Submitted by Aimee Bhatia, MSOTR/L, PAM, CTO, NCI Therapy Resource, California
Victoria Care Center was the first building in NCI to crack into the world of outpatient by building programming at our now Pennant partners at the Lexington Assisted Living facility. The start was not easy despite being partners, but the impact that has been made and the programming that has been established is remarkable. The Lexington went through a rough patch with changes in leadership, but an administrator recently transitioned back into the role, allowing for some positive changes. Prior to this change, residents were unhappy. The facility was going through a change in leadership, and with the changes came many adjustments to the team. Therapy stepped in to make an impact on many aspects of the residents’ quality of life.
Here are just a few things that Shannon Murphy, PT; Stephanie Nowlin, COTA; and Maria Lebon, Rehab Aide took on to help the facility stabilize:
- Assisting residents in making doctors’ appointments
- Updating families regularly on therapy progress and the need for DME
- Facilitating admissions to Victoria Care Center when their residents were hospitalized
- Helping residents with banking struggles
- Assisting a resident with care for his blind and deaf dog, who has been adopted as the therapy mascot
- Adopting a resident’s cat when she had to relocate to be closer to family and providing all necessary care to improve its wellness
- Welcoming the residents into their rehab family
The amount of support, the ability to thrive, and the increased satisfaction made a significant difference in the lives of the residents. They have created an environment in the ALF where the residents often seek the therapists out just to socialize a little and many have formed friendships. . This is a true example of our organization’s culture and how invaluable it is to embrace. These three members of Victoria’s therapy team have made such an impact on a community that simply would not be the same without them. . Thank you Shannon, Stephanie, and Maria for the work you do, for the impact you make, and for constantly finding meaningful ways to impact the patients we care for every day. This is a true example of loving what you do, finding a way to make positive changes amongst hardship, and being dedicated to a valuable mission.