There’s a good reason that our “vent unit” has been named Breath of Life. It’s not the respiratory support equipment. It’s the attitude of our staff and the gratitude of our residents and their families.
We have been providing ventilator and respiratory care for over 15 years. Our objective for residents in Ventilator Dependent Care is to gradually wean them from full-time ventilation. Working closely with Isabella’s Rehabilitation Services, residents are encouraged to do exercises that may help them use oxygen more efficiently. We have 20 certified ventilator dependent beds, 16 respiratory transition beds and a specially trained, inter-disciplinary team of professionals to treat, monitor and assist each resident.
Highlights of our 24/7 care include:
- Portable vents: allowing movement away from the bedside
- Non-invasive testing: techniques for accurate measurement of blood oxygen levels without having to draw blood each time
- Speech and swallowing expertise: to evaluate the specific conditions blocking the ability of a ventilator dependent resident to speak or swallow and provide devices to restore these functions to each resident’s maximum level
- Rehabilitative services: to encourage exercises that help residents use oxygen more efficiently
- Therapeutic recreation specialists: provide music and sensory stimulation
“My dad suffered a devastating stroke and spent three months [in Isabella’s Vent Unit] in a coma . . . It was not easy [to delegate my care giving duties], but your staff took me by the hand and assisted me is saying a final "good-bye" to my beloved father. On the night he died, with my mother and me by his side, I looked back and saw the whole staff crying along with me. It was then that I realized that we had been a team all along.
Thank you, again, for the important work that you do and for your special and compassionate staff”.
— J.C., Esq., August 20, 2008
For more information about any of our specialized care services please contact our Admissions office at 212-342-9245 or click here to send us a message.