Life Care Center of Carrollton helps woman improve mobility after fall

Dawn Meierer came to Life Care Center of Carrollton, Missouri, on Oct. 4, 2016, after she fell and fractured her leg.

Meierer had been independent with a walker prior to her fall, and she was fearful of falling again. She had to overcome many obstacles to achieve the goals set by her therapist and her personal goals of losing weight and walking with a walker again. Her orthopedic doctor ordered restrictions on her weight-bearing ability on her fractured leg, so she knew she needed to lose weight and allow time for healing.

Meierer began eating healthier, including lots of salads and better choices at meal time. After several weeks, her orthopedic doctor gave her and her therapist the green light to increase weight-bearing on her fractured leg.

This meant Meierer and her physical therapist could be more aggressive and begin gait training. It also meant occupational therapy could step in to help her perform functional transfers and self-care tasks more independently, with some help from the certified nursing assistants.

"Therapy was hard, but the results and experience were worth it," said Meierer.

Meierer graduated from therapy on March 15, 2017, and now walks with a walker with the resident assistant nurse to maintain her much improved mobility. Meierer has lost nearly 60 pounds since she was admitted, and she continues to live at the facility as a long-term resident.

"We are very proud of Dawn for improving her quality of life and reaching her goals," said Candy Smith, director of rehab services.