Life Care Center of the North Shore helps Robinson get home

After suffering a brain aneurism, as well as several broken bones in a car accident, Peggy Robinson came to Life Care Center of the North Shore in Lynn, Massachusetts, on May 10, 2017.

Robinson required total assistance when she arrived to groom herself, walk, transfer from one surface to another and balance while standing. She also needed extensive assistance with getting around in her wheelchair, as well as bathing, getting dressed and cognition. She needed some help to balance in her chair and had difficulty understanding and using language.

Physical therapists started working with Robinson to help her regain strength and mobility, while occupational therapists retrained her in the daily self-care tasks she would need to do at home. While PT focused on her lower-body strength for standing and walking, OT focused on her upper-body strength. Speech therapists trained her on attention, memory and recall, problem solving, self-monitoring and sequencing.

"Everyone here was great, not just those who took care of me but everyone in the building was kind, warm and genuinely real people," said Robinson.

Robinson was able to return home to her son on Aug. 17. She was independent in her bed mobility, wheelchair mobility, sitting balance, speech and hygiene tasks, and she only required supervision with walking, bathing, dressing, transferring and standing.