Life Care Center of Omaha helps patient recover from broken arm

A fall at home left Carl Bradley with a broken arm and a need for rehabilitation.

On June 7, 2017, Bradley came to Life Care Center of Omaha, Nebraska, for help in his recovery. When he arrived, he needed extensive assistance with cognition and bathing; moderate assistance with hygiene, getting dressed and swallowing; and minimal assistance with walking, transferring from one surface to another and balancing.

Physical therapists focused on improving his strength, using the NuStep^®, a bicycle-like exercise machine that includes hand cranks, and cuff weights for resistance training. They also had him practice balance skills while on an exercise mat.

Occupational therapists helped him learn adaptive techniques, such as putting his affected arm through his shirt sleeves first. They also taught him a lot of range-of-motion exercises to increase his use of his arm.

Speech therapists helped him boost his cognition.

"Therapy has helped me strengthen my legs and arms, especially my legs and fingers," said Bradley. "I will remember the exercises and all the people who helped me get home."

On July 27, Bradley returned home with home health.

Bradley can now get around independently and only needs assistance with a few self-care tasks.