07/15/2026
Esther was taken to a hospital after having seizures. She went into acute respiratory failure, requiring intubation. She was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis – a condition in which the immune system attacks the brain. Esther was given a tracheostomy and a PEG tube. She was weaned off mechanical ventilation, but she needed long-term acute care for trach management and weaning, neurological monitoring, lab monitoring, nutrition optimization, and therapy.
For that next step, Esther transferred to Kindred Hospital St. Louis South, which provides specialized long-term acute care and rehabilitation for medically complex patients.
Esther did very well at Kindred and advanced rapidly in her healing journey. Six days after admission, she was breathing room air only, and her trach was capped. Just four days after that, her trach was removed, and she no longer required respiratory services.
Esther also received occupational and speech therapy for her cognition, alertness, and command following. With time, Esther’s cognition improved. She was awake and alert more often, allowing her to follow commands and participate in more therapy.
Physical and occupational therapists helped Esther improve her mobility. She became able with minimal assistance to perform bed mobility and transfers and walk more than 10 feet with a rolling walker. In addition, she could dress her upper body independently and perform personal/oral hygiene with only setup assistance. Esther was also able to return to a normal, oral diet.
Thanks to Esther’s hard work and the support of her Kindred caregivers, Esther was able to discharge and transfer to an acute inpatient rehabilitation facility to continue her recovery.
To read more patient stories and to learn more about our care, please visit: https://bit.ly/4ygrBkI
