Marguerite's story

Marguerite Malpica, 67, can be described as resilient. Even before she suffered a stroke, Marguerite met numerous challenges in her daily life head on.
She had previously suffered a sore on her foot that wouldn’t heal that caused cellulitis that required a hospital stay and intravenous antibiotics. As she slowly recovered, she was barely able to walk. To compensate at home, she began sleeping in her living room in a recliner as getting to the bed was too demanding. She also kept a commode in the living room so that she didn’t have far to move. Her sister and husband, both dealing with their own health and mobility issues, tried to assist her but found it challenging, making her situation even more trying.
But things got even more challenging. Marguerite remembered standing one day and her husband asked her to move her leg. “I said, ‘I can’t move it, it feels like it’s cemented to the ground,’” she recalled. “He’s trying to cue me [by touching] the back of my knee, [but] I couldn’t move it.”
An ambulance took her to Saint Clare's Hospital - Dover where an MRI showed that she’d had a stroke. Luckily, she didn’t suffer symptoms such as facial weakness, speech problems or limb weakness, but it was clear that she needed expert rehabilitation before being able to return home.
She recalled that 40 years’ prior, her father went to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) - Chester and recovered remarkably well from a stroke. Therefore, she too chose KIR - Chester for her next level of care.
Once at Kessler, her condition required total assistance from staff for basic activities, from bed mobility to self-care. Marguerite also struggled with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and a mild cognitive communication disorder that affected her attention, memory and executive function.
Marguerite’s physician-led team of therapists, nurses and other specialists created a comprehensive rehabilitation plan tailored to her needs to be able to move safely around her home with limited assistance.
Physical therapy focused on progressing her from lateral transfers–using a transfer board–to stand pivots and walking trials with a rolling walker. Her therapist worked with her to practice transferring from the wheelchair to a chair, simulating moves she would need to do at home. Her therapist was also able to show her a new way to transfer to and from the toilet in two simple steps which she found to be life changing.
Marguerite's occupational therapy sessions aimed at improving her independence in daily activities. Through the use of adaptive equipment, she advanced from requiring total assistance to needing only moderate assistance for tasks like dressing. Her speech therapy sessions focused on enhancing her cognitive communication skills and addressing her swallowing difficulties. Concentrated dysphagia therapy allowed her to transition from a soft diet to a regular diet.
Marguerite's family played a crucial role in her recovery, attending training sessions to learn how to support her at home. Her family’s love and involvement was vital in her transition back home, where she was eventually able to walk short distances with minimal assistance using a rolling walker.
Marguerite's determination and the care she received at KIR - Chester led to remarkable progress. “I was able to lift both my feet and get into my sister’s car again. I haven’t been able to get into my sister’s car in years. I was able to get into her car, sit down and get my legs into the car. I progressed more in three weeks at Kessler than I did in three years with home therapy. It was really that amazing.”
Indeed, her husband of 47 years visited daily and was amazed at her progress throughout her rehabilitation.
Looking back, Marguerite described her experience at Kessler with gratitude. "The people were engaging, helpful, and genuinely cared about the patients. It makes a difference when you have someone who really cares," she said. Her advice to others facing similar challenges is to have faith in the rehabilitation program and to embrace the hard work, as it will yield results.
She had previously suffered a sore on her foot that wouldn’t heal that caused cellulitis that required a hospital stay and intravenous antibiotics. As she slowly recovered, she was barely able to walk. To compensate at home, she began sleeping in her living room in a recliner as getting to the bed was too demanding. She also kept a commode in the living room so that she didn’t have far to move. Her sister and husband, both dealing with their own health and mobility issues, tried to assist her but found it challenging, making her situation even more trying.
But things got even more challenging. Marguerite remembered standing one day and her husband asked her to move her leg. “I said, ‘I can’t move it, it feels like it’s cemented to the ground,’” she recalled. “He’s trying to cue me [by touching] the back of my knee, [but] I couldn’t move it.”
An ambulance took her to Saint Clare's Hospital - Dover where an MRI showed that she’d had a stroke. Luckily, she didn’t suffer symptoms such as facial weakness, speech problems or limb weakness, but it was clear that she needed expert rehabilitation before being able to return home.
She recalled that 40 years’ prior, her father went to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) - Chester and recovered remarkably well from a stroke. Therefore, she too chose KIR - Chester for her next level of care.
Once at Kessler, her condition required total assistance from staff for basic activities, from bed mobility to self-care. Marguerite also struggled with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and a mild cognitive communication disorder that affected her attention, memory and executive function.
Marguerite’s physician-led team of therapists, nurses and other specialists created a comprehensive rehabilitation plan tailored to her needs to be able to move safely around her home with limited assistance.
Physical therapy focused on progressing her from lateral transfers–using a transfer board–to stand pivots and walking trials with a rolling walker. Her therapist worked with her to practice transferring from the wheelchair to a chair, simulating moves she would need to do at home. Her therapist was also able to show her a new way to transfer to and from the toilet in two simple steps which she found to be life changing.
Marguerite's occupational therapy sessions aimed at improving her independence in daily activities. Through the use of adaptive equipment, she advanced from requiring total assistance to needing only moderate assistance for tasks like dressing. Her speech therapy sessions focused on enhancing her cognitive communication skills and addressing her swallowing difficulties. Concentrated dysphagia therapy allowed her to transition from a soft diet to a regular diet.
Marguerite's family played a crucial role in her recovery, attending training sessions to learn how to support her at home. Her family’s love and involvement was vital in her transition back home, where she was eventually able to walk short distances with minimal assistance using a rolling walker.
Marguerite's determination and the care she received at KIR - Chester led to remarkable progress. “I was able to lift both my feet and get into my sister’s car again. I haven’t been able to get into my sister’s car in years. I was able to get into her car, sit down and get my legs into the car. I progressed more in three weeks at Kessler than I did in three years with home therapy. It was really that amazing.”
Indeed, her husband of 47 years visited daily and was amazed at her progress throughout her rehabilitation.
Looking back, Marguerite described her experience at Kessler with gratitude. "The people were engaging, helpful, and genuinely cared about the patients. It makes a difference when you have someone who really cares," she said. Her advice to others facing similar challenges is to have faith in the rehabilitation program and to embrace the hard work, as it will yield results.