[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/12\/tims-patient-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/12\/tims-patient-story\/","headline":"Tim’s Story: Making It Home for the Holidays","name":"Tim’s Story: Making It Home for the Holidays","description":"Care at the UPMC Williamsport Emergency Department and UPMC Muncy swing-bed rehabilitation unit helped Tim recover from a serious illness.","datePublished":"2021-12-28","dateModified":"2023-04-17","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","name":"UPMC","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bartlett2-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Bartlett2-1.jpg","height":325,"width":752},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/12\/tims-patient-story\/","about":["Family Health","Living and Wellness","UPMC Stories"],"wordCount":533,"articleBody":"Tim Bartlett of Lock Haven usually toughs out illnesses on his own. But in December 2020, after days of extreme fatigue, pain, and uncontrollable shaking, he and his wife, Beth, decided he should go to the Emergency Department at UPMC Williamsport.Little did they know at the time that Tim would require a 10-day stay in the hospital and a short stay at UPMC Muncy‘s rehabilitation unit.\u201cEverything happened so quickly in the Emergency Department,” says Tim. \u201cThey ran a lot of tests and were very thorough. The doctors decided to admit me for further observation.”On top of the illness that was making him weak and causing his pain, Tim developed a staph infection.Due to his physical condition, Tim had a port inserted so he could receive medicines twice a day. Tim knew he wasn’t strong enough to go home and he didn’t want to go to a nursing home.The team at UPMC Williamsport found the right place \u2014 the rehabilitation unit at UPMC Muncy. Tim would get skilled nursing-level care while he regained his strength.Just the Right Level of CareBeth said that based on how Tim was treated in the Emergency Department, she knew UPMC Muncy was the right place to get her husband healthy again.\u201cMy goal was to be strong enough to be home for Christmas,” Tim says. \u201cThe private room at Muncy was important to me both physically and mentally.”COVID-19 caused some restrictions for his physical and occupational therapy team. To be sure Tim stayed active and got stronger every day, they brought resistance bands to his room. That allowed Tim to still get in a workout without being exposed to other people.\u201cThe staff was busy caring for patients, including those with COVID-19,” Beth says. \u201cDespite that, we felt Tim was getting the best possible care.”Beth remembers how accommodating the staff was, knowing visitors were limited.“Because I was the only one that could visit Tim, the staff talked to Tim while he was walking the hallways to keep him company,” she says.Tim said the facility’s size allowed the care providers to give him more one-on-one care, and the physical therapy staff kept challenging him to do more. He had a goal to reach and he was doing everything he could to attain it.“I felt the more I was doing physically, the better I would do mentally,” Tim says. \u201cThat was calming to me and gave me hope that I would be home by Christmas.”On Dec. 22, 2020, Tim was discharged from UPMC Muncy and sent home to enjoy Christmas.Beth said getting that extra care meant everything.“He is back to himself again,” she says.\u201cGiven what a challenging time the pandemic was for everyone working in the facility, the entire staff was awesome,” adds Tim. “I was so happy to make it home for the holidays, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the care I received from the staff at UPMC.”UPMC offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation in Muncy, Williamsport, Lock Haven, Coudersport, Wellsboro, Mansfield, and the surrounding areas. Learn how rehabilitation at UPMC can help you get back to an active lifestyle."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"12","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/\/12\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Tim’s Story: Making It Home for the Holidays","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/12\/tims-patient-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]