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RESTORING
INDEPENDENCE
Shannon Inpatient Rehabilitation
Center helps patients get back to life
SKYLAR JENKINS, 28,
is very familiar with the Shan-
non Inpatient Rehabilitation Center. Last year, the then-
-year-old expectant mother spent days on the unit
receiving treatment for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a
disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part
of the peripheral nervous system. e severity of GBS can
increase quickly and, in some cases, cause total paralysis.
“It started with tingling in my hands,” Jenkins recalls.
“As time went on, my hips began to hurt, I had excruciat-
ing back pain, and then it became harder for me to walk.
I went to the doctor a few times, and they attributed the
issues to my pregnancy.”
Jenkins’ back pain was so severe that she was only
sleeping for minutes at a time. e tingling sensation
would not subside.
“It got to a point where I couldn’t put my hair into a
ponytail because my arms would not raise that high,”
she says. “I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn’t
smile—my lip was drooping.”
FROM HELPLESS TO HEALTHY AGAIN
ree weeks af-
ter her symptoms started, the time at which percent
of people a ected by GBS are at their weakest, Jenkins
walked into the emergency room, was diagnosed and
admitted. A few days later, she lost her ability to walk.
She spent the next six days in the intensive care unit,
where they monitored her lung function. She underwent
IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) therapy, in which
concentrated antibodies were administered to help boost
her immune system’s response to the syndrome.
“I basically lost all my muscle mass,” she says. “At six
months pregnant, I weighed as much as I did prior to
pregnancy. I missed my son’s second birthday—I was
scared and frustrated.”
She moved to the stroke unit and then to inpatient
rehabilitation, where she would spend the next days
relearning how to sit, stand and walk.
“I started working with Skylar two weeks into her rehab
stay a er returning from my own maternity leave,” says
Regina Hartnett, PT, clinical coordinator for inpatient
rehab. “She could stand in the parallel bars with the as-
sistance of two people li ing her, and that day she took a
few steps for the rst time in a month. ree weeks and
many tedious hours of work later, she was walking up and
down the hallway with a walker. It was such an amazing
experience to watch her physical recovery as she was
simultaneously progressing along with her pregnancy.”
“All of the sta were very knowledgeable,” Jenkins
recalls. “I had told them I wasn’t leaving until I walked.
ey motivated and encouraged me and knew my capa-
bilities. ey even threw me a baby shower.”
A little over a month a er her hospital stay, Jenkins
welcomed her daughter, Autumn, into the world. She is
doing well a er completing outpatient rehabilitation and
has returned to her job as a physical education teacher
at Fannin Elementary.
BACK TO WORK AFTER A STROKE
Along with patients
who have neurological disorders, like Jenkins, the rehab
center also treats patients recovering from stroke, brain
injury, fractured hips and femurs, amputations, polyar-
thritis and rheumatoid arthritis, multiple trauma, cancer,
debilitating conditions resulting in loss of independence
in self-care and mobility, and other common functional
problems.
“Since we are a designated Primary Stroke Center,
about percent of our patients are recovering from some
form of a stroke event,” Hartnett says.
Juan Ayala, , is one of those patients. He came to
rehab at Shannon a er having a massive stroke that ren-
dered the le side of his body unusable. Ayala, who has
been a butcher for years, was anxious to return to work
from the moment he arrived for rehabilitation.
“I couldn’t use the le side of my body at all,” Ayala
recalls. “I couldn’t even pick up a pencil with my le
hand. I could stand, but my leg would buckle outward,
so they had to support me while I walked. But they put
me to ‘work’ each morning and encouraged me the whole
time I was there. I really enjoyed my time with them.”
Hartnett says the stroke recovery process varies
from patient to patient and Ayala’s motivation was an
asset to him during his four weeks of rehabilitation.
He underwent three hours of intense therapy—physical
and occupational—every day and was walking with
the help of a walker when he le the unit. Two short
weeks later, he was walking without any assistance. Five
months later, he ful lled his goal and was back behind
the meat counter.
“ ey all did a beautiful job taking care of me,” Ayala
says. “I didn’t want to just lie around a er I had the stroke.
e Bible tells you not to give up—I prayed the Lord would
put me back to work, and he did.”
New home for rehabilitation gets a makeover to work best for patients
This spring, Shannon’s Inpa-
tient Rehabilitation Center
found a new home on the
third floor of the St. John’s
Campus at 2018 Pulliam.
Previously vacant, the
13,000-square-foot unit has
received a full makeover,
from the patient rooms to
the nurses’ station. Each
of the 14 patient rooms is
equipped with a brand-new
bed and furniture, a shower
and a vanity area. And the
staff has made it personal.
“Everyone has had an in-
put on the design and deter-
mined what they think will
work best for the patients,”
says Becky Ragan, pro-
gram director for inpatient
rehabilitation and behav-
ioral services at Shannon.
“The therapy gym is larger,
everything is brand-new, and
the rooms also have more
natural light.”
This inpatient acute
rehabilitation program is
dedicated to helping people
with disabilities attain
optimal independence. The
rehabilitation team provides
24-hour rehabilitation nurs-
ing, physical therapy, oc-
cupational therapy, speech
therapy, case management,
social work and psychology.
“I’m fortunate to assist
in rehabilitating patients
suffering from swallowing,
cognitive and speech diffi-
culties,” says Kimmi Parks,
speech language patholo-
gist. “Inpatient rehab is
by far my favorite setting,
because I belong to a fan-
tastic interdisciplinary team
that enables patients to
finally return home after a
lengthy hospitalization. The
sense of accomplishment
when seeing your patient
walk, talk and eat is truly
indescribable.”
The center uses a com-
prehensive, multidisciplinary
approach to therapy and
provides patients with
simulated real-life environ-
ments where they perform
daily activities, such as
navigating the kitchen and
bathroom and getting into
and out of a car. Treatment
is individualized for each
patient. Patients receive
a minimum of 15 hours of
therapy per week.
“Rehabilitation is im-
portant to continued care,”
Ragan says. “The goal is to
maintain the stamina of care,
bring the patient back into
the community in a short
amount of time, and reduce
the burden of care for them
and their loved ones.”
Last year the center had
151 patients, 72 of whom
had experienced a stroke.
The average length of stay
for those patients was
17.5 days.
Patients and their family
members are actively in-
volved in establishing goals,
participating in therapy
and planning for life after
discharge. The percentage
of patients discharged from
rehabilitation at Shannon
back to their home is 84,
compared to the national
average of 76 percent.
A referral to the Inpa-
tient Rehabilitation Center
may be made by a physi-
cian, insurance provider,
family member, patient or
other concerned party. Pre-
admission evaluations are
provided at no charge to
determine a patient’s eligi-
bility for admission to the
program.
If you think Shannon’s
Inpatient Rehabilitation
Center might benefit you
or someone you know or
if you’d like to learn more,
please call
325-
481-8680
or visit
www.shannonhealth.com.
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