It took only a couple of hours for me to realize how lucky I was to be at the Greenbrier Health Care Center at 1115 Maplewood Ave., Lewisburg. I was made comfortable in a regular hospital bed while nurses and aides flittered around me making sure I was clean and comfortable.
On Christmas Day when my feet caught on a small kitchen rug, I found out just how granite hard our linoleum floor is as my left hip cracked and broke. The EMTs arrived in no time, and from then on for quite a while, my life was not under my own control.
After surgery, Medicare allowed me to go to either a rehabilitation facility for in-patient therapy three hours a day, or to go home and have therapy for three hours a week. I chose the in-patient option for more intensive therapy. I missed my family, but that was one of the smartest decisions I ever made. That increase of therapy gave me the push I needed to get on my feet much faster.
When the aching managed to seep through the pain pills, I tried not to think about the rod that had been hammered down my left leg bone almost to my knee and another one into my hip, both being held in place by screws.
Every morning I was given a menu-of-the-day and the choice of eating in the spacious dining room decorated with lovely matching tablecloths and colorful curtains hanging from long windows, or I could have my meals in bed. I chose the latter because dressing in bed after eating turned out to be the easiest and fastest for me.
Aides helped me dress. Then a physical therapist introduced herself, and off we went to the huge physical therapy room where I spent as much time as I could exercising. The super PT/OT crew helped me use the therapy machines and watched me like mother hens so I wouldn’t fall. I felt very safe. There were five therapists each specializing in different areas.
Sarah, the activity specialist, offered entertainment in another large room filled with tables and chairs for playing games or doing puzzles. Sometimes she showed movies. When I looked around, I saw smiling faces. Sarah kept us all laughing and having a good time. Most of the time I was too tired to take part, but when I did, it was lots of fun.
I’m writing about these personal experiences because firstly, I want to thank everyone at the Greenbrier Health Care Center for their excellent care during a difficult time. And secondly, I want people to know that if they should find themselves needing a nursing home or rehabilitation center, I wholeheartedly recommend The Greenbrier Health Care Center. My further recommendation is that, if you have a tendency to trip yourself up like I did, throw out your scatter rugs.
Most sincerely,
Brenda Barnes Clark
Lewisburg
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