Zena's Story - OP Rehab at St John's
Lee-Anne Sargeant, SJOG June 08
We are now offering outpatient rehabilitation services to people requiring help to maintain functional independence following orthopaedic and joint surgery, stroke, or because of debility accompanying medical or surgical conditions. A success story of the program is Zena Williams.
Zena is 95+ and has been coming to the Outpatient Rehability Program since November for musculoskeletal reconditioning program. She had been admitted a number of times with general weakness, stiffness and rapidly decreasing mobility and chronic hip pain. Her daughters were very concerned about her overall condition, she had "given up on life" and "couldn't keep going".
Megan Charity and Zena Williams
The purpose of her reconditioning program was to improve her mobility and strength so that she could move around safely and comfortably. Zena also needed help with managing her chronic hip pain.
Instead of a halting very slowly moving lady when she first started, she is now very sprightly - rather than staying within her room and not venturing out, her daughters now have to search for her when they visit as she is often out with other residents and she now visits their homes again, enjoys their garden and the outdoors with a confidence that she hasn't had for many years. Zena has had no readmissions to hospital since participating in the rehabilitation program.
She says she "really enjoyed the exercises and the regular twice weekly visits to the gym". She could not praise Megan, Kat, Terri and Fleur highly enough for always being ready to give her some gentle pushing along and for building her confidence.
Bronywn, one of Zena's daughters who is a volunteer at the hospital says that her Mum is now reconnected with the family and her morale is just so much better thanks to having rehab every week.
So here's a lady who we have really done great things for!!!
This article is available online at http://bddgp.org.au/article/2008/06/sjog-op-rehab
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