Luis Yanez

Before arriving at Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico, Luis Yanez had been bedbound for 13 months. He could not walk or perform basic activities of daily living. In addition, due to his decline in overall function, he could not attend his chemotherapy appointments. So Luis sought the help of the experts at RHSNM to regain his function and independence.

Luis worked extremely hard with the therapy team at RHSNM, remaining focused on getting his life back. Unfortunately, while he made significant progress with physical therapy, some weakness and preexisting knee pain remained. The biggest barrier to returning home was the stairs that Luis would have to ascend and descend at his residence.

The discharge planning team at RHSNM intervened, contacting Luis’s insurance for assistance with building a ramp at his home. Unfortunately, going this route to build a ramp would take three to four months. But the team was undeterred and connected with a local agency, The New Mexico Ramp Project, and a local team known as the “Ramp Rats.”

The New Mexico Ramp Project is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit that provides free ramps for older adults and people with mobility issues across New Mexico and relies on donations from the public to purchase supplies. At the same time, volunteer labor is used to build the ramps. The staff at RHSNM not only volunteered their time but were able to make donations towards the cost of the supplies for the ramp. The total cost for the custom ramp was $850. The combined team completed the ramp within five hours.

Upon completion of his inpatient stay at RHSNM, Luis was able to return home safely with his family. The RHSNM team was fortunate to witness Luis’s special reunion with his family after a two-month absence from home. Luis can now attend his follow-up appointments and continues his recovery through outpatient therapy at RHSNM.