Patients

When therapist Anna Cox met resident Pam, she did not have the strength to stand up out of a chair. Even with assistance she could walk no more than a couple of steps without needing a rest. Anna and her team worked diligently with the physician also involved in Pam’s care as she was having a hard time participating in therapy due to her extreme anxiety. In conjunction with the physician and medication management for which Anna and her team advocated, the result was a decrease in medications followed by a subsequent, and almost complete, elimination of Pam’s anxiety. This allowed Anna to work effectively with Pam resulting in the progress that she made throughout the several months of hard work. Pam now takes “the long way home” after every meal to get a little more exercise. She walks completely independently with a walker after relying on a wheel chair for a very long time. Pam thanks Anna and the staff at Odom Rehab for all that they have done for her. 

This story comes to us from New Perspective of Waconia and is one of the best examples of unwavering commitment to our residents in recent memory. When Odom PT Sarah Welder met Helen, she presented with a flaccid right lower extremity, meaning she had no ability to elicit any kind of muscle response in her right leg. “I had to fight for literally EVERY contraction and each step along the way” recalls Sarah. “Credit to her though, she is the most fiercely independent patient I have ever met. ” Sara has been a PT for more than 20 Years to this statement carries a lot of weight. Upon her initial evaluation Helen required an EZ stand and the assistance of two care givers for all transfers. “I spent MONTHS on the mat with her just trying to get her to isolate a quad contraction and inhibit the gluts. Then months with the harness and her knee buckling on me, rearranging the gym each visit so the bars could be in front of the raised mat and also over the harness track. ” Initially Helen had considered going to a Transitional Care Unit, however because Sarah and the rest of the Odom team were able to offer both PT and OT 5 days/week slowly but surely progress was made towards her goal of once again walking independently. Over the course of NINE months of intensive therapy Helen began to be able to activate the muscles of her leg, then to stand, transfer and finally to walk. Today she walks independently in her apartment, is able to use the bathroom, and walks in the hallways with contact guard assist. Helen set her mind to regaining her independence, Sarah and her team recognized Helen’s potential then diligently worked to allow her to achieve it. It is stories like this that allow us to turn the perception that assisted living is a place one goes when they no longer have the independence they cherish, on its head. It can be a place where the independence is recognized, optimized and given the opportunity to flourish. We are thankful to be a part of these stories, and Work every day to reproduce them.

This story comes to us from The Waters of Highland Park. When Doctor of Physical Therapy, Meghan Klein met Ken Anderson he had been suffering from almost debilitating headaches for the better part of a decade. At the time of his initial therapy evaluation he rated his pain at a 10 of 10, 7 days/week. The headaches were so severe that he had all but stopped leaving his room and had almost no engagement with his fellow residents or The Waters team. Doctor Klein began employing manual therapy and pain management techniques to address the devastating pain. Over the next several weeks Meghan and Ken developed a relationship that surpassed that of doctor and patient. Ken began to develop something that he had given up on long ago. He had once again developed hope; hope that he could once again live his life without pain. By capitalizing on Ken’s new found hope and commitment to improving his quality of life, and Doctor Klein’s skills as a physical therapist, Ken’s pain subsided. During a recent visit he rated his pain at 1of 10 occurring less than 3x/week. The impact that this has had on Ken’s life is largely unquantifiable, however he now dines in the dining room with his friends, interacts with The Waters team and engages in the programing that Courtney and The Waters of Highland Park excel at creating. Ken was so moved by what he achieved during his time working with the Odom team that he bought a tree, had it planted in the arboretum and dedicated it to Meghan. This is one of dozens of success stories that Odom is honored to be a part of through the relationship forged with The Waters Senior Living.