LifeCare Health

Happy holidays to all!

Grateful for our LifeCare team and the compassionate care they provide for our patients. Happy Thanksgiving from our LifeCare family to yours!

Thankful for our patients and their family members who take the time to share their feedback on their experience with us. Providing compassionate, critical care to medically complex patients is our mission and we work with patients and families to provide expert, patient-centric care for the best possible outcomes.

Happy Veterans Day to all the brave men, and women who have served to protect our nation. Thank you for your sacrifice, and courage.

Our LifeCare Hospital of Fort Worth helped co-host a Mobile Massage Event to celebrate the wonderful staff at for their hard work and commitment to their patients. Thank you to everyone who participated and made this possible!

As Physical Therapy Month draws to a close, we’d like to recognize the teams at our LifeCare hospitals for being movement experts and transforming patients’ lives with ease and compassion. Happy National Therapy Month!

This week we recognize Respiratory Week and celebrate the work of doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists who care for patients with breathing difficulties due to chronic conditions. Thank you to our RT teams for helping our patients breathe a little easier and for the life-changing work you do!

Big thanks to our LifeCare Hospital of Fort Worth for the care they provide to their patients, and to our patients, and their family members who take the time to share feedback on their experiences with us.

Last week we were honored to celebrate our food service employees at our LifeCare Hospitals during National Healthcare Food Service week.

Our food service departments are open 7 days a week, 365 days of the year, feeding our patients, staff, families, and physicians. Their services are essential in the recovery of our patients as they prepare healthy meals for patients of all backgrounds and health needs. Thank you for your hard work, and dedication, we couldn’t do it without you!

October is National Physical Therapy Month, a time to raise awareness about the many benefits of physical therapy and a great opportunity to appreciate what PTs, and PTAs do to transform lives.

Physical therapists are movement experts who improve quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education. They diagnose and treat individuals of all ages, from newborns to people at the end of life. Many patients have injuries, disabilities, or other health conditions that need treatment. But PTs also care for people who simply want to become healthier and to prevent future problems.

At LifeCare our qualified team of Physical Therapists are ready to treat medically complex patients who are on the path to recovery with a unique approach based on the patients’ individual needs. For more information, please visit our website:
www.lifecare-health.com

Information provided by the American Physical Therapy Association.

Today we take the opportunity to celebrate the Human Resources professionals across our network of hospitals for the key role they play in the success of our hospitals. Thank you for the hard work performed behind the scenes from finding the best talent to serve our patients to managing the day-to-day to ensure a supportive environment for employees in our hospitals! Your dedication does not go unnoticed, we appreciate all that you do.

Happy H.R. Professionals Day!

To honor National Rehabilitation Week, organizations nationwide spotlight the outstanding professionals who provide rehabilitation services year-round. At LifeCare Hospitals, we truly understand the vitally important role our Therapy Teams – Respiratory, Physical, Occupational, and Speech - play in the recovery of our patients. Our expert therapists deliver personalized interventions to our medically complex patients as early as possible in their recovery paths to ensure the best possible outcomes. We want to say, “A BIG Thank You!” to each of these team members for compassionately treating our patients, educating them on the benefits of these interventions, and encouraging them to continue to work toward their recovery goals!

Thank you to our awesome staff at LifeCare Hospital of Plano for serving their patients with dedicated commitment along a recovery path that leads to the best possible outcomes.

Last week our LifeCare hospitals celebrated Health Unit Coordinator week.

Unit clerks support the medical staff by answering patient call lights, determining the severity of the patient's needs, and notifying appropriate staff accordingly. They advise departments of critical needs and serve as the face of nursing to our families, and physicians, in addition to completing a multitude of clerical duties by shift end.

Thank you for all that you do to help our hospitals run smoothly and efficiently!

LifeCare hospitals provide a unique level of care for patients whose clinical needs will benefit from extended inpatient hospitalization or specialized care. Many patients come to our hospital after a stay in a community hospital or intensive care unit for continuation of cardiac care including patients with CHF, cardiomyopathy, and extensive cardiac care services including pacemakers, LVADs, artlines, lifevests, and antiarrhythmic drugs.

While often referred to as heart failure, CHF specifically refers to the stage in which fluid builds up within the heart and causes it to pump inefficiently. In the early stages of CHF, you most likely won’t notice any changes in your health. If your condition progresses, you’ll experience gradual changes in your body.

Symptoms you may notice first

- Fatigue
- Swelling in your ankles, feet, and legs
- Weight gain
- Increased need to urinate, especially
at night

Symptoms that indicate your condition has worsened

- Irregular heartbeat
- A cough that develops from
congested lungs
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath, which may
indicate pulmonary edema

Symptoms that indicate a severe heart condition

- Chest pain that radiates through the
upper body
- Rapid breathing
- Skin that appears blue, which is due
to lack of oxygen in your lungs
- Fainting

One of our Core Values is to SERVE as a team with integrity at all levels focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients. Congratulations to our LifeCare Hospital of Dallas on another 5-star review and thank you for embracing this Core Value while providing the highest quality of care to our patients.

Kenneth Clark, 53, presented to Urgent Care and was diagnosed with COVID. He was provided with antibiotics and was sent home to recover. Mr. Clark's condition worsened, and he was admitted to THR Frisco ED with severe shortness of breath and was placed on AIRVO, BiPAP, and IV AbXs and provided with
COVID medication. His health was not improving and due to further respiratory decline, he had bilateral chest tubes, secondary pneumothorax, tracheostomy, and a PEG tube placed. After 22 days at THR, Mr. Clark was transferred to LifeCare Hospital of Plano to further assist with his care. Upon arrival, he required maximum care and was dependent on all functional mobility. Mr. Clark had issues with orthostatic BP and high HR but after two weeks of rigorous therapy, he was finally able to stand. Due to his steady progress and with the help of his clinical team, Mr. Clark was successfully decannulated and upgraded from a mech soft/thin diet to a regular diet and was transferred to another facility to continue with his progress.
Mr. Clark and his wife recently returned to LifeCare to thank the team for the care Mr. Clark received during his stay with us. The team at LifeCare could not have been happier to see him and is amazed by all he has accomplished.

For more information about employment opportunities at LifeCare please visit our job board.

Heat is often a trigger for people with lung issues. Asthma gets worse in the heat and humidity due to increased ozone from smog, exhaust fumes, and pollutants. Hot air can irritate your airway and lead to bronchospasm, causing chest tightness and shortness of breath.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic breathing disease which is easily aggravated in summer heat. This is especially true if it is above 90 degrees and humid. When the body is hot, it works extra hard to cool off, resulting in the use of more oxygen which makes the lungs work harder.

For patients unable to breathe on their own or who are struggling to breathe normally, our comprehensive Pulmonary and Ventilator Weaning program offers personalized care in a compassionate healing environment. Utilizing an aggressive, early intervention/early mobility approach, our multidisciplinary clinical team focuses not only on restoration of independent breathing, but also on enabling patients to achieve the highest level of independence possible.

For more information about our Pulmonary/Vent Weaning program visit our website.

Our amazing North Texas team got together for their Annual Business Development meeting last week. We’re excited to see what’s to come next year! Thank you for your hard work and commitment to our team.

Summer is in full swing and that usually means a higher risk for injuries, especially those to the head. While you enjoy time spent outside engaging in recreational activities be sure to take extra safety precautions to avoid TBI.

* Wear a Helmet – Whether you’re biking or going for a ride on a motorcycle, be sure to use headgear to protect yourself in case of a fall.

* Water Awareness - Avoid running near a pool or on wet surfaces that can lead to spills, never dive into an area without knowing how deep the water is, and be safe if you engage in water sports.

* Hydration - Stay hydrated, especially during sporting activities where you’re losing large amounts of fluids. Dehydration leaves you susceptible to muscles strains and can also cause you to faint and strike your head on a hard object.

* Know The Signs - Knowing the signs of a TBI won’t help you prevent one from happening, but it can help prevent the problem from worsening by getting the assistance needed. Signs of a TBI include dizziness, loss of consciousness, loss of coordination, headaches, vomiting, balance issues and difficulty sleeping. If you suffer a head injury or witness one, remove the individual from activity, get them some water, assess their symptoms and if necessary and get them professional medical attention.

A special thank you to our LifeCare veterans for their service and sacrifice. Happy Independence Day!

At LifeCare, healing isn’t a solitary pursuit. Our multidisciplinary treatment teams partner with patients and families to develop unique, comprehensive treatment plans to ensure the most positive patient experience throughout the journey to recovery.

We take pride in learning all that we can about our patients during their time with us. The more we know and understand about our patients, the better we are able to customize our approach to individualized, effective recovery care.

National Men’s Health Week is June 13-19. This week is all about healthy bodies, hard exercise, good diet, and regular visits to the doctor. It’s part of National Men’s Health Month, a month-long recognition of men’s health with activities and events to remind men to take care of their bodies. We could all use a reminder to take care of ourselves…especially during these hot summer days.

This year’s World Blood Donor Day theme is “ Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives”.
Donors replenish the blood supply and save lives with their blood donations. World Blood Donor Day serves to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gift of blood and to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure individuals and communities have access to blood supplies.
Thank you for making a difference one drop at a time, your generosity is truly inspiring.

At LifeCare, we advocate on behalf of every patient and family. Our multidisciplinary team partners with patients and families to develop unique, comprehensive treatment plans to ensure a positive patient experience throughout the journey to recovery.

Thank you to our awesome team at LifeCare Hospital of Plano for always taking great care of your patients.

At LifeCare, we are passionate about putting our Core Values into practice each day. Utilizing our Core Value, Collaborate, we encourage our patients and their families to participate in the decision-making process throughout their time with us. We proudly work together as a team walking alongside each patient on their path to recovery.

As we come to the end of Hospital Week we’d like to thank the staff at our LifeCare Hospitals and the many vendors that helped make Nurses Week and Hospital Week extra special this year. Thank you from our LifeCare family!

Happy National Hospital Week! We want to take the opportunity to highlight the wonderful staff at our LifeCare Hospitals for showing up every day to serve our patients and our community with compassion and dedication. This week we celebrate all you do!

Celebrating National Nurses Week at our North Texas LifeCare hospitals this week. We are grateful for the opportunity to shine a spotlight on our nurses and all the nurses across the country who play a vital role in healthcare. Thank you for your dedication to excellence with each patient encounter, we are honored to support you every step of the way.

Happy National Nurses Week!

At LifeCare Hospitals, we are dedicated compassionately treating patients to get them better, sooner. Putting our core values - collaborate, advocate, respect, educate, and serve - into practice every day, we prioritize not only our patients medical treatment, but also their experience during their time with us. Together, we all make a difference. We are the patient experience!

Happy Patient Experience week!

Happy National Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Week!

In honor of Administrative Professionals’ Day, we’d like to recognize the administrative teams in our LifeCare hospitals for their hard work and dedication. Thank you for all that you do to help us run smoothly and effectively.

Happy Administrative Professionals’ Day!

Thank you to our amazing clinical team at LifeCare Hospital of Plano for always taking great care of your patients. #lifecarehospitalsofntx

Today we recognized our physicians at our North Texas LifeCare Hospital locations and thanked them for their continuous effort and dedication to treat our patients with personalized, compassionate care.
We are incredibly grateful for the work they provide to our patients and our community each and every day.

Happy National Doctor’s Day!

We are now hiring for various positions at our Plano location. For more information, visit our job board.

Thank you to our awesome team at LifeCare Hospital of Fort Worth for always taking great care of your patients.