Rehab Move Shifts Recovery to Neighborhood Level

Recovering from an illness, injury, or surgical procedure can be a difficult, stressful period. This is especially true as we get older.

Older adults who find themselves in need of short-term rehabilitation are faced with an important choice.  As they look forward to a full recovery, the environment where these critical days of recuperation and therapies are spent can make all of the difference. Finding a place where you or your loved one can feel comfortable and supported  is key to achieving those positive outcomes we all want. An accessible setting that looks and feels more like home is proven to pay dividends.

The need for more hospitable, homelike rehab spaces in the Rochester area is a big reason why rehabilitation services made the move to the program’s new home on the Reservoir 5 neighborhood at St. John’s Home. Beginning this fall, rehabilitation guests at St. John’s will spend their days in a more accessible neighborhood setting where

Once up-and-running completely, neighborhood administrator Matt Rossman estimates that about 70% of therapy sessions—including physical, occupational, and speech therapies—will take place in the centrally located new “mini-gym” on Reservoir 5 and throughout the neighborhood, both inside and outside of guest rooms. This move will also allow for an increase in the number of rehab guests St. John’s can accommodate at one time.

“We are excited to grow our rehab program here to better serve our community,” says Rossman, a physical therapist who had previously served as rehabilitation director at St. John’s. This move more closely reflects the vision St. John’s has been moving towards for working with rehabilitation residents in a setting “where they can take on real challenges they experience in their everyday life.”

The larger physical therapy gym and adjacent occupational therapy apartment on the 1st floor will still be utilized regularly, though sessions located there will typically involve more mobile patients who are further along in their recoveries. As rehabilitation guests get stronger and more self-assured, our innovative physical and occupational therapy spaces located on the first floor of St. John’s Home will continue to help prepare them with the skills and peace of mind needed to get back home, safely.

The new St. John’s rehabilitation neighborhood on Reservoir 5 offers a unique experience for guests as they recover from significant illness or injury. Tom Viola speaks on his experience with his mother’s recent recovery at St. John’s Home stating, “Molly Lorenz was my mom’s Physical Therapist and affectionately referred to by us as “the motivator”. Though my mom initially and continuously rejected PT, Molly finally got her up and going and onto the next phase in her recovery. She is very much appreciated by us.”

Although updates are always being  made to our rehabilitation program, our compassionate staff remains a constant at St. John’s Home.