Life Care Center of Osawatomie helps Carter make progress after stroke

In January 2018, Charles Carter suffered a stroke.

After being in a specialty hospital for more than two months, most rehab centers declined to admit him, but Life Care Center of Osawatomie, Kansas, stepped up to the challenge of helping him get to the next stage of recovery.

When Carter arrived at the facility on March 10, he had a tracheotomy for breathing and had been tube fed for a month and a half. He was unable to speak well, with only 50 percent intelligibility. He needed a mechanical lift in order to get out of bed and could not tolerate being in a wheelchair for very long. He also had very poor range of motion in his legs.

Physical, occupational and speech therapists all worked with Carter to help him reach his goals. PT and OT helped him build strength and endurance, while ST focused on his speech and swallowing.

Carter was able to get rid of the trach and the feeding tube. He is still on a limited diet of mechanical-soft textures but has made progress in his ability to swallow.

As far as his mobility goes, he can now use a sit-to-stand lift and be up in a wheelchair for up to four hours at a time.

"Charlie was and is an amazing testimony of what faith can get you through," said Tammi Conner, marketing and admissions coordinator. "This was a gentleman the hospital wanted me to talk with about comfort care. His family was here daily, always with a positive outlook and a willingness to help. We were able to get him into an acute rehab center, thanks to our amazing rehab team."

Carter moved on to the next stage of his recovery on June 8.