Dr. Michael Thomas is a retired urologist of Elkhart, Indiana, with 33 years of practice. He leads an active lifestyle with golf being one of his favorite past times. In November, he had an elective lumbar spondylosis surgery for his back that led to needing intensive inpatient rehabilitation as part of his recovery. “I knew I needed this procedure because I didn’t want to be a couch potato,” he says.

While at Elkhart General Hospital, a clinical liaison spoke with Dr. Thomas and his wife, Carole, about rehabilitation. Carole toured two inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the area and decided upon Rehabilitation Hospital of Northern Indiana. She said she liked that it was a clean, free-standing hospital with easy access to parking. Dr. Thomas had also learned that a former healthcare colleague worked at the hospital, which provided him an additional level of comfort as well.

“Therapy at the hospital was three hours a day, but the healthcare team split it up to give me breaks,” Dr. Thomas says. In particular, he said the two therapy members, Louie and Teagan, were integral to his success. “Their communication was exceptional, they were very supportive, and they had goals for me, ” he says. “Both set aside time to educate my wife and provide family training for things I’ll need help with at home. They also ordered equipment to get me home safely.”

Dr. Thomas also expressed appreciation for nurse Kristin and many others that helped with his journey as well. “The patient care technicians helped with my showers and shaving, but they allowed me to keep my independence,” he says. “Carole also was appreciative of the receptionists who would deliver milkshakes to me after Carole brought them back to me after hospital visits.”

Now Dr. Thomas is looking forward to getting back to his regular activities, which includes golfing with friends and doing Pilates with Carole.