Ilona is eighty-eight years old and since her husband, John, passed away earlier this year she has lived alone in her condominium. Several months ago Ilona fell and fractured her left humerus. Unable to move or call for help, Ilona spent thirty-six hours lying on her back in her bathroom.
During this time, Ilona missed an appointment, and attempts to reach her by telephone failed, so a friend went to her building and convinced the concierge to use a master key to enter her condominium. They found Ilona and immediately called for an ambulance. She was admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital where she was treated for a left arm fracture. Ilona’s arm was put in a sling and she was admitted to the Post Acute Care Rehabilitation (PACR) unit at The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre (TGHC).
On admission, Ilona was assessed by the TGHC’s interprofessional health care team. A plan of care was initiated for her rehabilitation, which included strategies for falls prevention and harm minimization. Ilona now receives around-the-clock care and is supported by our nurses, who help her with all activities of daily living (ADL), as well as health education and clinical management (medication/health assessment). Members of the allied health team are supporting Ilona with her rehabilitation.
Her physiotherapist (PT) and her occupational therapist (OT) have been working with Ilona to help restore her balance, strength and mobility, which were compromised by her fracture. As her mobility and balance have slowly returned, Ilona has been working on building her strength and endurance. At first Ilona used a Hemi-walker to increase her mobility; she is now able to walk using a single-point cane. Her OT has been working with Ilona on improving her balance and strength by doing exercises involving ADL. To help increase her physical and cognitive abilities, Ilona recently began attending seated yoga classes in recreational therapy.
Currently, there are no active range-of-motion therapy sessions underway for the left humeral fracture. These will not begin until Ilona is assessed at the fracture clinic at Mount Sinai at the end of May. The goal is to allow the fracture to heal properly before rehabilitation on her arm begins.
Ilona believes the care and support she is receiving is excellent, and she is looking forward to beginning rehabilitation on her arm. She is motivated and eager to get better so she can take a planned trip to Hungary this summer to visit her family.