From Stroke to Strength: Connie's Therapy Journey at Rockland Ridge

_{November 15, 2023}
On August 21, 2021, Connie Johnson’s life was changed forever. On that day, she had unfortunately suffered a major stroke. The stroke left her unable to talk and she could no longer use her right side. On September 9, 2021, after being in the hospital, Connie came to Rockland Ridge where she began her rehabilitation journey.

Connie received occupational, physical, and speech therapy. She slowly learned to walk with a platform walker and started to complete simple activities of daily living; however, speech had proved to be her biggest barrier. Connie was placed on a restorative program to continue with her range of motion and walking. This restorative program allowed her to maintain the strength she had already gained back.



During her stay at Rockland, she has had therapy on and off. Her main goal, however, has been to progress her speech capability. Connie and her loved ones have become family to everyone here at Rockland. Her goals are our goals. With that being said, we were so excited to introduce Connie to our Speech & Language Pathologist, Kayla.

Kayla met with Connie and her family to discuss her specific goals and develop a plan of care that would best aid Connie in achieving those goals. Connie primarily communicates nonverbally through gestures and head nods. But again, verbal communication has been a desire of Connie’s ever since she lost this skill. She also has an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device that she wants to learn to use to express her wants and needs to the staff and her family.

She has simply wanted to tell her family the words, "I love you.” She has been working very hard with Kayla to "turn on" her voice. This past September, Connie surprised her daughter by doing just that! For the first time in over two years, Connie’s daughter was able to hear her mom’s voice again. Connie surprised her daughter, on her birthday, and spoke the words, "I love you" to her. We are sure this was the best birthday surprise ever and we are honored to have been a part of that!

We are so proud of Connie's progress, and her story is inspiring to us all. If you're looking for a top-notch restorative program, be sure to reach out to our team to get connected. They'd be happy to assist you and answer all of your questions.

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