Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals

Recovering from a serious illness or injury doesn’t mean you have to miss out on beloved traditions. Just in time for her favorite holiday, Halloween, 21-year-old McKenzie Schweigert went with Madonna's rec therapy team to Vala's Pumpkin Patch on a community outing. While working on her standing balance and activity tolerance, McKenzie picked apples, drank apple cider, and explored all the fun fall activities at Vala’s. “You don’t really know how to navigate a wheelchair in the community until you actually have to,” she said. “This was a good way to show myself I can still go out with friends and I can continue to have normal experiences.”

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On #WorldStrokeDay, we want to introduce you to Jolana Varga, a stroke survivor recovering at Madonna. Jolana’s stroke has made her ability to speak difficult, but not her ability to sing. Watch how her Madonna care team incorporated music therapy with her husband and bandmate into her recovery. Stay tuned for her full rehabilitation journey soon.

As a former football coach and current superintendent of a school district, Dave Hutchison is used to motivating others. After a cancer diagnosis in August, he’s using those skills to motivate himself during his rehabilitation journey. Combined with Madonna’s clinical expertise, Dave’s positive attitude has propelled his progress and allowed him to return to his students sooner than expected. MORE: https://lnkd.in/g4Wb-S8J

Four years ago, Steele McLaren’s life changed. On October 25, 2020, the then-17-year-old, was seriously injured while on a hunting trip with some friends. He sustained brain trauma and came to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ specialized pediatric disorders of consciousness program to rebuild his life. Since then, he’s graduated high school and college, got an apartment, been a Madonna Goal Award honoree, and now he’s taking to the skies! He’s always proving why he’s #StrongAsSteele. “It’s a great day to be grateful!” Steele said in a Facebook post to his nearly 40,000 followers. “Thank you all for so much support. Life is good, and I thank God every day to bless others like he has blessed me.”

A ride home from a high school dance launched a life-long romance — and a physical therapy career. Joyce Jaixen's family-centered approach to physical therapy comes from an understanding that support is critical to successful outcomes. See how Joyce’s career in physical therapy has been shaped by her loved ones and how those experiences have enabled her to help her patients in a more empowering way. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3YnVBdg

“It makes you realize how 15 seconds can completely change your life.” A work-related trucking accident on June 24th left Justin Weise with no feeling below the waist. The 33-year-old husband and father from Gregory, South Dakota, turned to Madonna’s family-centered care to teach him to function independently in his wheelchair. With an emphasis on family, Justin “was fighting to get home, get back to what normal will be, be with my family.” Learn more about his recovery journey here: https://lnkd.in/g_PzSccy

Madonna invites you to attend our free virtual seminar on long COVID. Whether you or a loved one are experiencing brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues, trouble getting back to pre-COVID activity levels or other symptoms of long COVID, this virtual, four-part series is for you. Join us weekly in November via Zoom to equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to manage long COVID effectively. Register today: https://lnkd.in/gDUw7_b3

Our Halloween-themed CNA recruitment event at Madonna's Omaha Campus is happening now! Meet with recruiters, enjoy on-the-spot interviews, grab a treat bag with information about our CNA benefits, and even take a tour of our Omaha Campus. Whether you're a current CNA or just starting out, this is a great opportunity to learn more about a rewarding career with us. Stop by to say hi! We'll be here until 5 p.m.!

This week marks National Respiratory Week. We want to take a moment to celebrate our respiratory therapists and respiratory therapy assistants for the support they give to help patients and residents struggling to breathe. Their skills, knowledge and dedication go a long way to bring comfort and joy to those living with respiratory issues or chronic lung conditions. We sat down with Melissa Gulizia, BS, RRT, the director of the respiratory therapy and pulmonary programs, to discuss what makes this group so important to the recovery process. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g47tu7Yq

Madonna believes wholeheartedly in collaborating with local healthcare partners to highlight and continue to provide world-class care in the state of Nebraska. Tiffany Armstrong, MSN, RN, CRRN, CBIS and Jennifer Satiroff, BSN, RN, recorded a presentation, “The Nurse’s Role in Stroke Rehabilitation” for the American Heart Association at the University of Nebraska Medical Center through their iEXCEL program. This is part of a series on post-stroke care. Sarah Maul, M.S. CCC-SLP, a Madonna speech-language pathologist, also created a presentation on dysphagia for this project. These videos will be posted on the American Heart Association’s YouTube site later this fall and be offered for contact hours in the spring.