Life Care Center of Columbia helps car accident patient recover, get home

Brownie Leverette fractured multiple ribs on her right side in a car accident.

The accident also caused contusions of Brownie’s heart and lungs. When she came to Life Care Center of Columbia, Tennessee, on March 22, 2021, she needed moderate assistance with bathing and dressing, bed mobility and transfers, such as getting out of bed and into a wheelchair. She could only walk five feet with a walker and attend to tasks for one to three minutes at a time.

Five days a week, physical, occupational and speech therapists worked with Brownie to recover as much independence and function as possible. Speech therapists performed cognitive training with her, while occupational therapists did training in her self-care tasks. Physical therapists used resistive therapeutic exercises, as well as balance exercises and transfer and gait training. They used the NuStep^® seated exercise bike to help her work on strength and endurance.

After less than a month of rehabilitation, Brownie was ready to go home to her family on April 21. She is now independent in her bed mobility. She is able to walk 250 feet at a time with a walker with supervision, and she can transfer with someone standing by to assist if needed. She is also at a supervision level with her bathing and dressing tasks and can attend to tasks for five minutes at a time.

“Ms. Brownie is one of the sweetest people I have ever met,” said Joan Werkau, director of rehab services. “She was always ready to do her best without complaint and with a beautiful smile on her face.”

For her part, Brownie shared, “The therapy team helped me to regain my walking ability, and I’m a big walker. I really enjoyed my stay here. The food was good, nurses good and janitors good. I didn’t run into anyone who wasn’t good to me.”