Mora: Regaining Strength and Energy

Mora, 68, was an active grandmother and mother of four who could be found in her gym’s step aerobics class three to four days a week until a car accident landed her in the ICU of a local short-term hospital. After a month, Mora was transferred to Kindred Hospital Arizona – Phoenix in the hopes that more specialized attention would spur her on towards recovery.

On August 4, Mora was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Kindred. She was unable to move due to multiple fractures including C4, C5 and C6 vertebrae with disk involvement. She also had multiple rib fractures, respiratory failure, a right thalamic stroke and deep vein thrombosis in her legs, among other medical issues.

With her family’s support and her own drive to succeed, Mora and the Kindred team worked

tirelessly to achieve her rehab goals as quickly as possible. Her first goal was to be able to sit on the edge of her bed. Other goals included standing and walking with and then without support, improving her standing balance, regaining the ability to dress herself and use the bathroom. Mora worked with physical, occupational and speech therapists in the hopes of accomplishing these goals.

After a little over a month at Kindred, Mora was discharged to acute rehab on September 11. When she left, she could achieve all her goals thanks to the help of the Kindred team. She had improved range of finger dexterity, could dress herself with minimal assistance, was walking for 800 feet with a walker and was able to stand at the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth. At the end of her stay, she was able to tolerate 2-3 hours of therapy per day.

Mora, her family and the Kindred team have high hopes that her next stop after her time in acute rehab will be home, where she can return to what she likes the most - staying fit.