This email is long overdue. I am writing to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation for the outstanding care and attention you and your staff provided for my father Don Stoeckle during his past few stays at Palm Gardens. The past 18 or 20 months have been extremely difficult for my father. He has endured 4 major surgeries and a stroke which has resulted in declining health and a need for increased care and intense therapy to strengthen him physically. His primary goal was to get his strength to an acceptable level to allow him to live on his own and maintain his independence. With the care provided by your staff and the physical and occupational therapy department he reached his goal and is delighted to be back home and living independently.Our experience of the care he received at Palm Gardens has been exceptional. From the first phone call and meeting I had with Kim Borsheim to have my father admitted, to the last therapy sessions where Frank Costentino picked him up at his home to enable him to continue getting stronger, our experience was terrific. Your admissions staff with Kim and Elise Aubourg made my father feel welcome and they ensured he was in a comfortable room. Mary Lu Richards was so gracious, patient and informative with the financial aspects of what my father’s obligations were, and went well beyond her duties to make my father feel comfortable and like a friend (who constantly stole candy from her). Dan Gregory always made sure things were working properly in my dad’s room and often took the time to have friendly conversations with both my father and me. When my father had his unfortunate fall Heather Criscioni walked me through the incident with professionalism and a comprehensive approach which included follow up guidelines for him to follow so another fall would not happen again. Cindy Holmers was very helpful when it came time for a decision to allow him to return home or move to an assisted living facility. Suella always seemed to drop what she was doing to help me and always put up with (and answer) all of my medical questions. And Frank always had a kind word for my father and was a bright spot in his day.The physical and occupational therapy department at Palm Gardens is something special. Alex Gerbig runs an outstanding department as evidenced by the closeness of the team members and the relationships they build with the resident community. Ivonne, Armando and Rachel Rice really helped my father feel cared for and like he was making progress. But the care and attention he received from Lisa Housel and Nicole Jeffcoat was far above and beyond their duties and responsibilities. They took a deep personal interest in his well-being as well as his progress under their direction. They are very special people who have a gift for what they are doing. Specifically, Nicole got incredible results out of my father in his physical therapy I’m not sure anyone else in her position could have accomplished. And finally, but certainly not least, I want to personally thank you for making my father feel so at home, important and cared for during his stay. He clearly has a very soft spot in his heart for you and he continues to talk about you even as he is at home. Your follow up card and phone calls following his discharge were very thoughtful and compassionate, and he was absolutely shocked and delighted that you would take the time out of your busy day to think of him. He has your card pinned to the bulletin board in his office. Additionally, you really made me and my family feel welcome and at home when we visited. I certainly logged a lot of hours at Palm Gardens over the past several months, and I felt very much at home visiting him daily. I know I am leaving out many of the staff who took the time to make my father feel at home and cared for, and unfortunately I don’t know all of their names. Please pass on our appreciation to them as well.I would like to offer a small token of my appreciation to you, your staff and the therapy team. Would it be ok to purchase lunch for all of you for our appreciation? We could have a catered lunch brought in for you on a designated day if possible. I would like my father to be able to thank all of you again for the care and friendship he received. Please let me know and I will make arrangements. If lunch is not possible please let me know what we can do to offer our appreciation.Thank you again for all you have done for my father (and me!). -Michael Stoeckle
Smith, a 31 year old male was on his way to the hospital to meet his new born baby girl. While walking into the hospital, just a few hundred feet away from the entrance, he became a victim of a hit and run car accident. He sustained a severe head injury and became unresponsive, falling into a comatose state. After 3 months in the hospital he began to emerge from his coma. He was then admitted to our facility where he began to receive Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. At the time of his admission he was unable to communicate verbally and nonverbally. The physical therapist identified decreased functional mobility, loss of joint motion, and loss of muscle strength in his extremities. His occupational therapist identified decreased function with his ability to put on clothes, wash his face, comb his hair, self-feed, and use the restroom. He also demonstrated decreased cognitive skills, perceptual skills, sensory awareness, and coordination. After several months of extensive therapy which were tailored to his needs, Smith was able to progress to sitting on the edge of the bed to standing with minimal assistance. As he continued to progress with therapy he improved his mobility and cognitive abilities. Smith progressed from being wheelchair bound and non-verbal on admission to conversing appropriately and ambulating around the facility with stand by assistance from staff. With the hope and determination of the therapy staff, Smith plans to return home with his family. This is one of the many stories that demonstrate Halcyon's strive for the highest quality of care.
– Carolina Viana
The Rehab Team at Panama City Nursing Center had a resident that was in the facility for approximately 2 weeks and refused to participate in therapy. We would constantly have refusals from her throughout her stay here. She went home and ended up back in our facility because of numerous falls and safety concerns in her home. As a rehab team, we brainstormed to determine what we could do to facilitate her therapy and assist with helping her return home safely. We interviewed her and found that her passion was gardening. So, we purchased some seeds and potting soil and went to work. My team created a fantastic gardening group. The first day of the group they decorated Styrofoam cups to plant the seeds in and the next day they planted the seeds in the cups and Physical Therapy challenged the resident's balance by having her stand and reach for items while planting the seeds. Speech Therapy used this time to address cognition by having the residents read the directions on how to plant the seeds and then coming up with different gardening ideas about the flowers. Occupational Therapy addressed fine motor and UE strength by placing the seeds in the cup and then filling them with dirt. Suddenly we now had a resident that couldn't wait to come to therapy with a smile on her face while checking on her "babies" as she calls the flowers. The residents check the plants each day to determine if they need watering and we discuss gardening ideas on how to make them grow to be beautiful flowers. This group continues to be ongoing each week as we are now transplanting them into larger pots to eventually be outside for the rest of the facility to admire and enjoy!! We have seen such a drastic change in this resident and the others that participated in the group just by purchasing a few seeds and some soil and working together as a TEAM to think outside of the box and plan such a fun and exciting group for this resident as well as all of the others who have participated.
– Charity Pongratz
I met Mrs. D about 6 weeks ago in Palm Garden in Ocala. She had been in a major automobile accident and had suffered a broken tibia, fibula and ankle, and also a broken wrist and many facial abrasions. When she came in she was not even able to stand or sit at the edge of her bed. A Hoyer lift would assist to get her out of bed. But she was determined, oh yes she was. I did not know then what I know now about her positive spirit and energy. The first thing she wanted to do was get out of bed on her own. Slowly we started with the sliding board transfer, and she became a pro in 2 weeks. On her right leg she was non weight bearing and that in and of itself was a challenge. We began a workout for her upper body using dowels, weights, Thera-Band, and the Omnicycle. She took to every exercise I could give her. In the meantime, her dressing, bathing and grooming were becoming her main goal in order to take care of herself independently. We began standing activities using one leg only and she not only could stand for functional activity, she would move to our music groups holding on with one hand. What an accomplishment!! She is still with us at the facility but I am sure it won't be for too much longer. She visited her doctor the other day and was told 4 more weeks of non-weight bearing. That was the first time I saw her discouraged and tearful. But the next day her spirit was alive again. She attended a cooking group last week and was the hit of the group. Her encouragement to her fellow residents was terrific. She even stood to wash dishes with one leg!! Mrs. D has taught me about the meaning of positive thinking and how to push through even when you don't want to. It has been my pleasure and honor to be her therapist. I know now she will be returning home soon. She is my grandest success story!
– Nanci Maguire - COTA