Concierge: Averie Owens
Patient: Walter H
Age: 54
Admission Date: 12/15/2025
Admitted from: Vanderbilt
Discharge Date: 2/26/2026
Length of Stay: 73
Reason for Stay: Pneumonia
Details of Experience:
Mr. H transferred to our community from Vanderbilt for the first time in 2024. His sister had found our community online and thought it would be a good fit. She was correct! He was nervous at first, as many people are when entering a new environment, but he quickly realized this was a good place to begin his healing journey.
When Mr. H returned to Vanderbilt, he knew where he wanted to go for rehab. Many of our staff personally welcomed him back to our community. He was happy to see his nurses, nurse practitioner, social worker, the concierge, and therapists again. The friendly faces and warm welcome eased his transition.
While outside of our facility, he developed pneumonia. This left him weak and losing a significant amount of weight. Once he returned, his goals were to regain weight, strength, independence, and mobility. Being such a self-sufficient person, he had to get used to being cared for by staff. This was difficult at first, but he trusted our staff and knew we had a plan to help him reach his goals.
As his time here continued, he developed a bond with his nurse practitioner, Sophie Jernigan, and his unit manager, Tonya Harrison. He was confident in their abilities to help him recover. He also developed a friendship with the concierge, Averie Owens, who assisted him with shopping for certain amenities, such as shoes and even hot chocolate.
He made enormous strides with our therapy team and was successfully able to gain weight with the help of our dietary and nutritional services team. Every step of the way, he had the support and guidance of our staff.
As his time with us came to an end, it was very bittersweet. Our staff was happy to see him stronger and healthier, but saying goodbye is never easy. When he came to us, he was hardly able to get out of bed and struggled with breathing.
On the day he was discharged, he walked outside and took a breath of fresh air with ease. We are so happy for Mr. Harden and grateful to share his story.
We wish him the best of luck in all future endeavors as he continues his healthcare journey.