Joliet woman regains strength with Ascension Saint Joseph inpatient rehab

Helen Jones, 85, was experiencing severe flu symptoms when she visited a nearby emergency room in Joliet, Illinois. "I had a temperature. I couldn't eat anything, and I had a lot of body aches," she said. "I was just miserable."

She decided to go to Ascension Saint Joseph - Joliet emergency room for care. The doctors ruled out the flu, COVID-19 and RSV, and diagnosed her with pneumonia, so she took medicines to relieve her symptoms. However, in ten days, she was still experiencing symptoms, so she returned Christmas Day.

After being admitted, the emergency care team ran a series of tests that revealed that she was now having problems with her heart. Helen was treated with a cardiac catheterization, which is a minimally invasive procedure. 

Helen stayed in the hospital for about two weeks to regain her strength after having pneumonia and heart complications. To help her in this recovery, she worked with the care teams at Ascension Saint Joseph—Joliet—Inpatient Rehabilitation. Helen, who has recovered from several strokes in the past, was familiar with what to expect in working with the rehabilitation team. "They would come down and get me from my room and take me to the gym, and we would do various activities there and exercises," she said.

The Ascension Saint Joseph—Joliet Inpatient Rehabilitation provides advanced specialty care for recovery from serious injury or illness. During her time with the care team, Helen worked on walking and cognitive skills by playing memory games or bingo. Helen recalled staying busy with a schedule of activities in her recovery. "Every morning, someone would come in and put on the board what times I would be going to the various activities," she said.

One thing that Helen appreciated about her experience with the inpatient rehab program was the patience her therapy team provided. "They were consistent and very thorough," she said. They were kind, but they were strict about making you do things that needed to be done as far as the exercises in the program," she said. That level of care helped her see progress in her strength before she was discharged. 

Helen is happy to be at home and practicing some of the skills she learned in rehab. She feels stronger each day. 

Inpatient rehabilitation to recover illness

The Ascension Saint Joseph - Joliet Inpatient Rehabilitation program provides compassionate care for your rehabilitation needs. Our team focuses on improving your emotional and physical health and involves your family or caregiver team for daily support to create a care plan personalized to your specific needs. To learn more about inpatient rehabilitation, visit Ascension.org