HOUSTON | As Rep. Gabrielle Giffords spends her days relearning how to speak, walk and care for herself, her therapists are carefully tracking every moment and often posing one critical question: When can she go home?
Experts say they expect her medical team to make that call in the coming weeks because the Arizona Democrat is at the point in her therapy where doctors typically make such decisions about transitioning brain-injury patients into outpatient care. Mrs. Giffords has spent the last 2 1/2 months undergoing intense therapy at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston since she was shot Jan. 8 in Arizona.
“I would expect a release in mid-April, right around the 10 weeks,” said Dr. Steve Williams, chairman of rehabilitative medicine at Boston University.
The decision many are waiting for is whether Mrs. Giffords will be able to travel to Cape Canaveral, Fla., to watch her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, command the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final flight in late April. Some are also wondering if she’ll recover to run for office again and challenge for an open Senate seat in Arizona in 2012.
Last month, doctors said Mrs. Giffords was making “leaps and bounds” in her recovery as she speaks more and more every day and walks with assistance. They said there was a good chance she could attend the launch, but insisted no final decision had been reached.
Experts say the more crucial, long-lasting decision revolves around when she will be released.
Kristi Lanier, a speech pathologist at TIRR Memorial Hermann, said a team of therapists meets weekly to review progress and assess a patient’s program and needs. Discharge is always the backstory to their conversations.
“That’s the crux of the question going around,” said Dr. Lanier, who is not treating Mrs. Giffords. “That discussion starts on Day One.”
Doctors and Mrs. Giffords’ family have several options for the next step in her care.
The congresswoman could stay in Texas, possibly moving into her husband’s home near Houston and allowing her to undergo outpatient therapy in the TIRR clinic. She could also return home to Arizona, where she has a home and where her family lives. In both states, Mrs. Giffords would have a valuable network of family and friends to assist in her recovery — key factors in deciding where to send patients.
Family or caretakers are trained before a patient is released, said Dr. Cara Camiolo Reddy, the medical director of the brain-injury program in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Institute. In most cases, therapists visit a patient’s home, advising the family on what changes may need to be made to guarantee their safety and to ensure their needs are met.
Everything Mrs. Giffords does at TIRR Memorial Hermann is geared toward preparing her for release. Every day, she undergoes several hours of physical, speech, occupational and music therapy that focus on various brain functions.
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