Concierge: Dominick Dilieto
Patient: Agnes P
Patient Age: 74
Admitted: November 7th, 2025
Admitted From: Mount Sinai Hospital
Discharge Date: April 1st
Length of Stay: 144 Days
Reason For Stay: Rehabilitation following hospitalization following a below the knee amputation surgery.
Details of Experience:
In the Fall of 2025, our community had been joined by Mrs. Agnes Phillips. Mrs. P had come to one of our short term rehabilitation floors in our community following a lengthy stay at Mount Sinai Hospital. Admitted to the hospital and going through multiple surgeries while there for over a four week stay, Mrs. P was very quick to show our team that she was ready to get to work and onto a new leg. After spending as much time in the hospital as she did, she said she was excited to be able to get back up and moving here in the gym with our physical and occupational therapy team.
In June of last year, Mrs. P had undergone a left below the knee amputation at Mount Sinai Hospital due to health complications. Though the surgery was successful, Mrs. P had continued to face other medical issues unrelated to her amputation. She had still needed time to recover from her amputation, and adding other medical issues did not make it easier for her. The remainder of 2025 would be filled with long challenges and stints in and out of the hospital. Pain management, having her wounds heal, and adapting to the sudden change to her ambulatory abilities were only the beginning of her rehabilitation journey. In October of the same year, Mrs. Ps had undergone a mastectomy, landing her in the hospital once again further delaying her rehabilitation for her leg. She had still needed to learn how to walk with a prosthetic, safely transfer, and control her balance.
When Agnes had first arrived at The Riverside, she was a total assist for nearly all of her daily activities for daily living. Transferring, for her, from her bed to the chair was exhausting, and standing on one leg had felt nearly impossible. But with the encouragement from her Physical Therapists, Chana and Brie, and her Occupational Therapist, Madeline, the small things quickly became larger victories. When Mrs. P was finally able to walk with a prosthetic, she felt confident and strong on her legs almost immediately. During one conversation about her progress, Mrs. P said, “They never made me feel rushed. They would always say to her, ‘We will get there together,’ and they were always right. Each day I got a little further.”
Working with Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, our Gold Medal winners from the International Paralympics and our Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program and Amputee Walking School, as well as with Bradley, who helped develop and fit Mrs. P with her prosthetic leg, Mrs. P had felt very supported during her stay. They also helped reassure her that the process will take time and the importance of staying with it all. From standing with our parallel bars in the gym, to walking with them, to walking with a walker, the entire team was there to watch her progress and stand right with her. Just a few weeks later, Mrs. Phillips would be practicing ambulation sequences and the activities of daily living to master the skills she would need when she would be returning back home.
By the end of March, Mrs. Phillips had now been able to walk over 75 feet on her own. She had also become independent in transfering, more than competent using her prosthetic limb, and fully confident in managing her daily routine. Her therapists proudly reported that she exceeded every functional goal set upon admission. Now, after nearly five months of determination, she is ready to return home.
While we will miss certainly miss Agnes we are thrilled to watch her walk, quite literally and figuratively, into the next chapter of her journey. We wish her nothing but continued success and happiness on her road ahead here from The Riverside.