Despite his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2013, 90-year old Harvey Cleland has still been getting around and enjoying retirement. Always very active, he owned Meyer’s Heating & Cooling business for some 50 years in Northwest Indiana. A Dyer resident, he and wife Janet were back home for the summer from Naples, FL when he had a dizzy spell that landed him in the hospital. His systolic blood pressure had plummeted from 140 to 40, leaving him lightheaded and unable to walk.
After inpatient care at Community Hospital in Munster, Cleland was ready for more intensive rehabilitation. He became the first patient at Community Healthcare System’s specialty hospital in Crown Point.
“When I got here, I was in really bad shape,” Cleland says. “It’s amazing the difference in care that I have received through the hospitals of Community Healthcare System than those in Florida. These staff members are happy to be here and it shows in their attitude and demeanor.”
Community Stroke and Rehabilitation Center is the newest addition to the Community Healthcare System family. A specialty hospital with a focus on inpatient rehabilitation, it represents the first of its kind for the healthcare system. The hospital features a 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit on the third and fourth floors, with dedicated activity and gym space for therapy. The unit also houses an area that mimics an apartment for patients to practice their activities of daily living in a supervised setting.
“Studies show that for patients like Harvey who are recovering from stroke, neurological conditions or joint replacements, intensive inpatient rehabilitation treatment can result in better outcomes with a shorter length of stay,” says Craig Bolda, administrator, Community Stroke and Rehabilitation Center.
Once the patient is settled in their new surroundings, they are evaluated by all therapy services, physical, occupational and speech therapists, to get a baseline measurement to help determine their plan of care, says physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Thanzeela Mohideen, MD, medical director of the Community Stroke and Rehabilitation Center.
“Our goal for each patient is always with safety in mind first,” she says. “We work with them in a safe environment to maximize independence and gain functional mobility. To get to the goal line, our patients are running a marathon not a sprint.”
The center is the only freestanding dedicated rehabilitation center in Northwest Indiana with outpatient therapies present to complement that care.
“Rehab is much needed for older people,” Cleland says. “I am grateful to have a facility of this caliber in Northwest Indiana.”
For more information on the Community Stroke & Rehabilitation Center, visit COMHS.org/stroke.
Cutline 1: Studies show that for patients like Harvey Cleland, who has a Parkinson’s diagnosis, intensive inpatient rehabilitation treatment can result in better outcomes.
Cutline 2: Nursing and therapy services staff at the new Community Stroke & Rehabilitation Center in Crown Point are welcoming patients with neurological conditions and those who have had a stroke or need complex orthopedic care.
