At St. John’s Home, Rehabilitation Care Has Gotten a Lot More Fun!

Helping rehabilitation guests implement independent living skills is a pivotal part of each day for therapists and support staff working at St. John’s Rehabilitation Services. Services provided to those who need short-term transitional care can include occupational therapy, music therapy, speech and hearing services, skills training, and  of course physical therapy.

The St. John’s rehab team brings a “skilled and restorative” program that focuses on helping as many people as possible. This includes the ever-evolving needs of long-term care residents who live at St. John’s

More and more, staff on the rehab team have incorporated exercises and activities that can aid in the rehabilitation and maintenance process, while outside of an individual session. These small group therapy sessions create opportunities for friendly competition, comradery, and increased socialization. Those who lead these fun group sessions say they can see the benefits of residents performing these skills in a more relaxed, low-pressure environment.

It is Competition Time

Kyle Regan, a physical therapist’s assistant at St. John’s Home is one of many staff members dedicated to helping residents regain and retain strength, balance, flexibility, and stamina. Regan was recently seen playing a beanbag toss game with a couple of residents. As he explains, “the game helps to challenge their unsupported standing balance and standing tolerance, coordination, reaction time, and reaching outside of their base of support.”

Regan said that games like this one “carry over to any functional mobility they do outside of [individual] therapy sessions, including transferring from one surface to another, walking in their rooms or halls, or standing in the bathroom.”

Group sessions can also consist of more educational-centered activities like cooking classes, but regardless of the group setting, the session is catered to each individual’s goal-oriented plan.

Residents take part in rehabilitation at St. John’s Home for a myriad of reasons. Thus, finding unique solutions like these is an important part of building an impactful rehab program that meets the needs of each and every person who can benefit from the support.