While the rehabilitation team members at Life Care Center of Valparaiso provide excellent physical, occupational, and speech therapy, there’s a special spark in the care they provide that comes from the fundamental fact that they love their patients and are dedicated to helping them get stronger and healthier.
“The care this team displays through genuine acts of kindness is unparalleled,” said Paula Hyde, physical therapist and Director of Rehabilitation at Life Care Center of Valparaiso. “We had a therapist come in on a Saturday, her day off, to help one of her patients Skype in to his granddaughter’s wedding.”
This is not the only example of the team’s ability to touch the hearts of patients and positively impact their lives.
“The team also utilized the company bus to take a patient to Target so she could do her Christmas shopping as a community re-entry treatment,” Hyde said. “We also had a therapist and her father, an engineer, construct a Nascar Halloween costume that fit over a resident’s electric wheelchair! Of course, she won our costume contest that year.”
Finding a provider for skilled nursing and rehabilitation can be a daunting task for patients and families, especially when quality care can make a profound difference in a patient’s outcome, and when you have a short amount of time to make a decision after a hospital stay. The compassionate rehabilitation team at Life Care Center of Valparaiso is ready to meet any patients or families for a tour and showcase their expertise in providing optimal care.
“We do rehab to home here as well as rehab with our residents who live here,” said Whitney Winkle, a physical therapy assistant at Life Care Center of Valparaiso. “Our goal is always to get them stronger, hopefully to the point where they can do things for themselves or with minimal assistance.”
“It’s a really good facility to rehab in,” said occupational therapy assistant Karen Corneil. “Our management is super supportive of therapy, always encouraging us to put patient care first.”
Perhaps the key to this team’s success is their unending support, not just for their patients but for each other.
“They discuss patient concerns, share treatment ideas, and provide emotional support to one another,” Hyde said. “It’s a wonderful environment when therapists work together so well to benefit our patients.”
For registered occupational therapist Amanda Blade, the positive culture the team has created at Life Care Center is what sets them apart.
“We’re all friends here, even outside of work, and I think that makes our bond stronger,” Blade said. “We’ve built this very fun, goal-oriented environment that makes it easy to support each other and have each other’s backs. We take a lot of pride in what we do, especially when we see a lot of repeat patients that come back to us whenever they’re in need of this type of care. To me, that just shows we’re doing the right things.”
Carol Earl, a registered occupational therapist, started at Life Care Center of Valparaiso in a part-time position.
“I was initially just working weekends, but I loved it so much I became full-time,” Earl said. “Being part of patient recovery is so rewarding, especially on this team.”
“I have 15 years of experience, Amanda has 20, Carol has 10, and Karen has nine, so just in this room alone we have 54 years of combined experience,” Winkle added.
The team’s varying skillsets make them a well-rounded group, an ideal choice for patients’ rehabilitation needs.
“We have therapists who have five years of experience, 30 years of experience, and years in between,” Hyde said. “We also have therapists who have worked in outpatient, others in acute rehab, and several in-home health and hospital settings. Each therapist brings their unique experiences and skillsets to this team. We all want to learn from each other and become better therapists!”
To learn more about Life Care Center and the outstanding care they provide, visit https://lcca.com/locations/in/valparaiso/.