Regional One Health’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital provides medical care and rehabilitation therapy designed to help patients get back to normal life following a serious illness or injury.
Cynda Bearden was a patient in the Rehabilitation Hospital after a serious car accident, and she says the care she received helped heal her body and soul.
Cynda, herself a retired nurse, said the nurses, therapists and physicians who cared for her did so with both compassion and skill. “They’re just super. They truly want you to get better,” she said.
After 54 years as a registered nurse, Cynda Bearden knows what it means to provide exceptional care for patients in their time of need.
When it was Cynda who needed medical care, she felt blessed to receive it from a team at the Regional One Health Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital that left her impressed on every level. “I would be proud to tell anyone to come here for rehab. People should know how good a facility it is,” Cynda said. “Everyone I met was outstanding!”
Cynda was driving to her home in Jonesboro, Arkansas earlier this summer when she was in a serious accident. She remembers looking to the north and south before crossing a busy road, and then, “The next thing I remember is something hitting me, and my life flashed before my eyes.”
Cynda, 76, remembers the sensation of feeling too warm, asking if anyone else had been hurt and the relief she felt when she learned they hadn’t, and finally seeing her son and starting to cry.
She also remembers the paramedics who immediately started rendering care and hearing one of them say she needed to go to Regional One Health.
After that, “I don’t remember much more about the wreck – it comes and goes.”
Cynda was transported to Regional One Health for emergency treatment of injuries including a fractured neck, then spent time in the hospital’s intensive care unit and a step-down unit. After about a week, her doctors told her she was ready to start inpatient rehabilitation.
At the Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital, specialized doctors, nurses and therapists help patients continue to heal and resume their normal activities.
Her children suggested transferring closer to home in Jonesboro, but Cynda opted to stay at Regional One Health’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital. “I thought, ‘These people saved my life. I could have been paralyzed, but I’m not. Why not give them a try?’” she said. “It was a blessing – the Lord was looking out for me when I made that decision. I had excellent care.”
At the Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital, a team of specialized doctors, nurses, therapists and other care providers oversee medication rehabilitation for patients after a serious injury or illness. Their goal is to help each person return home and resume their normal activities.
For Cynda, that meant getting back to her family and brand-new puppy, who had been under the care of her son since her accident. “I’d gotten a Maltese, just four days before it happened. Now he’ll probably like my son better than me!” she joked.
Cynda knew she would need to work hard to get well, and she embraced the challenge with faith and gratitude. She always felt encouraged by the support she received.
Physical and occupational therapists worked with her on walking, lifting weights, and other activities to rebuild her strength and mobility. Each morning they gave her the day’s plan, and she appreciated knowing what to expect and prepare for.
“They’re just super. They truly want you to get better,” Cynda said. “They were so good to me.”
Meanwhile, her nurses made sure she had everything she needed to feel at home. “The rooms are big, it’s clean, the showers and bathrooms are nice. Everything is set up to make you feel comfortable. They even brought me chips and a Coke when I asked!”
Cynda Bearden says the entire Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital team treated her with the utmost kindness and skill. “They laugh with you, cry with you – they’re like another family,” she said. “I don’t know how this facility managed to get all of these wonderful people in one spot!”
It helped lift her spirits during a challenging time. “I was down in the dumps when I got here, but they made me feel so much better,” Cynda said. “They get to know you, and they go out of their way to make you comfortable. If you’re crying or upset, they do everything they can to help.”
Everyone she encountered treated her with respect, kindness and compassion. Cynda describes friendly smiles and conversation from EVS employees cleaning her room, food services staff delivering meals, etc. If she needed help, she could simply pick up the phone to reach someone no matter the time of day or night – which she found enormously reassuring.
As she prepared for discharge, social workers were at her side to arrange home health services, ongoing therapy, and everything else Cynda needed for a smooth, safe transition home.
When the big day came, Cynda was excited to get back to her own bed, new puppy, and family and friends – but she also knew she’d miss the “second family” she had never expected to meet.
“I love the nurses and everyone here. They laugh with you, cry with you – they’re like another family,” she said. “I don’t know how this facility managed to get all of these wonderful people in one spot. I wish I could take them home with me – I love them all, from top to bottom!”