Life Care Center of North Glendale helps Long walk again

When Jeanne Long arrived at Life Care Center of North Glendale, Arizona, on July 15, 2017, she had been struggling with pneumonitis, a non-infectious inflammation of the lungs.

"I had not walked in five months, and after going to the hospital, I was ready to give up," said Long. "But Derek [LeBlanc, physical therapist assistant] brought me back."

LeBlanc served as Long's primary physical therapist, and while she could not even balance while standing when she arrived, the therapy team helped get her back on her feet. She also did speech therapy to overcome her mild swallowing deficits and occupational therapy to increase her independence in activities of daily life, like getting dressed, grooming and light housekeeping.

Therapeutic exercises helped Long strengthen her muscles and regain range of motion, while neuromuscular reeducation helped her body get used to going through its daily motions. Physical therapists did gait training with her and used the NuStep^® recumbent stepper to help build her endurance.

On Aug. 18, Long was able to return home with home health therapy.

"If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have walked again," said Long.