Dwayne's story
Dwayne Gland, a 62-year-old family man, spent much of his life surrounded by sports. Growing up, he had a basketball court, so his home was the neighborhood hub for basketball games. He enjoyed sharing his love of sports with his own kids as they grew up. When they began playing, he always left work early to cheer them on.
A year ago, Dwayne left his job to care for his mother. But by springtime, his own health took a serious turn.
It all started when Dwayne began experiencing falls at home; each time he felt his left side grow weaker. One morning, while in the bathroom, he suffered his most serious fall. Unable to stand, he crawled to his bedroom, grabbed his phone and called for help.
He was taken by ambulance to Virtua Voorhees Hospital. Although the initial CT scan didn’t reveal any issues, a follow-up MRI confirmed Dwayne had suffered a right anterior cerebral artery infarct, a type of stroke affecting the left side of his body.
After he was medically stable, Dwayne was informed he needed rehabilitation in order to return to an independent life. He chose Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) – Marlton to take the next step in his recovery.
Upon arriving at KIR - Marlton, Dwayne knew there would be challenges he would have to overcome. His left side had been severely weakened, and he required total assistance to transfer, walk and perform basic activities of daily living. Even before his stroke, he had pain and stiffness that had begun to make getting up off the floor, standing upright and getting out the car difficult, making his recovery even more daunting. But he wasn’t about to give up.
Dwayne was determined to return home, be able to enjoy football and basketball games with his family, get in and out of the car safely and do things that he’d previously taken for granted, like picking things up off of the floor.
Dwayne’s physician-led team of therapists created a comprehensive care plan to help him bring about these goals.
Physical therapy sessions focused on strengthening his balance and endurance while standing and walking. High-intensity gait training with the LiteGait body weight system was used to improve his posture and balance, key components in his successful recovery. The Bioness L300 system, which uses electrical stimulation, was used on his left leg so that he could strengthen and better control foot movement. This sends mild electrical pulses through the skin to help stimulate injured muscles or manipulate nerves. By causing repeated muscle contractions, blood flow improves, helping repair and strengthen injured muscles through repeated cycles of contraction and relaxation.
Dwayne also worked on reactive balance training with an overhead harness to support him. Tapping into his love of basketball, he was even encouraged to play some hoops while wearing the harness.
Dwayne’s occupational therapy sessions focused on strengthening his upper body and left arm so that he could better participate in daily activities, like getting dressed and preparing food. Like in physical therapy, electrical stimulation was deployed to improve function in his arm. In this case, the electrical impulses helped to improve Dwayne’s reaching and grasping skills.
In just a little over five weeks, Dwayne was ready for discharge. “Without my family, I wouldn’t have progressed this fast,” he said. Indeed, he was encouraged daily by morning phone calls and loving texts cheering him on.
As he prepared to go home, Dwayne reflected on his milestones. Walking unassisted for the first time was the most notable, he said, but just being able to stand without losing his balance and swinging his left leg also demonstrated progress in his recovery. Looking back, Dwayne required maximum assistance to do most things when admitted, but he was able to walk and transfer independently using a rolling walker – and even climb stairs using both handrails – by the time he left Kessler.
Having a positive outlook, despite a challenging situation, is key to success he remarked. “I don’t see failure, I see success,” Dwayne said. “Follow what you are told and things work out.”
