Case Study: Water’s Edge Rehab & Nursing Center at Port Jefferson (October 2019)

Concierge Director’s Name: Rachel Loevner
Patient’s Name: Marie Deluca
Patient’s Age: 91-years-old
Admission Date: 09/17/2019
Discharge Date: 10/18/2019
Discharged To: Assisted Living
Length of Stay: 31 days
Reason for Stay: Abdominal Infection, UTI
How did this patient hear about Water’s Edge?: Social Worker at Stony Brook Hospital


Details of Experience:
Ms. Marie Deluca is a sweet, 91-year-old woman who enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She absolutely adores her two children and four grandchildren. Marie also enjoys doing independent leisure activities, such as word searches and puzzles. She’s a simple woman who just wants to be surrounded by people who love her.

One day she was home, doing as she usually does and began to feel ill. Something appeared to be wrong; she was confused, weak and overall under the weather. After attempting many home remedies, Marie’s daughter decided it was time to go get checked out at the hospital. Upon evaluation at the hospital, Marie was admitted for an abdominal infection and UTI. Ms. Deluca spent a few days in the hospital before being recommended to go to a sub-acute rehabilitation center for therapy services.

Marie Deluca arrived at our community, Water’s Edge Rehab & Nursing Center at Port Jefferson, on the evening of September 17, 2019. She was already one step closer to her goal: going home. Upon admission, Marie was greeted by a number of our interdisciplinary staff who was awaiting her arrival. From the admitting nurse to our Patient Concierge, Ms. Deluca was pleased with all the support she has been given thus far.

Marie was recommended for sub-acute rehabilitation due to her new onset of the decrease in strength, functional mobility and ADL participation. She showed the need for increased assistance from others because of decreased judgment, which placed her at risk for falls. On the day after her arrival, Marie was evaluated by our team of therapists. They worked with Ms. Deluca to evaluate her strengths, as well as her weaknesses and created a list of goals that they would be able to work towards together. She was ready to get started.

Ms. Deluca had very good potential for achieving all of her goals. She demonstrated her ability to follow 1-step directions, as well as initiating to perform tasks. She also has very supportive caregivers and family, which always gives you the ambition to push through. Marie was eager and willing to work.

Our team of physical therapists worked with Marie by using therapeutic exercises such as ankle pumps, quad sets and hip abduction exercises in sitting with resistance. They also used gait training to normalize her walking pattern and often worked with her on the correct hand and foot placement to prevent slips and falls. Her therapists also spent much time doing transfer training to increase functional task performance and bed mobility activities to increase skills in safe to sit to stand mobility. Marie enjoyed going to physical therapy; she often referred to her therapists as “the nicest people she has ever met.”

Marie also spent time with her occupational therapist, Kristina, who worked with her on different therapeutic exercises to facilitate independence in self-care tasks. She spent time in the gym doing bicep curls, tricep curls, shoulder presses and more. Marie spent time on the arm bike to increase activity tolerance at an alternating sitting/standing level. Kristina also worked with Ms. Deluca on all the necessities she would need to take care of herself when she gets back home. They worked on dressing and hygiene techniques, as well as toileting and clothing management. Marie thought the world of Kristina and expressed her gratitude on the regular.

Ms. Deluca was improving in leaps and bounds. Over the course of the month she spent at Water’s Edge, she went from needing assistance with nearly all daily functions to being able to perform most daily tasks independently. The discharge day has arrived and Marie was grateful she was able to go home better than the way she came.

Team Water’s Edge wishes Marie the absolute best future filled with a lot of family time, love and happiness.