Stroke Survivors Happy in Rehab as They Deal With the After Effects

In April of this year, 61-year-old Nii Okai, originally from Ghana, suffered his second stroke in eight years, the first one happening in 2016, when his left side had been badly affected. Mr. Okai had been feeling weak before the April stroke and was having complications on the right side of his body in his Mosholu Parkway apartment. Very weak that morning, as he also started to lose his speech, he called his friend, who told him that this indeed sounded like another stroke. By the time he arrived at Montefiore Hospital, the stroke that began in his apartment was in full force at the hospital.

Following his recovery at the hospital and receiving rehabilitation there, he still couldn't walk but was sent to Burke Rehabilitation for speech therapy, and by mid-October, he was sent to St. Patrick's Home, the large 264-bed skilled nursing facility on Van Cortlandt Park South, for subacute physical and occupational therapy. Still unable to walk, the rehabilitation department determined to work with him to get him walking again. Slowly but surely, Mr. Okai took a few steps until he could use a walker with an aide. It's hard to believe that when his 2016 stroke occurred, according to Mr. Okai, he was never sent for subacute rehabilitation care following that stroke and was only told to go home and rest.

"My faith in God and the love of the rehab team has healed me," said Okai. "I'm receiving great nursing care, too, plus getting PT in the morning and OT in the afternoon."

Today, Nii Okai deals with what clinicians call "unspecified sequelae of cerebral infarction," which are long-term complications or residual effects from a stroke (cerebral infarction) where the specific nature of the complications cannot be clearly identified. This indicates that a person has experienced a stroke and has ongoing issues as a result. Still, the exact nature of those issues, like cognitive impairment, motor weakness, or speech problems, are not specified due to a lack of information or the case's complexity.

Mr. Okai is undoubtedly determined to get better and be discharged at some time soon. He has big plans. Mr. Okai used to teach in Katonah, New York, at a trade school where he taught auto detailing and industrial cleaning. Several years before he got sick, Mr. Okai once owned a business on the side, and that brought him to teach at a shop in Katonah. He is trying to get back to it, as he wants to teach again because he misses it tremendously. He was also a successful youth counselor and taught auto carpet shampooing and upholstery cleaning.

"I'm very impressed about this place, the rehab, and nurses," said Okai. "I cannot think of a better word, and I highly recommend this place to anybody I would come across who I know who's thinking where to go."

Another St. Patrick's Nursing stroke survivor, Yolanda Eaddy, 70, has completed two months of rehabilitation after she arrived at BronxCare Health System on October 1, 2024. Ms. Eaddy, who lives on the Grand Concourse near 166th Street, has previously lived and worked in Manhattan. She, too, is originally from Ghana, had a stroke earlier this year, and continues to have a positive rehab experience. Still, on the back end, she is dealing with unspecified sequelae of cerebral infarction or long-term post-stroke complications. Ms. Eaddy has a tough time organizing and taking care of herself, and according to her, the clinical staff have been very concerned about her. Once a long-time secretary in Manhattan, where organizational skills were ingredients to success, she did organizational work on the computer at work, something now that seems like a lifetime ago due to these post-stroke complications. Still, she is making great progress in PT and OT at St. Patrick's Home.

"Rehab here is very good, very helpful, and makes me think better about myself," said Ms. Eaddy. "They exercise my legs, and it's helping my mind."

For both Mr. Okai and Ms. Eaddy, physical therapy has not only helped them physically with walking and dealing with daily tasks, but it also helps in the mind with the aftermath and recovery from a stroke.

"People here are very good and the instructors are very caring, always interested in helping people," said Ms. Eaddy. "They make you feel very comfortable, and what's important to me is that the main thing is that they care. The nursing is good as well. If you need something, they bring it, and we all know it's busy here, but overall, the nursing is also very good."