Patricia Tarnosky

Patricia Tarnosky has built a life she loves. She enjoys staying active by participating in mall walking, cooking for her loving husband, and socializing daily. But Patricia’s life was put on hold after suffering respiratory failure.

Patricia was admitted to Vibra Hospital of Southeastern Michigan – Taylor Campus, on full ventilator support and with a feeding tube for nutritional support. After an assessment by her therapists, it was determined she was dependent for all mobility and activities of daily living (ADLs).

Because of her respiratory condition, Patricia experienced extreme anxiety when it came to performing any activities. She required extended and frequent rest breaks when working in therapy. To make matters worse, she could not have any food by mouth due to recent impairments with her swallowing reflexes.

Despite all these obstacles, Patricia maintained a positive attitude and love for life. This helped her push through the anxiety, fatigue, pain, and muscle impairments. Her charismatic and independent personality fueled her recovery and inspired all the staff. Patricia conquered her goals and carried over the new education and compensatory strategies with occupational, physical, respiratory, and speech therapy sessions.

During her time at Vibra, Patricia improved her bed mobility and strength resulting in liberation from the ventilator. She achieved her independence in performing her daily self-care tasks, following good safety awareness. Lastly, Patricia was able to talk and eat regular food again. She looks forward to returning home to her family and getting back to her independent life.