Palomar Vista Escondido

Good Therapy Team Makes Nursing Home Stay Less Daunting

Palomar Vista in Escondido, CA, was recently praised in an article published in U-T San Diego, written by a former patient and freelance columnist, Agnes Herman. Agnes shares her experience and feelings about the exceptional care and team support she received at Palomar: “Each therapist is dedicated to helping us avoid pitfalls in the environment, to strengthen muscles, increase range of motion and learn to walk safely and be comfortable in our own skin. These young folks who are professionals enjoy working together to create an atmosphere of ‘can do.’ They do not finish each other’s sentences, but they could. … When we fall, there is fear and apprehension along with pain. A caring environment and dedicated teamwork can cushion the impact of any fall.” Read the full story.
Palomar Vista Escondido
L to R: Jimmy Manalang, OTR/L; Rino Aquino, PT/DOR; Patricia Kaiser, rehab aide; Ria Olaes, COTA; Bernard Villaseca, PTA; Dennis Pulangas, PTA

AOTA Fieldwork Educator’s Seminar

Many of ouAOTA Fieldwork Educators Certificate Program Workshopr occupational therapists enjoyed a two-day Fieldwork Educator’s Certificate Seminar on Feb. 2 at Southland Care Center in Norwalk, CA. Our student programs are blossoming all across the organization, and it is so wonderful to be able to provide our therapists with additional training and resources to make our student programs extraordinary. Thank you, Gina Tucker-Roghi, for organizing the seminar and making it a success!

We will be holding more clinical instructor trainings in 2013, so make sure you check with your therapy resource for dates and locations.

Kinesio Taping

Keystone North Hosts Advanced Kinesio Taping® Course

Kinesio TapingLast fall over 50 therapists from throughout Texas attended our Kinesio Taping 1 and 2 classes. On Saturday March 16, thirty of these therapists went on to learn advanced fundamentals of Kinesiotaping and are now eligible to sit for the exam and become a certified practitioner.

The University of North Texas Science Center (UNT HSC) provided a state-of-the-art venue for the course. Deb Ellis and Jon Anderson organized the event. They were able to offer registration to several professors and allowed 4 students to monitor the course. The course was offered to therapists from Keystone North and South Facilities as well as therapists from the surrounding communities, and with the proceeds, we were able to award UNT HSC Student Organization a check for $2000.

A Thriving Student Program at Lemon Grove

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Nerida Gerona is the Director of Rehabilitation in Lemon Grove, CA, and her partnership with local universities for ongoing student internships is legendary in Southern California. In the past 12 months, the Lemon Grove center has taken 15 students from six different schools, with two new schools being added in the early summer. What makes her student programs stand apart is how the Lemon Grove team embraces our Core Values and incorporates them into their students’ experience. The students truly become part of the team and have the experience of being part of a dynamic interdisciplinary rehab program. The team celebrates their successes and ensures that each student gets the opportunity to work with a variety of different diagnoses and disciplines. Because of the extraordinary feedback that the students have about their experience at Lemon Grove, Nerida was one of the clinical educators who were asked to be a part of the certification process for a new Physical Therapy Program at San Diego State University. In addition, four of the therapists at Lemon Grove are now certified instructors. Way to go, Team Lemon Grove!

The Journey to Wellness at Plymouth Towers

The Journey to Wellness Wall of Fame at Plymouth Towers in Riverside, CA, began with an inspirational patient story. Cynthia arrived at Plymouth Towers following a flap surgery for a stage IV sacral ulcer. She was bed-bound for nearly two years following a spinal stroke causing paralysis, and she required 24-hour care. Despite the odds stacked against her, she announced to the evaluating therapists that she was determined to walk out of the facility and limit her caregivers to a couple of hours a daCorrect photo for Journey Articley. The therapy team supported her, but at the time thought that it was a near-impossible goal, especially given the fact that she was restricted from sitting up for the early part of her rehabilitation program.

Cynthia poured her heart into her therapy program, and incredibly enough, she walked out of the facility with a FWW and a huge smile of victory on her face! The entire staff was so moved by her inspirational story that they wanted to capture and highlight it in the facility to motivate others during those often difficult hours of therapy. Bobbi Ridge, DOR at Plymouth Towers, and her therapy team put their heads together, and the Journey to Wellness Wall was born. The team hopes to one day cover the entire wall with photos and stories of patients with the drive and determination to overcome limitations and accomplish the unexpected.

Rehab All-Stars

SometimArroyo Vista Photoes the simple but meaningful ideas to motivate patients, family, and staff are the most effective. At Arroyo Vista Nursing Center in San Diego, CA, the therapy staff has dedicated a wall in their therapy gym to their Rehab All-Stars. Patients receiving therapy are nominated by therapists, facility staff members, or even other patients and residents when they are making remarkable progress in therapy. The patient is then highlighted on the wall with a story about their rehab success, including a personal account of their experience in therapy. The stories are always changing, and each one is equally inspiring. Currently on the wall is a patient who was told by her surgeon that she would never walk again, and she recently took her first steps! Family members love to read the stories during therapy, and patients are motivated to continue to improve and work hard to achieve their goals – and possibly earn an opportunity for an all-star picture! Keep in mind that a photo consent is necessary when we are posting information about our patients.

Brookfield Healthcare Develops Customized App for Patient Care

photoThe I-Motion Analyzer Mobile Application was developed by Brookfield’s very own talented therapists as a way to compare, analyze and share videos and snapshots to help patients and their caregivers in understanding the recovery process during rehabilitation. The application was developed when a lot of caregivers asked for the progress of their family members during care plan meetings, or even just on a regular basis. We came up with the idea of videotaping the patient after getting consent and used that video to report progress to the family. The application allows us to play one to two videos simultaneously and compare the videos to determine the progress of the patient. We also added an editing option to make it more functional for the therapists. We continue to receive great feedback about our application from the families, patients, staff and even contracted HMOs, who see the potential of even better care in a long-term care setting by having this kind of technology in the facility.