself, Regina needed assistance pulling on pants and socks and also needed help from staff for bathing and grooming.
She embarked on a rehabilitation regimen that focused on strength training, balance restoration and relearning essential daily routines. To start, Regina’s physical therapists focused on getting increasing her mobility and confidence. They put her though repeated practice on functional tasks such as getting in and out of bed and standing upright. They addressed her posture with an upright walker, a specialized walker which supported her arms to straighten her back while standing. Regina soon found that progress took time, and some days were tougher than others.
After a few days working on position changes and standing, her physical therapists layered on directional changes and distractions while walking with the walker to challenge her endurance balance and safety awareness. Regina persevered as these were key steps to walking independently again. She began to believe in her therapy routine and grew excited as she saw progress.
“They gave me a schedule every morning,” Regina said. “I loved it... I knew what was going on and what to expect for the day.”
Concurrently, Regina took to heart the prescribed activities of daily living therapy with her occupational therapy (OT) team. She longed to gain independence getting on and off the toilet, brushing her hair and teeth, bathing and dressing. Her OT also focused on building up her upper body strength and coordination. They had Regina stand while engaging in activities and exercises to improve her balance and endurance. They also demonstrated adaptive equipment such as a long-handled sponge and dressing stick to help her bathe and dress. Regina adapted to her new tools in quick fashion.
Regina was elated in her newfound ability to take care of herself: “I can get out of bed, walk, take a shower... it feels so good!”
She also drew inspiration from her faith and her family who visited and encouraged her daily. She will never forget the special time she spent with her 13 year-old grandson—they often read the Bible and prayed together during his visits. Bolstered by the love of family and her commitment to her therapies and treatment, Regina’s walking also took off.
“When I walked to the [first] blue line in the gym, then the second blue line in the gym… I thought, wow, I can do this,” she exclaimed. “I am happy, so happy with my progress. I can go home, I can do this.”
Regina’s family also prepared for her return, participating in the Care Partner program that taught tips and techniques for assisting her at home.
After two weeks at Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital, Regina prepared to head home to her family. She was now walking independently with the assistance of a walker, and managing her self-care needs with only minimal assistance when needed.
She looked forward to some quiet time at home coloring and reading her Bible, and planned to continue her recovery with home health.