Coming Home to Shoreham: A Journey Back From the ICU
After two months, 78 days to be exact, Kevin Hoey left Stony Brook Hospital on a cool, fall day in October. Fully recovered from pneumonia, he was off to a new group home.
“We support people in different ways that match their needs,” Sally Burgess, Vice President of Operations at Citizens Options Unlimited said. “In our family of organizations, we not only transition children to adult [residential services] but also support people in ICFs with enhanced nursing and an on-site clinical team.”
To ensure his health and safety as he takes the first steps to recovery, Kevin was transferred from Citizens’ Medford group home to the Shoreham ICF.
He has a long road ahead of him, but with every twist and turn come happy surprises. Kevin was finally ready to go home but with a new skill: He learned to say “mama” at 24 years old. Not only is this an incredible accomplishment for Kevin but a major thanks to his mother, Patricia Hoey, who was his rock the entire time he went through this journey.
“The Shoreham ICF has 24-hour nursing coverage that was able to accommodate Kevin’s needs,” Annemarie Pollard, Assistant Director of Operations at Shoreham ICF, said.
His favorite Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) from Medford were by his side the entire time he was at the hospital, like Elijah Muhammad, Assistant House Manager at Medford; Nicholas Lombardi, DSP; Kyle Makinen, DSP; and Thomas Anderson, DSP, among many others.
A DSP sat with him in the hospital nearly 24 hours a day — advocating for him; communicating between his parents, nurses, and doctors; talking to him, singing with him, keeping him company; and bringing him toys, signs, and stuffed animals.
At Shoreham, Kevin will begin speech therapy and physical therapy and will work to regain the strength and twenty pounds he had lost during his stay in the hospital. Some of Kevin’s favorite DSPs have transitioned over with him to Shoreham as well.
“Kevin enjoyed his first holiday with his Shoreham family at the at-home-day-services Halloween party and Shoreham Halloween parade,” Mary Gilleran, Director of Citizens’ Shoreham ICF, said.