Edwin’s story: Parkinson’s-related fall leads to rehabilitation stay, recovery

Edwin Miller grew up wanting to serve in the military. In the early 1970s, he joined the Army before he was drafted and headed to Vietnam. He would serve in the military both active and with the National Guard for another 25 years.

He has no regrets, except one. “I’m a Vietnam veteran, and they say I got Parkinson’s from Agent Orange,” he said. “It’s a bugger; it’s changed my life.”

Parkinson's-related fall changes daily life

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes Agent Orange as a link to conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition that affects mobility. For Ed, the condition has impacted his balance and speech.

After a fall, he needed help not only in recovering from the fractures but also in managing Parkinson’s and reducing his risk of another fall.

Choosing inpatient rehabilitation for Parkinson’s recovery

When determining the next steps in Ed’s recovery, he and his wife, Marion Rhoads, were quick to look to Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Mechanicsburg in Pennsylvania.

Using the GI Bill, Ed received his degree in nursing and worked as a charge nurse at the Mechanicsburg rehabilitation hospital for more than 20 years. While there, he met Marion, who was also a nurse at the hospital. After retiring, the couple moved to a nearby senior living community.

Marion said understanding the level of care provided at Encompass Health versus other settings of care made their decision an easy one.

“At the acute care, they don’t tell you the difference in an acute rehabilitation facility and your three hours of therapy you get and a nursing facility, which doesn’t give you three hours of therapy,” Marion said.

In inpatient rehabilitation, patients receive three hours of therapy a day, five days a week. For Ed, his focus was preventing a fall and gaining skills and strategies to help him live with his Parkinson’s.

“His fall really shook his confidence, so our job was to bring that spunk back to him,” recalled Patty Sullivan, Ed’s physical therapist. “We wanted to get him back to his boxing he does for Parkinson’s, his artwork and the things he loves.”

Ed’s therapy primarily focused on rebuilding his strength and improving his balance to reduce the risk of another fall.

A veteran’s welcome

As a former nurse at the hospital, Ed expected to see some familiar faces. What he didn’t expect was the welcome he received as a U.S. veteran.

When he admitted to the hospital, his name was called over the speaker welcoming him and thanking him for his service. He was also given a challenge coin and signage in his room acknowledging his veteran status. “I think we should celebrate and honor our veterans every day, just like we treat patients every day,” said Encompass Health Mechanicsburg CEO Kristen Turner.

Ed said he was touched by the unexpected recognition, especially as a Vietnam veteran, who remembers a time when veterans like him were not always celebrated for their service.

“It’s unusual for a civilian company to recognize veterans like this one does,” he said. “It’s very meaningful to me.”

Returning to his community

After two weeks at Encompass Health Mechanicsburg, Ed was able to return to his wife and their senior living community — just in time to see his artwork on display.

Before his Parkinson’s symptoms became too severe, Ed painted religious icons. All 20 of his icons, which took 40 hours each to create, were on display as part of the community’s first artist series.

Though he doesn’t paint anymore, he was honored to share his art with residents and get back to other activities such as dining with his friends and boxing for Parkinson’s. He said that might not have happened without the rehabilitation he received at Encompass Health.

“Anybody who needs rehab, there’s just no place else you should go,” he said. “There’s no better.”