Details remain light on Senator Mitch McConnell’s recovery

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A spokesman for Senator Mitch McConnell declined Wednesday to provide an update on the Senator’s condition.

“We’ll make sure to keep you updated when we have more to share,” spokesman Robert Steurer said.

McConnell has been out of the public eye since March 8th, when he tripped and fell after dinner at Washington’s Waldorf Astoria.

Immediately taken to the hospital, the 81-year-old Senator was diagnosed with a concussion and a fractured rib. For patients of any age, doctors say even a mild concussion can bring on a variety of symptoms.

McConnell was discharged from the hospital Monday and moved to an in-patient rehab facility. The move indicates a new stage of treatment.

”In-patient rehabilitation is going to work on his thinking, his balance, his coordination, his ability to take care of himself,” Frazier Rehabilitation Medical Director Doctor Darryl Kaelin said. “So, their goal is to get him where he no longer needs help for those types of things he can do that on his own.”

In-patient rehabilitation is described by experts as a more intensive choice of recovery.

”In-patient rehab is typically three hours of therapy every day,” Norton Healthcare Brain Injury Specialist Brittany McAndrew said. “And you are staying in the facility, and you were getting therapies all day long.”

In-patient rehab can include multiple therapies addressing both physical and cognitive skills.

“Concussions can range widely from very minor symptoms that last only a couple of hours to more significant and noticeable symptoms that can last days, weeks, months,” McAndrew said.

McConnell’s staff so far has not detailed the severity of his concussion or any symptoms he may have experienced.

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