A more than 4,000-square-foot therapy and rehabilitation center at Good Samaritan Society – Davenport in Iowa is back open. The special facility was closed for much of the last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is very unique to the Quad Cities area – one of the only long-term care facilities in the Quad Cities to have such a unique gymnasium for rehab,” Ron Calvert, Society ancillary services supervisor, says.
'Outstanding' rehab and therapy space
Instrumental in designing the state-of-the-art space, Ron says it’s specifically for inpatient and outpatient rehab. Residents and patients can get an individualized plan to help them recover faster through physical, occupational and speech therapy.
"We employ our own therapists. That’s a positive. We have this gymnasium. It’s outstanding,” Ron says.
Just after the Society’s merger with Sanford Health in 2019, the not-for-profit organization began working towards an in-house therapy model. Ron, a former rehab director here, is now the ancillary services supervisor after seven years as a home services administrator.
“With the Sanford transition, it’s been wonderful to see us bring back our own therapists. Those therapists are invested in the residents when they work for the company.
I truly believe that residents benefit from that very much,” Ron says.
'Regain that confidence'
Therapists have a remarkable amount of tools at their disposal in Davenport. The gym features special equipment along with a mock house, kitchen, restaurant and more.
“No one else has that. It gives (patients) the opportunity to try to regain that confidence to return home,” Ron says.
They’re building strength and getting back to everyday activities with the Society’s help.
“It’s very important for the resident to see the progress as well as the therapist,” Ron says. “It’s a care plan that’s unique to each individual."
If the goal is to return home, therapists can continue working with people during that transition, too.
“That’s important to our residents’ well-being, as well, when they return home. That they’re having the same therapists who already know them and know what their expectations and goals are,” Ron says.
Important work as more older adults leave behind pandemic isolation and start moving more often.
The Good Samaritan Society requires masking in its locations. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to the masking requirement or recorded in a non-patient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.