Shortly after Sherrie Freeman, 58, (pictured above with her husband and sons) was diagnosed with COVID-19, she suffered a stroke. Sherrie spent three days in the intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital in Richmond, Ky., which is about a 30-minute drive from her loved ones in Irvine.
After that, her family transferred her to Mercy Health – Marcum and Wallace Hospital so Sherrie could start her rehabilitation closer to home. She was admitted to Marcum and Wallace’s Almost Home program, a short-term, skilled nursing care and rehabilitation program.
Her son Trevor, formerly a pharmacist at Marcum and Wallace Hospital, notes that following her stroke, his mom couldn’t move the right side of her body and her speech was slurred.
“She was at Marcum and Wallace for two weeks, and she did great,” he recalls. “Her speech improved, her memory is better and her physical therapy as well as her occupational therapy helped her make progress on moving her right side. We are really happy with that.”
And Trevor adds that it wasn’t just the focused care that helped.
“Mom was pretty scared with the whole situation,” Trevor shares. “But knowing many of the nurses and team members who she used to teach as a kindergarten teacher made Mom feel more comfortable. It was very convenient to have her close to home and she was happy to be nearby. I saw her every single day – I would stay after work. It was easy for Dad, my brother and his fiancée to visit, too.”
The Marcum and Wallace Hospital’s Almost Home health care team is highly skilled and collaborative, working together to care for patients and address their individual needs.
The care team includes:
- A hospitalist
- A care coordinator
- Nurses
- A dietitian
- Physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapists
- A pharmacist
- An activities coordinator
Together, the team develops and follows a personal care plan to help each patient achieve and maintain their highest level of independent functioning.
After a short stay in a rehabilitation hospital in Lexington, Ky., to help Sherrie gain more function on her right side, she returned home to her family in early March. She is now looked after by her husband, Tim, and continues to work with a physical therapist to help her recover.
Learn more about the different health care services we offer at Mercy Health.
